WASHINGTON (AP) -- Eric Wynalda and Dema Kovalenko scored three
minutes apart in the second half as the Chicago Fire, playing a man
down, extended D.C. United's losing streak to four games with a 2-1
victory Saturday afternoon.
The triumph ended a two-game winless skid for the Fire (5-3-2)
and gave Chicago its first victory in five tries at RFK Stadium,
the only MLS venue where it had never won. Chicago came into the
game 0-3 on the road against the United (3-6-0) and lost the 2000
MLS Cup to Kansas City in Washington.
The Fire erased D.C.'s 1-0 lead despite with 10 men after
referee Tim Weyland issued a red card to Chicago's Jim Curtin in
the 59th minute for an airborne hip check on Jaime Moreno.
Wynalda, a halftime substitution for Hristo Stoitchkov, tied the
game in the 76th minute with his third goal since being acquired in
a trade from New England on May 3.
Jamar Beasley's shot bounced off United defender Craig Ziadie
and to the foot of Wynalda, who connected from 15 yards out.
About three minutes later Weyland called D.C.'s A.J. Wood for a
hand ball in the penalty area, despite the fact that referee's
assistant Richard Eddy seemed to indicate that the infraction took
place out of bounds.
Kovalenko converted the ensuing penalty kick for a 2-1 Fire
lead.
United pressed the attack in the first half, outshooting Chicago
5-0, and Moreno's fourth goal of the season produced a 1-0 lead in
the seventh minute.
Marco Etcheverry's run down the right side got the ball to Bobby
Convey in the right side of the penalty box. Etcheverry slid a pass
along the top of the crease and through the legs of D.C.'s Chris
Albright to Moreno, who had an easy tap into an open net.