D.C. United gave up two goals in the final half hour, falling to host CD Marathon 2-0, at Estadio Olimpico Universitario in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on the second matchday of the CONCACAF Champions League Group A on Wednesday night.
Milton Nunez and Erick Norales scored for the hosts, which move atop Group A after also beating Cruz Azul at home a week earlier. D.C. United, which missed Devon McTavish to suspension because of a red card against Saprissa in a 2-0 loss at RFK Stadium on Sept. 16 and missed several players because of injury, have an uphill climb in Group A after losing their first two Champions League games.
Also out for D.C. was captain Jaime Moreno, who remained in Washington with a swollen knee, Marcelo Gallardo with an adductor strain and Joe Vide with a hamstring strain. Center back Gonzalo Peralta, whose fitness was a question because of a hamstring strain, did see time off the substitutes' bench.
Nunez broke a scoreless draw for "The Green Monster," which is tied with Saprissa of Costa Rica atop the group, in the 67th minute. Marvin Antonio Chavez ran along the edge of the 18-yard box, but had the ball tackled away well by D.C. United defender Gonzalo Martinez.
The ball fell right to Nunez, who took a quick touch around a sliding Marc Burch and put his well-placed shot inside the far post from 20 yards out to give the hosts a deserved lead.
Norales added an insurance goal six minutes from full time, getting his head on a free kick from the left touchline and flicking the ball past D.C. goalkeeper Louis Crayton from the corner of the six-yard box, off the inside of the left post.
CD Marathon nearly added a third goal when Mario Rene Berrios found Nunez, who was unmarked inside the box, but his bouncing header from 10 yards out was wide of the net. Crayton was also forced to make a pair of saves in the 72nd minute.
One of the few clear scoring chances for D.C. United fell to newly signed Thabiso Khumalo, who cut inside of a defender but his shot from 16 yards out sailed over the crossbar in the 55th minute.
CD Marathon had the best scoring chances of the opening 45 minutes, but Saul Martinez, who received a through ball by Chavez, took a touch around Crayton only to have his shot cleared off the post and out by D.C. defender Craig Thompson in the 25th minute.
Four minutes later, Nunez took a long ball off his foot cut inside of two United defenders, but his attempt back across the goal was off target. Late in the first half, Berrios saw his shot punched out nicely by Crayton.
Having lost three matches in a row, D.C. will focus its attention back on Major League Soccer play when it faces FC Dallas Sunday at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. United will be without Marc Burch, who was sent off with a straight red card against the Los Angeles Galaxy in a 5-2 loss last Saturday night.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
