A Brazilian Revival Lifts United

United 2, Crew 0

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 18 -- Road-weary D.C. United had arrived here directly from Los Angeles, and for one half Saturday night, the club played as if it had stuffed all the dreariness from the previous performance into its carry-on bags.

"We weren't very good with the ball, and they came out with a lot of life," Coach Tom Soehn said. "We had to get through stretches of that."

United survived the first half, then flourished in the second.

Brazilian midfielder Fred celebrated his 28th birthday by scoring on a blazing shot and compatriot Luciano Emilio added his MLS-best 14th goal as United defeated the Columbus Crew, 2-0, to register a club-record third consecutive shutout victory in league play.

United (10-6-3) has not yielded a goal in 341 minutes, 41 short of another record, and is within three points of first-place New England, which has played two more games, in the muddled Eastern Conference.

"It's been a long road trip, and to bounce back and get a win is good for us mentally and physically," defender Greg Vanney said.

With his team playing for the eighth time in a month and facing two more matches next week, Soehn has had to manage playing time and provide rest for his regulars before the stretch run this fall. On this night, central defender Bobby Boswell and midfielder Ben Olsen were scratched from the lineup. Vanney replaced Boswell and paired with Devon McTavish to form a central tandem that did not allow much space to the organized Crew (6-7-8) and handled pressure well before a noisy crowd of 21,639.

After the opening whistle, Soehn thought he was done shuffling personnel. Just nine minutes into play, though, he had to turn to his bench again when midfielder Josh Gros got hit in the temple with the ball and departed with what he later estimated was at least his 15th concussion since high school.

"As soon as it happened, I knew something was wrong," said Gros, who experienced blurred vision and vomited in the locker room.

His replacement, Domenic Mediate, a former Maryland Terrapin who had played just 57 minutes in league competition since being re-signed in late June, fit in nicely and was instrumental on both ends.

Columbus's attack ran through its brilliant Argentine midfielder, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, and as the half neared the end, the Crew made excellent use of the right flank to drive in several dangerous crosses. United kept its composure, absorbing pressure and calmly clearing balls out of the penalty area.

Having escaped the first half, United took charge after the break with an inspiring performance.

In the 52nd minute, Christian Gomez nodded Bryan Namoff's cross off the left post, collected the stray ball and had his second attempt blocked. The ball caromed toward the top of the penalty area, where Fred blasted a 17-yard one-timer into the upper right side for his third goal of the season.

"I was very confident that if I got to it, I was going to strike it with enough force to put it into the back of the net," Fred said through an interpreter. "I felt like it was my birthday and I had to make sure I got it."

United's attack grew in confidence with every touch, but it was a Columbus mistake that resulted in another goal.

Fred sent a through ball into the box just beyond Emilio's stride. Crew defender Ezra Hendrickson tried to turn it out and away from pressure, but instead touched it into the path of Emilio, who bashed a low shot from eight yards under Hesmer.

"I anticipated his move, met the ball and buried it," Emilio said.

Overall, it was a marked improvement over Wednesday's 2-0 loss to Los Angeles in the SuperLiga semifinals.

"We were under pressure, but solid," Vanney said. "We bent a little, but didn't break at all."