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No Reward for United's Excellence
Freddy Adu, who arguably created more scoring chances than any United player, was surprisingly removed for a substitute in the 65th minute and immediately went on the bench and sat alone as play continued.
(Toni L. Sandys - The Washington Post)
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Christian Gomez tested Reis from 25 yards. Jaime Moreno's one-timer missed the near corner. Boswell's header bounded off the top of the crossbar. Moreno was fractionally wide from 18 yards. Alecko Eskandarian and Josh Gros threatened and Olsen shot meekly at Reis just before halftime. The goalkeeper finished with eight saves.
United also thought it had earned a penalty kick in the 44th minute. But referee Kevin Stott ruled Moreno was taken down just outside the box.
"We probably scored too early," said Revolution Coach Steve Nicol, who was without two of his top players, Clint Dempsey and Steve Ralston, because of injury. "They really put us under pressure."
There was more after the break -- most notably Reis leaping save on Freddy Adu's shot from distance -- but as the half progressed and the pace slowed, New England settled in comfortably and waited to counterattack.
Nowak made his first move in the 65th minute, replacing Adu with Matias Donnet. Asked about it afterward, Nowak explained that "Freddy did a pretty good job in the first half. We just felt like we need to have some spark on the right side."
Adu was clearly disappointed by the decision, holding his head in his hands on the bench.
"It's not a great feeling coming out of the game, but coaches have what they have in mind and you have to respect it and honor it," the teenager said. "The way it ended, watching the game from the bench the last 20 minutes probably was the worst feeling I've ever had in my life."
Was it Adu's final appearance in MLS?
"We'll see," he said. "There are some serious talks going on [with European clubs], so we'll see. I'd like to be back, but my ultimate goal was to go overseas, and if it comes sooner rather than later, I'll take it."
United's comeback hopes were dealt a serious blow in the 81st minute when Gomez, the leading candidate for the MLS most valuable player award, limped off with a leg injury.
D.C.'s play turned desperate and, in extra time, all it could muster was a long free kick by Perkins that Olsen nearly got his head on, and Olsen's stab that bounded wide.
Thus ended a year that included a 14-game unbeaten streak, the best record in the league and a stirring 1-1 exhibition tie with Real Madrid, but, for the second straight fall, a season-ending loss at home.
Nowak's contract expires in December and although team president Kevin Payne said last night that he "unequivocally" wants to re-sign him, Nowak said he will weigh his options and possibly pursue overseas opportunities.
Despite the year's overall success, United is left with the memory of a lackluster end to the regular season and a disappointing postseason.
"Over the past couple months teams have played better than us and we were still able to squeak by with a tie or a win," Perkins said. "It comes around against us today."
