D.C.'s SuperLiga campaign cut short
Loss to Atlante almost closes the door on United's SuperLiga run
A late D.C. fightback could not undo the early efforts of Los Potros del Hierro, who rode Luis Gabriel Rey's first-half brace and a sparkling solo goal from Christian Bermudez just four minutes after halftime.
Francis Doe scored in the first half for United and Luciano Emilio cut the deficit to one late, but United couldn't ever get back on level terms. Their only hope to stay alive in SuperLiga rest with needing Chivas de Guadalajara to defeat the Houston Dynamo later on Tuesday, in advance of their meeting with the Dynamo at the weekend.
United made one change from the same first XI as Saturday's loss to Chivas, demoting Rod Dyachenko to the bench in favor of Francis Doe. The home side lined up in what the lineup sheet described as a 4-3-3 formation but in reality performed much like the team's standard 4-4-2, with Jaime Moreno manning the playmaking role vacated by Marcelo Gallardo, who continues to battle a groin injury.
The match began cagily, showing little of the vibrancy displayed from the opening whistle on Saturday night as United controlled possession, but failed to trouble Atlante goalkeeper Federico Vilar in the early stages.
But just like the Chivas match, D.C. were dumped into an early hole by ragged back line play. Fifteen minutes in, center back Marc Burch advanced well beyond his defensive mates before turning the ball over in the center circle, leaving himself and Clyde Simms well out of position as Gabriel Pereyra stroked a through ball for Luis Gabriel Rey into the acres of open space next to Devon McTavish.
Atlante's once and future hero outran McTavish and slotted an early finish past Zach Wells, who had advanced far off his line in an effort to cut down the angle but could only watch the ball roll into the empty net.
United finally began to craft a response as Moreno threatened on a curling free kick that flashed just wide of the near post, then Simms tried his hand on two long-distance shots in quick succession.
The holding midfielder has scored two goals from range this season and he did his best to carve out another one in the 23rd minute -- his initial bid was blocked back into his path, then he pivoted to lash the rebound on target, but without enough pace to trouble Vilar.
A razor-sharp turn at the top corner of the Atlante 18-yard box gave Moreno an opening to swerve a left-footer towards the far post, though his effort failed to dip in time and Vilar breathed easy as the ball dropped onto the roof of the net.
United's probing finally hit pay dirt in the 28th minute as two of the club's newest faces combined to cap a crisp passing move with a well-earned equalizer.
Moreno passed to Martinez, who stumbled over the ball before squaring wide to Craig Thompson, and the rookie surprised the Atlante defense with a deft, one-touch inswinger to the far post that floated over Emilio but dropped nicely for Doe. The Liberian's marker was nowhere in sight as he chopped the ball past Vilar on the half-volley to level matters at 1-1.
Moreno had a decent shout for a penalty waved off by referee Carlos Batres in the 33th minute as Arturo Munoz bodied him to the turf as he moved into space to receive Emilio's wall pass, sparking angry chants among the United supporters' groups.
D.C. goalkeeper Zach Wells produced arguably his best performance of the season against Chivas and he showed every sign of similar sharpness on this evening, coming off his line several times to deny Atlante strikers on angled through balls.
But the big netminder was left stranded again by questionable defending in the 44th minute, as Maldonado raced into space after Burch failed to cut out a through ball with an awkward lunging slide, giving the Venezuelan plenty of time to move into the D.C. box and pick out his strike partner Rey with a centering pass. Maldonado's cutback seemed to take a deflection yet Rey still dispatched the chance, coolly flicking a delicate finish past Wells for a 2-1 Atlante lead.
United were undone yet again just minutes after the second half kickoff, though this time it was a moment of individual brilliance rather than an opportunistic counterattack.
Diminutive Atlante midfielder Christian Bermudez dribbled in on Bryan Namoff just outside the penalty area, and froze the D.C. right back with a quick stepover before cutting onto his right foot and curling a delightful dipping shot over Wells and into the far upper corner to push the score to 3-1.
Second-half substitute Rod Dyachenko bundled over Pereyra in the 58th minute after the Atlante striker's lightning footwork fooled McTavish, setting up a set piece on which Maldonado hammered a knuckling drive at Wells, forcing an ungainly but effective punch from the D.C. netminder.
The crowd's unease grew as time ticked away, but two developments gave them hope in the latter stages. First Santino Quaranta entered the match for Doe, marking his first appearance in more than two weeks after a hamstring injury, then Moreno and Emilio combined to chip away at Atlante's lead with some 10 minutes left in regulation.
Moreno dribbled right at Gerardo Espinoza, feinting left before flicking a short pass into Emilio's path, and the Brazilian timed his movement well, setting himself to hit a first-time bullet into the upper right corner to run the score to 3-2. Second-half sub Ryan Cordeiro created a few promising moments along the United left flank and Quaranta tested Vilar with a dipping blast from distance late on. An injury-time flurry saw Dyachenko and Emilio threaten with shots inside the Atlante box, but the weary Mexicans held out and escaped with the victory that resuscitates their prospects for SuperLiga semifinal qualification, while pushing United to the brink with matters out of their control.
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
