D.C. United Finds Win Is a Thin Line

Would-Be Equalizer Is Too Close to Call: United 2, Chivas USA 0

It unfolded in an instant -- a free kick that hit the underside of the crossbar and then may or may not have crossed the goal line -- but its impact endured for the remainder of the match, well into the postgame discussions and perhaps for weeks to come.

D.C. United defeated Chivas USA, 2-0, yesterday at soggy RFK Stadium, but Juan Pablo Garcia's controversial shot with his club trailing by just a goal in the 84th minute is the one that will be replayed, dissected, scrutinized and argued much more than Jaime Moreno's two second-half goals.

After striking the crossbar, Garcia's 22-yard bid rocketed down to the saturated turf behind goalkeeper Troy Perkins and took a wild bounce away from the net. Chivas players began to celebrate, but referee Marcel Yonan let play continue.

Television replays from several angles seemed to show that the ball had barely crossed the line, but because the play happened so fast and none of the game officials was anywhere near the spot of contention, it was not ruled a goal.

"To me, it's so close, no one can really say if it's a goal," said United President Kevin Payne, who watched the replays. In soccer, the entire ball must cross the line to be ruled a goal -- unlike football, in which a player simply needs to break the plane.

Perkins, the closest player to the ball after it hit the crossbar, said: "I don't know [if it crossed the line], to be honest with you, because you're watching the ball, it hits off the post, the next thing I know it's coming right behind me. I turn and look and it's going straight across the line. I don't think the whole ball was in. It's tough for the linesman to see that, too."

Chivas Coach Bob Bradley decided to stay out of the fray, saying only that "replays of the free kick seemed to indicate that the ball was over the line."

After things settled down, Moreno clinched the victory for United (1-0-1) during injury time with his 96th career goal, moving him within four of the MLS's career leader, Jason Kreis of Real Salt Lake.

Chivas (0-1-1) also had an apparent goal disallowed early in the second half, but there was far less controversy on that one, just a whole lot of confusion. The offside had been signaled moments earlier by a linesman, but Yonan didn't acknowledge it until after the ball had ended up in the net.

The Chivas players vehemently protested, thinking the apparent goal scorer, Garcia, had been ruled offside; he was clearly onside. It was someone else who had gotten caught well before the shot.

United received several favorable bounces on the cold, rainy day -- a cross that hit a seam where temporary grass covers baseball's third base line and struck Perkins in the face, and a header that Ben Olsen cleared off the goal line.

Even United's first goal was fortuitous. In the 59th minute, Christian Gomez, making his season debut after serving a one-game suspension, sent a through ball past the Chivas defense in hope of connecting with Moreno. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan arrived an instant before Moreno, but Moreno was able to deflect the clearing attempt toward the goal.

Before Guzan could recover, the ball had slowly rolled into the vacant net.

"I was fortunate to get there," Moreno said. "You always try to get to the ball. This time I was lucky."

United Coach Peter Nowak credited Moreno for being in position to disrupt Guzan, saying: "He didn't stop, even though the ball was played too far from him. . . . Lucky bounce? Yes. But he went there, so good for us."

While Nowak's decision to start Gomez was not surprising, his move to leave 16-year-old Freddy Adu on the bench was. Adu, who had two (secondary) assists in a starting appearance last weekend, didn't appear until the 76th minute.

"With Christian coming back, it was a difficult decision," Nowak said. Adu's "mentality didn't change and he impacted the game. . . . Everything is open right now, and I assume we're going to work during this week to make sure that we're going to reward his performance today."

After failing to score on a clear run in the 90th minute, Adu instigated Moreno's clinching goal by lifting a nice ball over the defense to Jamil Walker, whose cross was one-timed by Moreno.

"Obviously I was disappointed because I always want to start," Adu said. "But my job today was to come in and make an impact, and I feel I did that. We got the win; that's what is important."