WASHINGTON — Juan Pablo Ángel’s second-half brace rallied Chivas USA from two-goal hole as they drew 2-2 in the nation’s capital against D.C. United on Wednesday night.
Eleven days after the two teams last played — a 3-0 win for United — Chivas mustered a much strong effort, overcoming set-piece goals from Dwayne De Rosario and Ethan White, and a late penalty miss by De Rosario, to come away with a point.
Hoping to erase memories of that recent loss to DC, Chivas USA looked to set the tone earlier, possessing the ball well and pressure United. It led to an early chance for the visitors in the sixth minute, as DC ‘keeper Bill Hamid had to be alert to save a deflected Marcos Mondaini shot.
Dangerous chances eluded both sides for much of the game’s first 30 minutes. DC had a couple of close calls, including a half chance for De Rosario that Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy palmed away.
Meanwhile, Chivas continued to ensure that DC’s midfield didn’t have time or space on the ball.
United finally broke the tough Chivas resistance in the 39th minute thanks to a headed goal by De Rosario. After Chivas midfielder Jorge Flores was whistled for a handball in a dangerous spot, Andy Najar’s curled free kick found the head of De Rosario, who glanced it past a sprawling Kennedy.
It didn’t take long for DC to strike again from another set piece. Two minutes after the restart, De Rosario deflected a Santino Quaranta corner kick on goal, and while Kennedy got a hand to it, DC defender White was on hand to tap the ball home and double the lead.
With their playoff hopes dwindling, Chivas pulled one back in the 57th minute. Nick LaBrocca took advantage of a slip by DC center back Brandon McDonald and lofted in a beautiful cross that Ángel headed home to close the gap 2-1.
Chivas' confidence continued to grow on the back of the Ángel goal, and the Colombian hitman was at it again in the 70th minute. A cross from Ante Jazic found Ángel in the box. Neither White nor McDonald could get a proper clearance, and Ángel turned and finished past a lunging Hamid.
Aiming not to drop points at home, DC sent most of the pressure forward, but it was Chivas USA who almost came away with a later winner. On a quick counterattack, substitute Laurent Courtois beat the offside trap but failed to beat Hamid, who punched away the low driven shot.
DC had one last chance to win, earning a late penalty in stoppage time when Ángel made contact with De Rosario in the box. The Canadian star lined up the ball on the spot and whipped it towards the net, but Kennedy guessed correctly, diving to his left to kept the penalty out and preserve the draw.
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Scoring Summary:
DC -- Dwayne De Rosario 10 (Andy Najar 5) 39
DC -- Ethan White 1 (unassisted) 47
CHV -- Juan Pablo Angel 6 (Nick LaBrocca 6) 57
CHV -- Juan Pablo Angel 7 (Ante Jazic 7) 69
Misconduct Summary:
DC -- Brandon McDonald (caution; Reckless Tackle) 20
CHV -- Ben Zemanski (caution; Delaying a Restart) 30
CHV -- Michael Umana (caution; Reckless Tackle) 46
Lineups:
Chivas USA -- Dan Kennedy, Heath Pearce, Michael Umana (Michael Lahoud 83), David Junior Lopes, Ante Jazic, Jorge Flores (Justin Braun 55), Nick LaBrocca, Ben Zemanski, Juan Pablo Angel, Alejandro Moreno, Marcos Mondaini (Laurent Courtois 62).
Substitutes Not Used: Simon Elliott, Blair Gavin, Zarek Valentin, Zach Thornton.
D.C. United -- Bill Hamid, Perry Kitchen, Ethan White, Brandon McDonald, Daniel Woolard, Andy Najar, Clyde Simms, Santino Quaranta, Charlie Davies (Austin Da Luz 68), Dwayne De Rosario, Josh Wolff (Stephen King 59).
Substitutes Not Used: Brandon Barklage, Marc Burch, Chris Korb, Joseph Ngwenya, Joe Willis.
Referee: Chris Penso
Referee's Assistants: -Steven Taylor; Matthew Kreitzer
4th Official: Alex Prus
Time of Game: 1:53
Weather: Cloudy-and-74-degrees
Attendance: 14,849
