A long-distance strike from Clyde Simms was all D.C. United needed to extend their lead atop the Eastern Conference on Wednesday night at RFK Stadium, claiming a 1-0 victory against the Chicago Fire.
Simms blasted home from well outside the area in the 17th minute to give United their sixth victory in eight home matches this season and extend their unbeaten streak to eight games.
Having already used a 4-3-3 formation this year in addition to their traditional 3-5-2 alignment, United made another adjustment to their formation against the Fire, coming out in something approaching a 3-6-1 with in-form captain Jaime Moreno alone up top.
Freddy Adu and Christian Gomez were playing off Moreno in forward roles, and the altered look gave Dominic Mediate his second start of the season on the right wing, with the tireless Josh Gros making his usual end-to-end runs out of the back on the other side.
Some scrappy ballwinning by Simms released the United holding midfielder into space to receive a through ball from Moreno 12 minutes in, and his deflected diagonal pass eventually fell to Adu just outside the Chicago penalty area.
The teenager showed no hesitation in stepping forward to crack a blistering daisy-cutter that left Fire goalkeeper Zach Thornton a bystander. But the drive caromed off the base of the far post and away, continuing the young attacker's abysmal streak of bad luck around goal.
Troy Perkins had to race off his line as Fire striker Andy Herron ran on to a well-weighted through ball after the Costa Rican got behind Facundo Erpen two minutes later, but the D.C. netminder made no mistake as he alertly smothered the danger.
With all the early action, a goal seemed imminent and it was the hard-working Simms whose efforts were rewarded in the 17th minute, as he received a feed from Christian Gomez and drilled a beautifully struck shot past Thornton from long range.
Since joining United last year, the former Richmond Kickers standout has shown a penchant for long-distance blasts on a number of previous occasions, only to miss narrowly or be denied by quality saves. But this time Simms' effort was picture-perfect, giving him his first-ever MLS goal and handing his side a 1-0 lead.
With their team having drawn first blood, United's fans reacted boisterously - but the goal also seemed to galvanize the visitors, who showed more initiative in holding possession and pushing forward out of their own half. Led by front-line partners Herron and Nate Jaqua and helped by some hesitant D.C. defending, the men in white created several chances as the half wore on.
First Perkins struggled to deal with a speculative Fire free kick into the D.C. box in the 24th minute, and was forced to palm the ball away with big target man Jaqua lurking nearby. The home side nearly paid the price for their 'keeper's indecision on the ensuing corner when Gonzalo Segares rose at the far post and nodded a strong header just wide of the net.
Eight minutes from halftime, United narrowly dodged punishment for another lackadaisical defensive play when Erpen's weak clearance rolled right to Thiago just outside the D.C. box. Finding himself in acres of space, the diminutive Brazilian strolled forward and unleashed a dipping drive that rifled just beyond the right post of a relieved Perkins.
United coach Peter Nowak got more bad news moments later when Mediate took a blow to the head that forced him to leave the match, giving untested rookie Devon McTavish a chance to make his first-ever MLS appearance.
Chicago's purposeful play continued after the break. Just six minutes into the second half, Justin Mapp slipped past Erpen in the United box to reach the endline and center for Thiago just inside the penalty spot. With the flummoxed D.C. defense at sixes and sevens, the Fire playmaker could've drawn his side level but he lacked composure on his final touch, a shot that soared far over the crossbar.
The Black-and-Red back line was badly exposed yet again on the hour mark, as Segares' booming left-wing cross found Herron all alone at the back post. But despite ample space to settle the ball and pick his spot, Herron's shot was denied by an exemplary diving save from Perkins.
Having been pushed onto the back foot, United seemed resigned to riding out Chicago's pressure in hopes of securing the 1-0 result that had eluded them in their previous two matches at Los Angeles and New England. The Fire continued to probe D.C. but found themselves lacking the final touch in front of goal.
A nervous silence fell over RFK Stadium in the 82nd minute when Moreno, trying to combine with Adu on a counterattack, tangled legs with Segares and went to ground immediately, writhing in obvious pain. The Bolivian was stretchered off with what seemed to be a lower leg injury, to be replaced by Jamil Walker.
Perkins nearly undid all his good work just four minutes from time as he fumbled away a low cross in traffic at the near post, but Simms popped up to boot the loose ball away and maintain the shutout. This time around, United was canny enough to kill off the remaining time and salt away the result.
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
