Photo by ISIPhotos.com
The news didn't look very good for D.C. United heading into their Eastern Conference clash against New England on Saturday. Star playmaker Dwayne DeRosario was lost for the rest of the season with a knee injury and D.C. looked capable of falling out of the playoff picture completely if they didn't fill the void left by the Canadian star.
Chris Pontius picked up the slack in a major way, scoring an equalizer and setting up a Lewis Neal game-winning goal to help D.C. United post a crucial 2-1 victory at RFK Stadium on Saturday night.
D.C. United's victory, coupled with losses by the Columbus Crew and Montreal Impact, pushed Ben Olsen's squad back into fifth place in the Eastern Conference, just two points behind fourth-place Houston.
New England rookie Kelyn Rowe opened the scoring in the 29th minute off a feed from fellow youngster Diego Fagundez, but Pontius provided the equalizer just three minutes later off a pass from Branko Boskovic.
Neal replaced Boskovic in the 57th minute and delivered the game-winning goal just six minutes later, slotting home a Pontius feed to secure the victory and snap D.C. United's three-match winless skid.
The loss officially eliminated the New England Revolution from the playoffs.
Here are the match highlights:
What did you think of the match? Impressed with how Pontius picked up the slack? Starting to wonder if Boskovic is the answer as a starter? What do you make of New England's season? Think they can put it together in 2013?
Share your thoughts below.