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United Stays Red Hot; Unbeaten Streak Hits 13
About five minutes into the second half, United took the lead for good. Josh Gros led the counterattack and sprayed the ball out to John Wilson, Erpen's halftime replacement, whose cross was headed out of danger -- at least it appeared out of danger.
From his deep midfield role, Carroll approached the bouncing ball and unleashed a 30-yarder that streaked out of Palmer's reach and into the upper right corner.
 Ben Olsen is ecstatic after scoring United's final - and eventual game-winning goal - versus the depleted Crew at RFK Stadium. (Nick Wass - AP)
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"I don't get many of those opportunities that just put out toward the box there," said Carroll, who has two regular season goals in four years. "I got one tonight and I was happy I buried it."
Olsen stretched the lead in the 64th minute, rolling a gentle shot past a collection of defenders after Gomez had twisted and turned in the box.
The Crew was undeterred, though, reducing the deficit on reserve Eric Vasquez's 23-yard blast and forcing Perkins into a desperation save a minute later on Eddie Gaven's header.
"They give us trouble today," Nowak said of the Crew. "Respect and credit to them -- they were still pushing for the one point. It was a good win for our team, our fans, our mentality, but we've got to work on the organization."
United Notes: D.C. is in discussions with European power Real Madrid about scheduling an exhibition between the clubs early next month at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, United officials said last night.
Real, the most successful team in European soccer history, already has committed to playing MLS's Real Salt Lake on Aug. 12 and is looking to add a second match a few days earlier. RFK Stadium is not available because the Washington Nationals are playing there that weekend, and neither FedEx Field nor M&T Bank Stadium is an option because of the NFL exhibition season.
United officials recently toured Camden Yards and were satisfied with the proposed seating configuration and field alterations for a soccer event. It is now apparently up to Real whether it wants to play in Baltimore and under such circumstances.
Real's roster includes England's David Beckham and Brazil's Ronaldo, but several signings are possible, including the Netherlands' Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Italy's Fabio Cannavaro.
MLS Roundup
Kenny Cooper scored the game-winning goal before more than 13,000 fans at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill., lifting FC Dallas to a 3-2 win over the Chicago Fire.
Cooper assisted on the first goal in the eighth minute and then scored the last one on a header in the 80th minute.
· DYNAMO 3, WIZARDS 2: Brad Davis and Brian Ching scored second-half goals to lift Houston to victory in Kansas City, Mo.
Eddie Robinson also scored for the Dynamo, which remained three points behind first-place FC Dallas in the Western Conference.
· CHIVAS USA 0, GALAXY 0: Chivas USA and Los Angeles played to a draw at Home Depot Center.
Chivas moved into a third-place tie with Colorado while the Galaxy remained five points out of a playoff spot.
