D.C. United were officially eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions League Tuesday, after their 2-0 loss to Mexico's Cruz Azul at the Estadio Azul in Mexico City.
Two weeks ago, D.C. United sent a team of reserves to the Monsters Cave in San Jose, Costa Rica and United returned home with a gritty draw, its lone point in Group A.
The result helped energize United, which ended a 10-match winless streak in all competitions with a come-from-behind league victory against the New England Revolution last Thursday.
With D.C. needing a win in its regular-season finale at Columbus on Sunday to keep its hopes of postseason qualification alive, United went with the same formula in Mexico City Tuesday night against a Cruz Azul team that began the night in a three-way tie atop the group with CD Marathon and Deportivo Saprissa.
But a difficult task became nearly impossible when D.C. was reduced to 10 men midway through the first half. The hosts struck on 36 minutes through Nicolas Vigneri and again two minutes from full time through Pablo Zeballos to cruise to the victory.
With the victory, Cruz Azul temporarily moves into sole possession of first place in Group A with 10 points out of five matches. Saprissa and Marathon were scheduled to play on Thursday in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, but the match has been postponed due to incessant rain and flooding.
United, with one point out of five matches, will see their run in the inaugural edition of the continental club championship come to an end next Wednesday when they play host to Marathon.
Jaime Moreno, Fred, Guerrero, Santino Quaranta, Greg Janicki and Gonzalo Peralta remained in D.C. with assistant coach Mark Simpson preparing for the Crew. Joe Vide, Rod Dyachenko and Zach Wells were suspended and couldn't travel and head coach Tom Soehn, who was sent off late in the 2-2 draw against Saprissa, did travel, but couldn't sit on the bench.
Taking over was Chad Ashton, who was joined by temporary assistant coach Ben Olsen on a thin D.C. bench.
Thabiso Khumalo and Devon McTavish were the only two players in the starting XI against New England to start against Cruz Azul. Mike Zaher, Gonzalo Martinez, Bryan Namoff and Craig Thompson made up the backline in front of goalkeeper James Thorpe, who was making his D.C. United debut.
Ryan Miller, Pat Carroll, McTavish and Quavas Kirk played in the midfield, with Khumalo and Ryan Cordeiro playing up top.
Thorpe, a rookie out of Franklin Pearce University, only lasted 32 minutes before he was controversially sent off by Panamanian referee Roberto Moreno for time-wasting on an attempted goal kick.
Ashton had to put starting 'keeper Louis Crayton into the match and the hosts immediately took advantage, scoring the lone goal they needed when Alejandro Vela shook Thompson and got off a left-footed cross that found Vigneri, whose downward header at the edge of the six-yard box beat Crayton on 36 minutes.
Marc Burch came on at halftime for Namoff and Clyde Simms replaced McTavish on 63 minutes for Ashton's final two substitutions.
After Crayton dived to his right to save Vela's shot, Ryan Miller's clearance deflected off Vigneri's raised hands and into the net. Moreno immediately waved the goal off in the 63rd minute.
Burch had a go from distance on a free kick in the 85th minute, but his attempt sailed over the crossbar after taking a deflection off Zeballos. Moreno, though, awarded a goal kick to Alfonso Blanco instead of the corner kick.
Cruz Azul added a controversial insurance goal two minutes from full time. With Martinez lying injured in the 18-yard box, Cruz Azul played on and Zeballos struck inside the far post. Crayton immediately protested the goal and was also sent off, leaving Kirk to put on the goalkeeper gloves for the final moments of the game and D.C. played with eight men, as Martinez limped off the field.
A brief scrum ensued before the kickoff and incensed with the Cruz Azul players for not playing the ball out because of the injury, Burch had to be restrained at the final whistle.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
