D.C. United was made to pay for its poor first-leg performance in Chicago after a spirited comeback Thursday night fell short of the required one-goal victory that would have extended the match to overtime. Instead, the 2-2 draw was enough for Chicago to emerge victorious once again against D.C. United in the playoffs. Its unbeaten playoff record against D.C. now stands at 4-0-2.
Not that United didn’t have its chances—after falling behind 2-0 in the first half the series looked to be all over, but D.C. crawled its way back to parity in the second half in a six-minute span that sent RFK wild. Then in the 90th minute the comeback looked to be complete when Christian Gomez turned home a loose ball in the area. However, the goal was called back — and rightly so — as Gomez played the ball off his hand before hitting it home.
After the match, D.C. players and staff were proud of the way the team fought back, but slack defending and timid play in the first half ultimately proved to be the team’s undoing. As United captain Ben Olsen said, “There’s no excuse not to have that determination and will the whole game. I don’t know why. It seems like there are lapses on this team. . . . For us to have a first half like that, it’s a little bit embarrassing.”