United drops two points in tie

Despite the attacking flair displayed by both teams, D.C. United and the Chicago Fire had to settle for a scoreless tie last night at RFK Stadium.

The outcome failed to satisfy either team. United is battling to claim the Supporters Shield for the second straight year, while the Fire is fighting for a playoff spot.

The fast-paced and free-flowing game was highlighted by some excellent defensive work and big saves from both goalies, especially United’s Troy Perkins, who made nine saves.

“There was no shortage of action, that’s for sure,” United captain Ben Olsen said. “It was one of those games where both teams were going for a win.”

Although much hinged on the outcome for both teams, it was a clean game — no yellow cards — except when the feisty Ben Olsen got in a shoving match with half of the Fire lineup.

Despite the tie and dropping two points, United can still win the Supporters Shield, which is awarded to the team with the most points in regular season. United needs Chivas USA to drop points against the Colorado Rapids today and must win its final game of the season next week.

“The Supporter’s Shield wasn’t clinched, so no one is celebrating in [the locker room],” United coach Tom Soehn said.

Winning the Shield guarantees a place in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and a possible berth in the SuperLiga and the Copa Sudamericana.

The tie meant United extended its unbeaten streak to 13 games.

Perkins was called on early to stop a close-range shot from Chad Barrett.

United forward Guy-Roland Kpene came close to scoring his first career goal in the 16th minute. But his shot came off the post. Kpene, making his eighth start, replaced Jaime Moreno, who was away playing for his national team. At one point, Kpene put an acrobatic bicycle kick shot on target.

Perkins was forced to make big saves to efforts from Chris Rolfe and Barrett.

“I was busy, but that’s what they pay me for,” said Perkins, who was key in helping United extend its unbeaten streak.

Perkins made another big save stopping Barrett and was lucky not to be called for handling the ball outside the box, despite appeals from the Fire bench.

“It’s frustrating because we really didn’t have solid opportunities like they did,” Perkins said. “We’re still feeling ourselves out with out Jaime [Moreno] up there.”

Christian Gomez had United’s best chance but saw his blistering shot stopped by a fine save from Fire goalie Matt Pickens.

In the battle of the midfield, Gomez seemed to have the upper hand over Mexican star Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

In the second half, Chicago was more aggressive as United played with lone striker Luciano Emilio up front. In the half, Chicago, which outshot United 14-8 on the night, was more aggressive.

“Overall it wasn’t a good day in our part of the game, and that is possession,” Soehn said. “If you don’t do a good job in possession, you make the job hard.”