WASHINGTON -- They certainly made heavy work of the task, but D.C. United was nonetheless able to dispose of the last-place San Jose Earthquakes at warm RFK Stadium on Sunday afternoon, running their unbeaten streak to five with a 3-1 victory.
United were paced by goals from Clyde Simms, Luciano Emilio and a glittering game-winner from Gonzalo Martinez shortly after goalkeeper Zach Wells' mistake had handed San Jose's John Cunliffe an easy equalizer.
United have now won three in a row, helped in large measure by Emilio's torrid goalscoring -- the Brazilian has netted seven goals in the past five games -- and can head into next Sunday's high-profile showdown with the West-leading Los Angeles Galaxy full of confidence.
Santino Quaranta's yellow-card suspension prompted D.C. coach Tom Soehn to plug Marc Burch into the left midfield slot and switch Fred to the right flank, while Bryan Namoff and Marcelo Gallardo returned to their normal spots in the first XI. On the opposite side, Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop ran out the exact same lineup used in the scoreless draw at Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night, starting a four-game road swing.
Both teams started languidly in the mid-afternoon sun, with United enjoying plenty of possession and San Jose sitting fairly deep, though the visitors looked eager to break out when the opportunity presented itself. Six minutes in, Ronnie O'Brien turned upfield near the center circle and gave Wells something to think about with a speculative shot from all of 40 yards out, but the Irishman's effort floated high and a bit wide of the target.
Thanks to the Earthquakes' hard running and lively pressure on the ball, United failed to assert the kind of dominance their fans might have expected in this match, with Ramiro Corrales harrying Gallardo and center backs Ryan Cochrane and Kelly Gray keeping close tabs on striker Luciano Emilio.
But in a flash, the in-form Emilio nearly stole an opening goal for his side in the 16th minute as he slipped behind the 'Quakes defense and met Gallardo's astute through ball deep in the penalty box. The Brazilian clipped a soft left-footed shot past the advancing Joe Cannon, yet could only wince as the ball dinked off the base of the right crossbar and rolled away from goal.
San Jose came much closer 10 minutes later as more good work carved open the United back line, handing Ivan Guerrero an open look at goal -- but Wells came up with a crucial reaction save to deflect the Honduran's near-post blast onto the crossbar and preserve the scoreless draw.
United finally gave San Jose netminder Joe Cannon a meaningful test in the 41st minute, as Gallardo played a slick one-two with Emilio and dribbled into the restraining arc before unleashing a low cutback shot to the left post. The veteran 'keeper got down low and gobbled up the effort cleanly, however, and action quickly switched to the other end where Cunliffe took advantage of Gonzalo Peralta's slip to send a low drive just wide of Wells' near post.
The second half started off a good deal more eventfully than the first, as United attacked forcefully and were soon rewarded.
Barely five minutes in, Simms, a defensive midfielder who entered the season with one career goal, grabbed his second tally in as many games with another long-distance blast that found the net -- albeit with considerable help from the two San Jose defenders whose deflections left Cannon stranded on his backside as the ball dribbled into the net uncontested.
But before the RFK crowd had even finished its celebrations, San Jose were gifted an immediate equalizer thanks to a shocking error by Zach Wells.
Quakes frontrunner Ryan Johnson had done well to break free into space down the right flank, but his chest-high cross looked like easy pickings for Wells -- until the tall netminder bobbled the ball as he fell forward. He remained unable to find the handle as he hit the turf, handing the nearby Cunliffe a close-range finish that the assistant referee judged to have crossed the goal line before Namoff's desperate clearance.
The D.C. 'keeper looked sick at the sudden turn of events, but he was soon bailed out when one of his defenders ranged forward to produce another go-ahead goal for the home side.
Martinez had been quietly effective along the D.C. left side all day, but there was nothing understated about his impressive solo effort after receiving a short pass from Gallardo at the top corner of the Quakes 18-yard box as the Colombian turned O'Brien inside out, pivoting to his right side and lashing a low missile off the inside of the far post for a 2-1 United advantage.
Martinez's goal seemed to spark new life into his teammates, as they finally began to string together meaningful moves and discomfit the visitors' defense. Second-half sub Dominic Mediate's well-timed run and subsequent cross almost led to a volleyed finish by Gallardo, who later came close again with a nimble leaping chip over Cannon that flew just over the crossbar, rippling the outside of the twine.
But the Earthquakes continued to create danger in their forays forward. Substitute Shea Salinas seemed to have found a leveler for his team after slashing through the D.C. defense to touch a through ball past Wells, but he was denied by a game-saving recovery as Devon McTavish raced back to block his shot before it could cross the unguarded goal line.
McTavish found himself playing a central role in the game's next pivotal moment, too, when the United utility man reached a loose ball well before James Riley some eight minutes from full time.
The Quakes defender had already committed himself with a rash slide tackle aimed right for McTavish's ankle, however, upending his rival and drawing a swift decision from referee Alex Prus, who produced a red card and patiently waited for the prone Riley to get off the turf before brandishing it in his direction for the meaty challenge.
The Black-and-Red capitalized a few minutes later, icing the match on a nimble move from Emilio, who took Gallardo's pass deep inside the San Jose box and turned inside Guerrero to hit a sharp left-footer that left Cannon no chance on its way into the net, as the Quakes 'keeper was once again left helpless by a deflection, this time off center back Gray.
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