D.C. United entered their Saturday evening match-up against the Colorado Rapids in the midst of a three-game slide, a stretch that had seen them relinquish the Eastern Conference lead to the rival New York Red Bulls.
For a while on Saturday, it seemed like United’s slide seemed destined to continue.
In a game in which they could’ve clinched a playoff berth with a win, D.C. instead continued to look anemic through the most of their encounter with the Rapids. In the 28th minute, Colorado claimed an early lead — after United failed to clear a free kick from the area. Rapids defender Bobby Burling one-timed a 20-yard attempt past heavily-screened goalkeeper Bill Hamid for the opener.
"I thought the first half we looked rusty, a little lethargic, we lacked some composure – but we were fairly organized,” United head coach Ben Olsen said after the match. "We came into this game wanting to make sure we were very connected defensively. They didn’t create a lot of chances in the first half, we failed to clear a [free] kick properly and it ends up being their goal.”
D.C. played with a bit more composure after the halftime whistle, but Colorado seemed more than comfortable defending the one-goal margin. The Rapids ratcheted up the pressure a bit in the later stages of the second stanza – Hamid kept his side in the game by foiling a pair of strikes from Colorado forward Kevin Doyle, including a 76th minute effort that seemed destined for goal.
That allowed United to be in position to secure an equalizer against the run of play and late in the match – not entirely surprising for a team that’s scored the bulk of its goals in the last half hour of their games.
In the 87th minute, D.C. fullback Taylor Kemp stepped up to a free kick and astutely spotted Fabian Espindola open towards the near corner. Espindola collected Kemp’s pass and sent in a beautiful, bent ball towards the far post, one which defender Steve Birnbaum was all too happy to nod home.
"The second half, I started to see the signs of the team we are,” Olsen said. "It came at a good time, I thought our composure, the way our build-outs were better, our ideas were better, our execution was better. Everything was just raised a little bit. And then we held on. Down the stretch, they had a couple good chances after we tied it and we dug in and found a way. And that’s what this team has been built on. It was really good to see that second half performance from us.”
“We needed a result,” added Birnbaum. "It was great for us to get it first of all. It’s not a win, but it’s a step in the right direction. We felt that the goal was going to come at some point so we kept playing our game and figured we’d be in good shape.”
The draw pulls United back into a tie atop the Eastern Conference table and perhaps may serve to lift their spirits a bit ahead of Tuesday evening’s CCL encounter against Arabe Unido (8 pm ET) and, more importantly, what’s now turned into a crucial match-up against the Columbus Crew SC next weekend (7 pm ET, MLS LIVE). In a tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference, Crew SC all of the sudden find themselves nipping at D.C.’s heels, just one point behind the team from the nation's capital for the No. 2 seed, which secures a first-round playoff bye.
"It was really good to see that second-half performance from us,” Olsen said. "Now we have to build on that second half vs. Columbus. But it’s a big point for us."
Pablo Maurer covers D.C. United for MLSsoccer.com.
