United's Unbeaten Streak Continues

United 3, Wizards 2

KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 28 -- Where would D.C. United be without the Kansas City Wizards?

United ran its unbeaten streak to 10 with a 3-2 victory Wednesday over Kansas City on a sweltering, 90-degree night at Arrowhead Stadium, and four of those games were victories over the Wizards.

United, 10-1-5 for the season, completed the season sweep against its closest rival in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference, and with 35 points at the halfway mark of the 32-game season, are on pace to finish with 70 points, which would be the most in club history.

"Winning never gets old," United Coach Peter Nowak said. "We didn't come here just to play the game. It was a fantastic effort from all of these guys. If we play our game, we play always for three points, and it showed today."

The Wizards, 6-6-2, who have lost to just two other teams all season, tried changing their luck against United by switching goalkeepers.

But inexperienced William Hesmer, making his second start of his career in place of regular Bo Oshoniyi, was no match for the highest-scoring team in the league.

Freddy Adu scored his first goal of the season and assisted on Christian Gomez's fifth in what turned out to be the game-winner in the 50th minute. United's first goal came off an own goal off the leg of Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad.

"If you get a goal and your team loses or ties, it's not as much fun as when your team wins," said Adu, who also has five assists. "We won, I'm excited, and we go home with three points."

Adu played a long ball to Jaime Moreno, and he threaded a pass to Gomez, who beat Kansas City defender Shavar Thomas.

"I got the ball, I saw Jaime streaking down, and I knew if I put it in the right path, he'd be there."

Kansas City drew to within 3-2 in the 72nd minute with a penalty kick by Jose Burciaga Jr., whose left-footed drive hit the right post and caromed across to the left post behind United goalkeeper Troy Perkins. The penalty kick was created by Perkins's reckless foul against Ryan Pore in the penalty area that was accompanied by a yellow card.

The closest Kansas City came to tying the game came during stoppage time of the second half when Davy Arnaud's sweeping shot sailed over the crossbar.

"We've played 14 games and what we know after 14 games is we're not as good as D.C.," Wizards Coach Bob Gansler said. "They're resourceful; that's what we've got to get better at."

Adu offered an explanation for United's dominance of Kansas City.

"They're good," Adu said. "Every time we have to play Kansas City . . . anybody we play we get pumped up to play, obviously, but when we have to play against our conference rival that is behind us in the standings, we don't want to give any ground to them."

After D.C. United jumped to a 2-0 lead on the own goal and Adu's blast in the first 16 minutes, Kansas City got back into the game when defender Nick Garcia pounced on a ball United midfielder Clyde Simms was unable to clear and drilled the first goal of his seven-year MLS career that has encompassed 181 games.

The game's first goal was set up by Gomez's corner kick into the penalty area. When Arnaud whiffed on his attempt to head the ball out, it glanced off Conrad and past a frozen Hesmer at the five-minute mark.

Garcia's goal was preceded by a sterling save by Perkins, the top-ranked goalkeeper in MLS, on a point-blank shot by the Wizards' Scott Sealy.

The rebound squirted to Simms, but his clearance pass went straight to Garcia, who buried the shot, and ended the longest streak by an MLS player for games played before scoring a goal.