D.C. United did not have the great start to their season that they envisioned after bringing in so many high profile players this off-season. But the club may have turned the corner after an impressive win at home over Real Salt Lake 4-1, as Jaime Moreno scored 2 goals. D.C. United is now 2-3-0 and snapped a 2 game losing streak.
Moreno scored both his goals off penalty kicks, as he is the all time MLS leader in PK’s with 35 for his career. When asked about his penchant for PK’s Moreno stated, “It’s just one of those things. I’m good at it. I’m lucky enough to score that many penalties, and I just have to keep working on it.”
D.C. United’s Santino Quaranta and Marcelo Gallardo also scored in the game. Real Salt Lake’s only goal in the game came from Carey Talley. Real Salt Lake (1-3-1) has not won any games on the road this season.
The first PK in the game came after Dema Kovalenko was whistled for a handball in the penalty box in the 31st minute. Moreno easily beat the Real Salt Lake goalie to give the home squad a 1-0 lead. In the 51st minute Moreno scored his second PK of the game kicking a ball in the top left corner, which was an unstoppable shot. Moreno also assisted on the 3rd goal of the game lofting a feed to Santino Quaranta who found the back of the twine to give D.C. United a 3-0 lead.
In the 77th minute Real Salt Lake closed the gap, as Tally scored but then only 3 minutes later Gallardo scored making the score 4-1, which would eventually stand.
When asked about Moreno’s great performance after the game D.C. United head coach Tommy Soehn said, “Jamie leads in so many ways. The ball he sent over to Santino, a lot of guys don’t recognize those passing situations and he just has a maturity about him that makes people around him better. He leads in so many ways, but his play is one of the best ways he can lead.”
Even though Real Salt Lake is not the most talented team in the MLS it was a good sign that D.C. United tallied 4 goals, as their offense has been struggling. They are still near the bottom of the MLS standings in the Eastern Conference, but this game will give the team some confidence.
D.C. United travels to Colorado on Sunday for their next game, while Real Salt Lake will host the L.A. Galaxy on Saturday.
