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D.C. United down Red Bulls to extend East lead

Robles ouch photo by Geoff Burke - USA TODAYPhoto by Geoff Burke/USA Today

By CAITLIN MURRAY

With a world-class performance in goal Sunday, goalkeeper Bill Hamid extended D.C. United’s lead to sit four points clear atop the Eastern Conference table.

Buoyed by more magic from the pairing of Luis Silva and Fabian Espindola, D.C. United nabbed a 2-0 win Sunday over the New York Red Bulls in front of 19,453 fans — D.C.’s largest home crowd this season.

Though credit is due to goalscorers Silva and Eddie Johnson, who added a stoppage time insurance goal, a spectacular performance from Hamid kept D.C. United in the match.

In the 31st minute, the NYRB’s Bradley Wright-Phillips nearly added another goal to his already record-breaking season. Chris Duvall lofted a cross to the goal area, finding Wright-Phillips’ head, but Hamid made a quick, diving two-handed block. Ten minutes later, Tim Cahill sent a low, far-post shot off the woodwork as Hamid shut down the angle.

Silva punished a Red Bulls miscue in the 57th minute to put his side up. Hamid launched a goal kick that Fabian Espindola flicked on for Silva. NYRB goalkeeper Luis Robles came outside his 18-yard box to make the stop, but Silva was able to tap it around him into an open goal.

Johnson added a goal in the 91st minute, again on a long ball. Perry Kitchen lobbed the ball to a sprinting Johnson, who collected behind the Red Bulls line. He chipped the ball over Robles’ head for a neat finish.

The win ends the month on a positive note for DCU after playing six MLS matches in August and losing three of them. They hold onto the lead atop the Eastern Conference table, four points clear of second-place Sporting Kansas City.

For the Red Bulls, Sunday was a lost chance to improve on their position just outside of playoff contention, two points away from fifth-place Columbus Crew.

Up next, D.C. United hit the road to face the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. That same day, the Red Bulls will host Sporting Kansas City.

Here are the match highlights:

Comments

  1. Could there be a silver lining in Cahill’s upcoming international call-up? If we accept that he is not the creative MF the team needs, and that Petke is not going to bite the bullet and play him up top instead (with Henry underneath both Cahill and BWP), will it be better to see Luyindula in that spot? On the other hand, if I know Petke we’re going to get The Eric Alexander Show.

    Petke should have thought out his subs better yesterday. It was entirely foreseeable that the weather conditions, not only strategy and injuries, were going to require some subs. He failed to do that. His last sub came on in stoppage time. Oy.

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  2. The NBCSN production was 4th rate. They missed the first goal by showing a close up of a player yet continued to do it. Reminds me of a DC game when a pk was taken while the camera was on then coach Bruce Arena. Please use the BPL staff for MLS games.

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  3. He would have the initials IS. Standard RB loss; give up a cheap goal through a defensive screw up,miss quality chances and sub past the 80th minute (except for Duval’s injury).

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    • Yeah — I thought it was IS, but didn’t want to name him because I really did not see a clear TV shot of his number. It is not something you expect to see a professional do. High school game, maybe, but at the pro level — come on.

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  4. Hang that loss squarely on the shoulder of the defender who stopped running on Espindola’s flick on. I won’t give a name since the TV angle did not allow me to see a jersey number and I do not want to call the wrong guy out, but he basically pulled up and let Silva march past him into a one v. one with Robles.

    If I were Mike Petke, I would have subbed out that defender immediately to send a message and it would be a few games before he got another start.

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    • That was Segakya. Robles covered for him in his post-game comments, but he clearly gave up on that ball prematurely. He’s a sure bet for three or more bad mistakes per game. Boy, the big Swede would have been worth all the money RBNY spent on Armando and Segakya.

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  5. I can not believe red bull did not get ronaldinho because Henry needs so much help. He can not do everything. I also heard Henry would play 2 more years for red bull , or was Cahill.
    As for the east conference, I knew tfc would break down due to locker issues, and skc would also not repeat and if red bull would have gotten ronaldinho, red bull would be too much weight for other teams.
    For MLS cup I have galaxy or fc Dallas vs dc united or ? And the west will win MLS cup.
    By the way, MLS needs new blood of coaches, from South America or some young smart heads from Europe.

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    • Unless literally everyone else was a defensive oriented player, Ronaldhino, Henry, and Wright-Phillips would never work. Too top heavy.

      The Redbulls lack quality outside of Henry, Phillips, and Olave. That’s why they haven’t been anything special this year.

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    • The red bulls don’t need more attack, they need defense. At one point last night they were playing basically a 2-6-2 with a midfielder hanging out as a wingback. When they played a high line, they got burned (and Olave, I think) is lucky Marrufo didn’t red card him for taking down EJ from behind (seriously, a slide tackle from behind that misses the ball? DOGSO? That’s three this season on EJ that haven’t been called)) that defense isn’t going to get it done, you can’t reasonably expect to score four a game, which they pretty much need.

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      • Do you mean the play where Olson went ballistic and the replay showed Olave got all ball or the blatant dive from Deleon where no yellow was given?

        Simply said, this is not a great RB season. We keep supporting.

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