Chris Pontius scored his 10th goal of the season and Emiliano Dudar made his first appearance since April 28 as D.C. United held off a late surge from the Columbus Crew to win 1-0. The Crew seemed poised to equalize on several occasions late in the game, but United was able to skirt disaster each time to end a two-game losing streak and move them to within four points of the top spot in the East.
DC United Vs. Columbus Crew, 2012 MLS: Chris Pontius Delivers
The Crew, who had entered this game having won 4 of 5, actually dropped to seventh place in the East, two points behind the Montreal Impact. After giving up Pontius' goal in the 49th minute, they largely dominated the match. They ended up out-shooting United 17-15, but were done in by only putting three of those shots on frame. Time after time, it seemed like open headers were sent high or wide, with Chad Marshall missing an exceptionally good chance late in the first half.
United didn't always look strong, but they did just enough to win. Their goal was created by some nifty dribbling by rookie Nick DeLeon, who sliced and spun his way through the Crew defense before sending a ball to the front of the goal. Although Long Tan couldn't handle the pass, it fell to the feet of Pontius, who slammed it into the back of the net. Pontius now has five goals in his past six appearances.
Andy Gruenebaum didn’t have a very busy second half, but did come up with six saves to keep it close.
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