A disallowed goal, a comeback consisting of three unanswered scores, a stoppage-time header with the minutes winding down — it was a busy evening at Audi Field.
“The night was a lot to process,” D.C. United coach Ben Olsen said. “I’m still trying to deal with what that game had to offer.”
Ulises Segura scored a brace and Luciano Acosta headed home the go-ahead goal to come back from a two-goal deficit, but the Chicago Fire scored late to draw 3-3 with United Wednesday night at Audi Field.
In the 81st minute, Leonardo Jara sent in a cross from the right corner and Acosta dove, angling his header left of the keeper, for his fourth goal of the year to put United in the lead for the first time.
But Francisco Calvo used his head, as well, two minutes into stoppage time to score a last-ditch goal for Chicago and secure the tie. Calvo collided with United keeper Bill Hamid after the ball was on a certain path into the net.
Segura tripled his goal total for 2019 from one to three, Jara had two assists and Hamid made eight saves for D.C. United (7-4-5, 26 points).
Olsen acknowledged his locker room was disappointed to have grasped, and then dropped, a chance for three standings points after the early deficit, but he also praised the Fire.
“That team is one of the harder teams to prepare for in the league because of how brave they are, how many technical players that are comfortable in tight spaces, the numbers they get around the ball, their ability to come out of pressure,” Olsen said.
Wayne Rooney felt United was the better team in the second half “in terms of more clean chances.”
“Probably a fair result in the end, but when you concede late it feels like defeat,” Rooney said.
The Fire leapt ahead all at once with early back-to-back goals. Nicolas Gaitan sent a free kick into the box and C.J. Sapong dove for a header goal in the 12th minute. Less than two minutes later, a mediocre shot by Djordje Mihailovic glazed off D.C.’s Junior Moreno onto a different trajectory, leaving Hamid out of place and helpless.
United worked themselves out of the hole, as their offense really began to buzz at the end of the half. In the 44th minute, Rooney found a hole to attack and then passed to Segura in the middle of the box for a clear shot.
If that weren’t enough, D.C. thought it had the tying goal in added time. Luciano Acosta and Rooney utilized short, quick passes to set up Lucas Rodriguez. Chicago keeper Kenneth Kronholm got a mitt on Rodriguez’s initial shot, but the Argentine followed it in.
Sadly for United, he followed the ball a bit too aggressively. A video assistant referee (VAR) review found Rodriguez’s arm touched the ball when Kronholm was handling it, and the handball erased the goal.
Olsen said it was the right call. “Looks like he popped the ball with his hand. That’s not allowed,” he deadpanned.
But the Black and Red still managed to draw even in the 61st minute. Jara found Segura with a pass up the right side; Segura beat his marker and scored with a low shot to the far post.
It stayed knotted at 2 until Acosta’s goal, which had the look of a game-winner until the Fire threatened in United’s box and finally capitalized.
“We worked hard and got to 3-2,” Segura said via a team translator. “Unfortunately we weren’t able to hold onto that, and that’s because of just little errors. We’re at a professional level that we shouldn’t be making those errors, so we have to look back and just correct those.”
On a more positive note, Chris Odoi-Atsem started at left back for United and played 68 minutes. It was Odoi-Atsem’s first MLS game since being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma last October. He was deemed cancer-free in January and worked his way back into playing condition.
After Saturday’s home game against the San Jose Earthquakes, United will not play again until June 26, after MLS’s break for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
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