Highlights and context: D.C. United’s 4-2 win over Chicago

Aug 23, 2012, 8:25 AM EDT

Pretty much everything that D.C. United was not in Sunday’s nationally televised clunker against Philadelphia … the men of RFK were in re-asserting their home ground dominance with a 4-2 win over previously hot Chicago.

What Dwayne De Rosario could not do Sunday (get that long-awaited goal to help his team while climbing one notch short of milepost MLS strike No. 100) he did quite early in this one.

United is 9-1-3 at home this year, enjoying a plus-17 goal difference at RFK. The record for Ben Olsen’s team looks very different on the road, which is why it would greatly assist United to finish fourth rather than fifth in the standings, at least. In the new playoff way, Nos. 4 and 5 meet in a one-game playoff at the site of the higher seed. United is currently fifth, while Chicago remains in fourth.

The big talker from Wednesday at RFK, however, might just be another appearance from Honduran international Andy Najar (pictured) at right back. We’ve seen it before, but not very often. He finished Sunday’s game there and started along the back line last night against the Fire.

Verdict: his coordination with the back line is understandably behind the curve, but the man’s one-on-one defending seems solid enough. And his runs forward have the potential to be devastating, as with the one that ended in a far post cross to Lionard Pajoy to give the Black and Red a 2-1 cushion.

Watch that one and all four United goals here:

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3 Comments (Feed for Comments)

whordy - Aug 23, 2012 at 9:04 AM

Man, as a Union fan Pajoys goal insults me. All I can think of now is that play by Adu earlier in the year, the one where he one-time flicked the ball over the defenders head, spun around him and ran onto the ball perfectly and sent in a glorious cross to Pajoy unmarked far post only for Pajoy to send it into the stands.
Thanks for nothing Pajoy.

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- Steve Davis - Aug 23, 2012 at 9:39 AM
  
  Well, as I like to say about these things, “That’s one in a row.” Perhaps Pajoy will rise and do things at RFK that he simply could not at PPL, for whatever reason. But let’s wait just a while before we declare “success” here. One goal does not mean that man has arrived.
  
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- joeyt360 - Aug 23, 2012 at 4:24 PM
  
  If it makes you feel better, Pajoy wasted chances in this one, too. He should a fair bit upset about only having one from a game in which the likes of Maicon Santos would probably have had two.
  
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