Revolution’s win ends D.C.’s tourney chances
D.C. United’s three-year run of making at least the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup is over after a furious comeback fell short with a 3-2 qualifying defeat to New England denied them a place in the tournament for the first time since 2002.
After D.C. trailed 3-0, Branko Boskovic scored a pair of blistering left-footed strikes in the 73rd and 82nd minutes, then limped off the field with a left knee injury as United tried in vain to equalize during six minutes of added time in the second half.
After winning the 97-year-old knockout tournament in 2008 and making the final in 2009, D.C. United was undone by a pair of goals from Revolution backup forward Kheli Dube and a crucial game winner from rookie Alan Koger after some suspect defending in the 69th minute.
With a regular season match looming three days away in Houston, United used an entirely different starting 11 from the group that faced New York last week. Boskovic was inserted into center midfield, flanked by Santino Quaranta on his left and Andy Najar on his right.
New England opted for even more reserves, with midfielder Stephen McCarthy the only regular among the Revolution starters.
The result was a noticeable majority of possession for D.C. but a familiar inability to translate that advantage into scoring. With the steady breeze at United’s back in the first half, D.C. players sent numerous balls well over the Revolution end line. Boskovic also started the night earning himself a yellow card after going down in the box on little contact, but his orchestration of the offense improved from there, starting with a shot from distance in the 23rd minute that skipped just wide of the right post.
After absorbing pressure, the Revolution got on the scoresheet first in the 34th minute. On the counterattack, Ousmane Dabo released Kenny Mansally down the right wing. Mansally’s early cross found Dube alone in the box with no one to beat but D.C. goalkeeper Pat Onstad with a crisp finish low and left.
Less than 90 seconds into the second half, Dube doubled the New England lead, this time blasting home a strike after a centering ball from Koger, who’d beaten D.C. rookie defender Ethan White to a bouncing ball on the left side.
