D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls huffed and puffed over 90 minutes of passionate, tightly-contested soccer at RFK Stadium on Saturday night, but the scoreboard was left untouched with a 0-0 draw that does little to sort out the congestion at the heart of the MLS Eastern Conference table.
After each team had locked up resounding 4-1 victories in their first two tangles of 2008, perhaps it was fitting that the third and final meeting unfold in such fashion. But United fans will likely come away from the result pondering the sight of captain Jaime Moreno missing a late penalty kick that would have delivered a priceless win to the Black-and-Red.
D.C. boss Tom Soehn arrayed his first XI in a 4-4-2 shape, again anchoring his midfield with Clyde Simms and Joe Vide centrally but switching up his back line as Gonzalo Martinez moved out to the right back spot with Bryan Namoff slotting into a central role.
The change allowed the Colombian to range foward into the attack and placed Namoff's veteran savvy alongside Devon McTavish to cope with the danger posed by Red Bulls striker Juan Pablo Angel.
The evening began with all the energy and edginess one would expect from a meeting of these Atlantic Cup rivals, with New York working hard to close down space and snap at the heels of United's attacking weapons while the home side tried to push the pace in their own right.
Six minutes in, D.C. captain Jaime Moreno delighted the crowd with nifty footwork to hold possession along the edge of the New York penalty box before spinning to his right and chipping a near-post cross to strike partner Luciano Emilio. But the Brazilian was well-marked and could only loop his header well over the top of Jon Conway's goal.
Vide's 10th-minute foul gave the Red Bulls an inviting set-piece opportunity just outside the United box, but Dave van den Bergh could not keep his rising left-footed shot on target.
Emilio threatened again with a sharply-angled shot from seven yards out after spinning past Diego Jimenez at the top of the box, but Conway had the near post covered and made the save.
His opposite number, D.C. netminder Louis Crayton, had to make a sharp block of his own moments later when Seth Stammler nodded Mike Magee's deep, looping cross into the path of Juan Pablo Angel - but the Colombian hitman tried to place his finish and Crayton scuttled to his right to glove the underhit effort.
The match continued to pulse with life as Vide won possession some 30 yards out from Conway's goal and unleashed a snap drive that left Conway well beaten, only to whistle just wide of the left post.
Richards' blazing speed was clearly discomfiting Devon McTavish and the rest of the D.C. defense, but in the 32nd minute the diminutive Jamaican almost scored when he used a bit of muscle to work around the United center back deep in the box and clip a low shot on target. Crayton got just enough of a touch to deflect the bid over the crossbar, however.
United created their best chance of the half some five minutes later as Emilio capped an intricate passing sequence with a goalbound header after running onto Vide's teasing far-post cross. The reigning league MVP paid the price for his bravery, though, crashing to the turf after being sandwiched by two RBNY defenders as Conway moved to his left to gobble up the effort cleanly. Emilio required treatment and was eventually replaced by Francis Doe just before halftime, the injury later revealed to be a groin strain.
Referee Kevin Stott was earning the resounding ire of the home crowd for calling advantage on several lusty Red Bulls challenges where United maintained possession, and both sides' simmering hostility soon boiled over with a string of crunching tackles in midfield that led to a flurry of yellow cards in the first half's final stages.
First Moreno was bundled over by Juan Pietravallo as he received a pass with his back to goal, and when Stott waved play on, the annoyed Bolivian - who had been hounded by New York's Argentinean holding midfielder all night - responded by scything Pietravallo down when he took possession a few seconds later.
Stott produced a yellow card for Moreno, then testily reached into his pocket again less than a minute later when Namoff slid into Angel from behind - and had little choice but to do so a third time when Kevin Goldthwaite's high challenge on Santino Quaranta sent a boot whistling past the United winger's ear in injury time.
The second stanza began with somewhat less venom as the two sides settled into a midfield battle, both coaches apparently using the halftime break to tighten their defenses and address the gaps that had made the first 45 minutes so freely-flowing.
Quaranta had moved into a more central role for the second half, trying to spark some new ideas with his energy and enterprise, and he nearly broke the deadlock with a gliding run right at the heart of the New York back line in the 64th minute. But he was unable to finish the move with an accurate shot and Conway was relieved to see his low shot skip safely wide of the target.
The United faithful were soon roused by the entrance of Marcelo Gallardo with 20 minutes to play. Entering in place of Marc Burch, the D.C. designated player was making his first appearance in more than two months due to a lingering sports hernia problem, and his arrival prompted a shift to a 3-5-2 formation as Soehn looked to put more pressure on the visitors - who seemed content with the prospect of a road point at RFK, historically their house of horrors.
Gallardo's alert diagonal ball released Vide into acres of space down the right channel, but Vide wasted the opportunity with a cross/shot that flashed across the face of goal, too high for Moreno to reach and too far to the left to trouble Conway.
United continued to probe the defensive-minded Red Bulls and another marauding run from Quaranta led to a short angled pass into the box for Moreno. When Andrew Boyens' challenge arrived an instant too late, Moreno went flying to the turf and Stott pointed towards the penalty spot as RFK exploded into delirium.
The all-time MLS scoring leader stepped up to bury the spot kick as usual, yet the entire stadium was stunned when he drilled his bid wide of the left post, leaving the match tied at 0-0.
Let off the hook by the man who has been their chief tormentor for years, New York could hardly believe their good fortune - and the blessings were nearly doubled a few minutes later when second-half substitute Danleigh Borman was handed an inviting look at goal from just inside the box when D.C. was unable to clear their lines in the 84th minute. But the rookie snatched at his shot and it harmlessly flew wide left.
Then Angel looked certain to grab a shock matchwinner four minutes from full time after collecting Jimenez's astute interception of a pass meant for Moreno. The former Aston Villa star juked past McTavish and reached the endline, where he spotted Crayton's overcommitment and rolled a soft, angled finish towards the back post - but to everyone's surprise, the ball missed the woodwork by inches and the home side were bailed out.
Late on, Conway had to reach to his right at full stretch to parry another long-distance drive from Quaranta, but eventually Stott blew the final whistle to hand the Red Bulls 'keeper a prized clean sheet at RFK - and a valuable point to his team as the two clubs remained level amidst the helter-skelter Eastern Conference.
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
