Bruin, who now has four goals this season, has scored nine times in nine career appearances against United. He notched the first multi-goal game of his career with a hat trick in a 4-1 win over United in Houston on April 29, 2011.
Ben Speas scored 13 minutes into the second half to lead the Columbus Crew to a 2-1 victory over D.C. United on Saturday
After starting 21 games as a rookie in 2011, the University of Maryland product didn't see a second of playing time all season. That could change as soon as Saturday, when United host the Columbus Crew at RFK Stadium.
Bill Hamid made eight saves for D.C. United (1-1-1), including a diving save on Brandon Barklage's shot off a corner kick in stoppage time, which came close to crossing the goal line.
Kitchen has carved a reputation as a valuable ally to D.C. United's defensive corps. He wins tackles in midfield, snuffing attacks in their infancy. He keeps the ball moving, preventing sustained pressure. Essentially, he gets them out of jams.
In a rematch of the 2012 MLS Eastern Conference championship, the Dynamo took a 1-0 lead on an own goal by United's James Riley in the 80th minute.
One by one, the players dropped to the turf, physically and emotionally spent. For D.C. United this season, there will be no getting up.
Bill Hamid didn't have much interest in talking. Shouting, however, was a different matter. When it came to his club, and the intangibles that have fueled its logic-defying run to the MLS final four, the D.C. United goalkeeper's passion spoke volumes — figuratively and literally.
A raucous RFK Stadium crowd may have witnessed the theatrics of postseason soccer for the first time in five years Saturday, but neither D.C. United nor the New York Red Bulls seemed well cast as playoff contenders. When all was said and done, United and the Red Bulls found themselves deadlocked 1-1 after the first leg of their two-game, total-goals Eastern Conference semifinal.
