One massive losing streak ended in Detroit. Another ended at RFK Stadium.
But San Jose did more than halt its 14-game stretch without a road win at the expense of D.C. United with a 2-1 victory in front of 14,375. The Earthquakes also handed United its second straight home defeat and dealt a massive blow to its MLS playoff hopes, leaving D.C. outside of a postseason berth with three games left in the regular season.
United (8-7-12) also faces the prospect of losing starting goalkeeper Josh Wicks, who left the game with a dislocated left shoulder and will have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test on Sunday.
“We came out flat in the second half on a day where — on any day you can’t afford it — but on a day when we’re trying to make the playoffs, it’s still disappointing,” said United head coach Tom Soehn. “I have to go back and evaluate whether I had the right blend of guys on the field.”
That was hardly the sentiment after a dominant start to the afternoon, which peaked when Jaime Moreno finished Chris Pontius’s cross in the 26th minute.
United still maintained its advantage when Wicks extended his arm to for a corner kick and came down lame despite no contact and immediately called to the sideline for medical attention.
Backup Milos Kocic took over in the net but wasn’t responsible for either San Jose goal.
First, the Earthquakes (5-12-7), who remain in last place in MLS’ Western Conference, tied the game with a 22-yard free kick perfectly-placed into the upper corner by Ramon Sanchez in the 58th minute.
United’s defense then opened the door in 73rd minute, when Marc Burch was stripped by Arturo Alvarez. Clyde Simms deflected Alvarez’s shot off the crossbar, but Ryan Johnson dove unmarked at the loose ball. Kocic had been in place for Alvarez’s shot but was too far off his line to reach back for Johnson’s header.
“It just wasn’t good enough,” said United midfielder Santino Quaranta. “It’s devastating this loss. From here, this is tough to get over this one.”
