WASHINGTON -- D.C. United outlasted a dogged challenge from the Charleston Battery in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on Wednesday night, simultaneously ending the USL-1 club's Cinderella tourney run and a four-year trophy drought of their own with a 2-1 victory at atmospheric RFK Stadium.
It was a Brazilian brace that won the affair for the Black-and-Red at the outset of each half, as Luciano Emilio found the net in the fourth minute and Fred returned from injury to notch the game-winner in the 50th minute. But the result was in doubt until the very end thanks to a composed performance from the Battery, who matched United in terms of possession and invention only to fall short in the final reckoning.
With many fans still finding their seats, United lunged into an early lead thanks to the savvy finishing instincts of Emilio, the prolific striker whose participation in this match was left in doubt by a groin strain sustained in Saturday's league actions.
D.C. captain Jaime Moreno began the play with a nifty backheel to Santino Quaranta, whose run into the box was blocked by Battery defender and United alumnus John Wilson. But Emilio was first to the loose ball and he did not waste his look at goal, firing a shot into the upper corner past Charleston goalkeeper Dusty Hudock to send RFK into ecstasy, with smoke and song quickly bursting forth from the United supporters' groups along the east touchline.
Yet that turned out to be the Brazilian's first and only contribution of the night, as his groin troubles flared up again within minutes and rendered him unable to continue. D.C. boss Tom Soehn had to make the early substitution and brought Rod Dyachenko on in Emilio's place.
If the home fans were entertaining any thoughts of an early rout, their hopes were quickly dashed in the 10th minute as the underdogs struck back with a stunningly swift move down the right flank that caught United left back Marc Burch flat-footed to level matters at 1-1.
Nelson Akwari's perceptive long ball out of the back released Chris Williams, who turned Burch inside before backheeling a simple layoff for Ian Fuller. The Charleston striker strode up to blast a cool finish that gave Louis Crayton no chance as it arrowed into the net just inside the right post.
In the 14th minute, Quaranta drifted inside to set Guerrero loose in the Battery box with a deft through ball into space behind Kevin Nylen, but D.C.'s Honduran winger could not find the near post, hammering his shot into the outside of the twine.
But six minutes later it was the visitors who came even closer as Lazo Alavanja went agonizingly close to grabbing a shock lead. The former United man's perceptive diagonal run released him into space along the left channel, where he clipped a low shot across the face of Crayton's goal that left the Liberian a bystander only to clang off the base of the far post and bounce away.
Alert lateral movement allowed Moreno to break into acres of space down the D.C. left and dribble into the Charleston box in the 27th minute, but with Hudock perched at the near post the Bolivian elected to go for goal rather than square to Dyachenko. Hudock read his intentions and got low to palm his angled shot and snuff out the danger.
Having initially looked overwhelmed, Charleston were growing in confidence with each passing minute, showing every intention to go blow-for-blow with their MLS opponents. Matters got worse for D.C. some five minutes from halftime when Joe Vide had to limp off with an apparent muscle strain, prompting Soehn to bring Fred, recently recovered from a hamstring injury, on at right midfield as Quaranta continued to man the attacking midfield role.
The Brazilian's arrival quickly gave United a spark and he should have put his side ahead on the stroke of halftime when Moreno played him in with a delightful lob over Akwari. But Fred's chip over the advancing Hudock spun inches high and wide of the target and the Battery were let off the hook.
Moments later a pinpoint cross from Guerrero gave Quaranta a wide-open header deep in the Charleston box, but the Baltimore native badly mis-hit his effort and Hudock was not troubled.
Fred was showing no ill effects from what had initially been diagnosed as a serious hamstring strain barely two weeks ago, and he resumed his good work some five minutes into the second stanza with a well-taken goal to push United back into the lead.
Under heavy pressure in his own half, Clyde Simms played what first looked to be a conservative clearance down the right side, but when Dyachenko dummied the ball, it created a brief hesitation among the Charleston defense that allowed Fred to surge clear into the box. Advancing on an exposed Hudock, the Brazilian waited for the Battery netminder to commit, then slapped home a calm finish for a 2-1 advantage.
But the USL-1 representatives, spearheaded by Alavanja, soon fashioned a response. A composed sequence of possession worked the D.C. defense back into their own box before Alonso set up Williams to send in a deflected cross from the right, and only Devon McTavish's late block kept Alavanja from leveling matters.
Crayton made an adventure of the ensuing corner kick, disappearing into a crowd of bodies before bobbling the ball on the doorstep with Alavanja lurking eagerly. But after a few dicey ricochets, Simms arrived to lump the ball away from danger.
Despite his undeniable potential, Dyachenko's uneven displays for United this season have thus far kept him from contributing to the campaign to the degree many would have expected. But on this evening the UNLV product was working hard to lead the line and craft an understanding with Moreno, and shortly after the hour mark he came within a foot of creating a breathtaking third for D.C. as he took a pass from his strike partner some 19 yards out and curled a delicate lob towards the far post, only for the bid to drop just wide of the woodwork.
For his part, Moreno was producing yet another performance to turn the clock back, and his confidence was such that when he received a 77th-minute outlet pass with Charleston's defense pushed up to the midfield stripe, he tried to blow past Akwari with his 34-year-old legs -- but the big Texan matched his burst of speed to blunt the counterattack opportunity.
United were trying to keep hold of the ball to kill the clock and force the Battery to chase, but the red-clad lower division side remained energetic and were pouring forward with every possession, still keyed by Alonso and Alavanja but with second-half subs Aaron King and David Kenga adding speed and aggression to the mix.
Conversely, Soehn brought on playmaker Marcelo Gallardo in place of Dyachenko, essentially leaving Moreno alone up top as the home side looked for skill and composure in the center of the park. It all made for an unusual sight: a conservative-minded United squad sweating out a narrow result on their home turf with a USL-1 side breathing down their necks.
The Battery continued to ask questions of D.C. right down to the wire, and even had an apparent stoppage-time goal waved off for offside, but on this occasion Cinderella simply ran out of time. Referee Mark Geiger's full-time whistle brought forth a torrent of noise from the United faithful as their heroes took control of the Dewar Cup for the first time in 12 years with a 2-1 win.
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