Photo by Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports
By AARON CRANFORD
Even in an uncharacteristic 10-goal affair, D.C. United found a way to win at home.
D.C. United and Real Salt Lake brought their shooting boots to RFK Stadium Saturday, but it was the Eastern Conference leader that scored the most in the 6-4 contest.
DCU is now 9-1-3 at home in 2015, and with the help of five different goalscorers, it ended RSL’s two-game win streak and is the first MLS team to attain 40 points or more in the 2015 campaign, sitting atop the combined table with 41 points after 24 games.
Two golazos stole the show for the home side, as it also had to come back from two goals down after Joao Plata and Kyle Beckerman found the back of the net early on.
Alvaro Saborio was a hassle for his old side, creating a couple of dangerous chances in the 16th minute, but it was Chris Rolfe who would cut the lead to one before the break.
The goals started flying in extremely early, as Sebastian Jaime fed Plata from just inside the penalty area, and the Ecuador international fired a low shot through the D.C. defensive crowd and into the back of the net, scoring in his third consecutive game for RSL.
It looked like RSL would add its second in the seventh minute, when Luke Mulholland sent in a cross from the right to Abdoulie Mansally, who put a quick shot on frame from almost six yards away, but goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra came up with a huge save, diving to his left while reaching just behind his body to make the play and keep his side from giving up a two-goal lead early on.
In the 12th minute, Morales danced from the left of the penalty area all the way to the center, but his effort was blocked away in front of net. Unfortunately for RSL, he went down moments later, clutching his right knee, but the forward would power through the pain and return.
To the ire of Dykstra and D.C. United, Beckerman would be the one to stretch the visitor’s lead to two when he fizzed a right-footed blast to the bottom-left corner, where it pinged off the post and flew in.
However, in the 43rd minute, Chris Rolfe would match Morales’ dancing in the box, as he dribbled around on the left and powered a strike into the top-right corner of the net, past a frozen Jeff Attinella.
Almost five minutes into the second half, Beckerman tried from around the same spot he scored in during the first half, but his left-footed effort was pushed wide by a diving Dykstra.
D.C. finally found its way back into the fight in the 52nd minute, when Baldomero Toledo whistled for a penalty on Devon Sandoval in the box. Rolfe was cool, calm and collected from the spot and buried his blast above Attinella, who dove the correct way but couldn’t save the shot.
The two-goal comeback was complete in the 59th minute by Taylor Kemp, who scored a golazo with a left-footed volley from well outside the penalty box. However, three minutes later, Aaron Maund’s head would level things once again, as the defender rose high and smashed home the Morales free kick from the right flank.
The scoreline wouldn’t stay the same for long, though, as Fabian Espindola was the one to swing momentum and the lead back into the home side’s favor, but once again, the lead would be nullified, with Mansally being the RSL netminder in the 68th minute.
Finally, in the 79th minute, Perry Kitchen found the game-winner, rising high and heading in the goal after Kemp played a quick cross into the box from the left side.
Nick DeLeon topped the wild goal-fest off, scoring a golazo of his own in the 85th minute and giving D.C. United its second straight win.
RSL will be in action on Tuesday when it competes in the CONCACAF Champions League against C.S.D. Municipal and will next play the Vancouver Whitecaps in MLS on Aug. 8.
Meanwhile, D.C. United will travel to face a strong Montreal Impact side Saturday as well.
Deleon: Whose getting spanking!
It was very exciting with some true golazos. That kind of finishing and quality in the final third is nice to see in MLS. Yes, the defending was suspect, but, usually you are not made to pay in this league.
Also, the refereeing continued to be horrendous. That penalty was the biggest piece of fiction I have ever seen. There was no contact at all and I really hope the disciplinary committee penalizes that terrible dive. Then, not a minute later there was a true penalty that should have gone in favor of RSL as Garcia just got taken out in the box as he got on the inside of I believe Kitchen who just destroyed him before he got to the ball. Clear as day. That is easy a 2 goal swing. You never know how the rest of the game turns out, but as usual the referees highly influenced the outcome of this one.
When a defender grabs the attackers jersey in the box, that is a very dangerous move for the defender and his team.
The goals were classy tonight from DCU, and the buildup to those goals might have been even more so.
Man, that MLS defending…
Oh please. This game is a total outlier; hardly representative of anything.
You clearly know nothing about MLS.
Kemp man of the match?
What a game.
DC has to find a way to defend, surprisingly bad. Dykstra isn’t helping.
there were some impressive goals scored in this game, very impressive.
What a crazy game! Rolfe should be an MVP candidate. He is on pace to have the best year of his career. He’s a classy player.
Agree on Rolfe – should be a candidate for MVP. But all these attackers are pros and can get off well-placed strikes when given space. A write-up on a 6-4 scoreline probably shouldn’t focus on the attackers but on the absent defenders.