Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com

By AVI CREDITOR

WASHINGTON — Juan Pablo Angel's resurgent night was nearly offset by a questionable decision at the worst possible time for Chivas USA.

That is, until Dan Kennedy came to the rescue.

The Chivas USA goalkeeper saved a Dwayne De Rosario penalty kick in stoppage time, and Angel scored twice in the second half to lift Chivas USA out of a two-goal hole and carry the Goats to a 2-2 draw with D.C. United in front of 14,849 under steady rain at RFK Stadium Wednesday night.

Angel nearly turned from hero to goat in the playoff-implications-filled match after referee Chris Penso awarded a penalty to De Rosario, who made it appear that Angel had pushed him from behind in the area in the 93rd minute even though replays showed De Rosario embellished. Kennedy read De Rosario's ensuing spot kick perfectly, though, diving to his left to stop the low attempt without yielding a rebound.

"I thought it was a rather soft call to begin with. De Ro sold it pretty well," Kennedy said. "It's just a matter of getting it right and going the right way. I got a good jump on him, so regardless of how hard he could hit it as long he's going to that side I could save it."

Angel preserved Chivas' fading playoff hopes for another game with his second-half brace, marking his first two-goal effort since July 31, 2010, when he was playing for New York at Houston.

"We showed a lot of resilience and character, more of what we expect from this team," Angel said. "This is going to be a great boost for the team, and we still mathematically have the chance to qualify (for the playoffs), so we're going to give it the best that we can."

Angel kick-started the comeback to salvage the point by heading home a cross from Nick LaBrocca in the 58th minute for his first tally before fending off two D.C. defenders and slotting home the equalizer 12 minutes later for Chivas.

"In front of the goal he showed his class tonight," Chivas coach Robin Fraser said. "He's got a great nose of where to be in the box, and they're obviously very important goals for us."

The Colombian veteran positioned himself to win Ante Jazic's cross from the left and fought off centerbacks Brandon McDonald and Ethan White to create space and finish from close range.

"Keeping track of him stepping into the midfield is always a problem, and then he's a big guy in the 18-yard box and you've got to make sure where he is," White said. "Unfortunately he snuck by our defense."

Angel now has four goals in five appearances since being dealt to Chivas from Los Angeles on Aug. 17, including three in his last two games.

"Since I moved here I've been playing better every game," Angel said. "Certainly more in contact with the ball, getting into the area that I feel more comfortable, and today I'm just happy that my goals at least got the team a tie."

While Chivas (7-12-11, 32 points) really needed a victory to feel more confident going forward, the point keeps the club within reach of the final playoff wildcard spot with four matches remaining.

For D.C. (8-8-11, 35 points), the failure to put away a lead at home is a recurring problem that reared its head at the most inopportune time. With the team in the thick of the postseason hunt, United looked to be in good shape after De Rosario opened the scoring in the 39th minute, redirecting Andy Najar's free kick past a wrong-footed Kennedy from about 10 yards out for his 10th goal of the season.

The hosts doubled their advantage in the 47th minute, as De Rosario's one-time touch off a Santino Quaranta corner kick was saved by Kennedy, but a rebound fell right to White at the doorstep, where he converted for his first career goal. With a 2-0 edge, D.C. looked to be on its way to replicating the 3-0 result it took at the Home Depot Center not even two weeks ago, until Angel, who has had a habit of scoring on D.C. since he joined MLS, made his impact.