Facing Revolution, United Finds It Tough to Hold On

United 1, Revolution 1

FOXBOROUGH, Mass., June 17 -- Getting the lead doesn't seem to be an issue for D.C. United, which struck first on Saturday night for the 11th time in its past 12 games. Holding on to that lead? A bit more problematic.

For the second weekend in a row, United used a spectacular first-half strike to take a one-goal lead into intermission. For the second weekend in a row, the edge was canceled out in the final minutes of play. This time, the damage was done by the New England Revolution's Andy Dorman, who happened upon a loose ball in the box and sent it past goalkeeper Troy Perkins in the 86th minute. The result was a 1-1 draw, just as it was last weekend, when the Los Angeles Galaxy scored the tying goal with about two minutes remaining.

"It's just a rough way to end the game, two weeks in a row," defender Bobby Boswell said. "It's bittersweet. We tie and it just feels like a loss."

It wasn't a loss, and the result stretched United's unbeaten streak to seven games, its best such run since 1999. But the team returned to a mostly glum locker room, with several players echoing Boswell's disappointment -- "there's nothing worse than tasting victory and then losing it," as Josh Gros put it.

United led at halftime thanks to Jaime Moreno's screaming blast from 25 feet, and had plenty of chances to pad its lead in the second half. Moreno, Freddy Adu, Christian Gomez and Lucio Filomeno led a crafty counterattack that created several free-flowing exchanges near the Revolution net and tested keeper Matt Reis, who made eight saves.

"It was just a matter of time when we were going to score the second goal," United Coach Peter Nowak said. "We've got to put this game away."

They didn't. The Revolution had threatened with several pretty offensive forays of its own, but finally found success on a chaotic set piece. Jose Cancela sent a long free kick into the box, where it pinballed off Boswell before landing at Dorman's feet. He wheeled and sent a bouncing ball to the far post, enlivening a season-high crowd of 16,209.

The result will do little to quell this blossoming rivalry, which now features gamesmanship worthy of the NBA playoffs. New England's coaches and players had complained bitterly after a 1-0 loss to United two weeks ago, arguing that Moreno was offside when he scored, and Nowak referenced those words Saturday night.

"New England was complaining and whining about the call they didn't get against us the last game, and I think the complaining and the whining today pays off because they got the free kicks," he said. "They couldn't beat us in any other soccer situation, and they got the free kick as a present, so Christmas comes early today."

The battered Revolution listed nine players on the injury report and employed a different lineup for the ninth straight game. The carnage, combined with the World Cup absences of Clint Dempsey and Avery John, led to a lineup dotted by inexperience. Jeff Larentowicz, a reserve midfielder, made his second career start, and rookie forward Kyle Brown started for the first time.

Still, New England controlled a mostly drab first half, creating at least five good chances before United seriously threatened. The best came in the 41st minute, when Taylor Twellman got free in front of Perkins but sent his shot directly into the keeper and then directed the rebound wide.

That seemed to breathe life into United's counterattack. Almost immediately, Adu and Filomeno charged in on a two-on-one situation, with Adu choosing to shoot from a tough angle rather than cross to the open Filomeno, who threw up his arms in frustration. Adu, still searching for his first goal of the season, unleashed five shots in the first half; after the game he expressed regret about not finding Filomeno.

Moments later, United struck. Moreno took a short ball from Filomeno, and with three defenders in close proximity, drove the ball past a diving Reis. It was Filomeno's first assist in Major League Soccer, and it was Moreno's 102nd goal, leaving him one behind Jason Kreis for the league's career scoring mark.

Red Bulls Beat Galaxy

Edson Buddle and Jean-Philippe Peguero scored in a 69-second first-half span to lead the host New York Red Bulls to a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy.

· DYNAMO 2, REAL SALT LAKE 1: Brian Mullan had a goal and an assist to help Houston beat visiting Real Salt Lake.

· WIZARDS 3, FIRE 2: Jose Burciaga Jr. scored in the 89th minute to give Kansas City a victory over visiting Chicago.