Record return as Hoops come back
The Hoops were unlucky to find themselves down 3-0 after 47 minutes as United's Brazilians Fred and Luciano Emilio capped quick counterattacks with cool finishes. But FCD's never-say-die attitude sparked the biggest comeback in the club's 12-year history and prompted a glowing tribute from head coach Steve Morrow.
"I thought we were magnificent from start to finish tonight," he said afterwards. "We really took the game to them. We were really dangerous during the first half and didn't deserve to be down 2-0 at halftime. We were very, very disappointed when we came in here at halftime. We thought we played very well."
The visitors were incensed by United's second goal, believing Fred had strayed offsides before he nodded past Dario Sala, and both Ruiz and Drew Moor were booked for their passionate protests to referee Tim Weyland as the teams entered their locker rooms at the half.
"We had a couple of dubious calls -- very, very close calls," said Morrow. "It's hard for the referees and until I can see a replay, I can't really comment. I thought the second goal in particular looked very close to being offside. I think that was part of the reason we came in very frustrated at halftime because both goals were slightly dubious."
The situation only got bleaker when Emilio notched his second tally of the evening just two minutes into the second half.
"In the first five minutes [of the half] we are down 3-0, so it's going to be a tough road back," said Bobby Rhine of his team's mentality at that point.
Making his 200th career appearance, Rhine wore the captain's armband while playing a central midfield role alongside Toja.
"We felt at that point that we could still create enough chances and come back and get a result. We did exactly that and showed great, great character," he said.
Unlike many teams who take a cautious approach inside RFK Stadium's intimidating confines, Morrow gave his side license to attack with abandon and that ambitious approach paid off as the hard-charging Hoops threw the match's pace into high gear over the final 40 minutes.
"We felt like we could get back in the game if we continued to play well defensively," he said. "Even going 3-0 down, I didn't lose hope because of the way we were playing. We showed character the whole game and a lot of credit to the players tonight. They fought very, very hard for the whole game."
That fight was led by All-Star Toja, who overcame an anonymous first-half display with two gutsy goals that were keyed by plenty of hard running and an aggressive attitude around the United penalty box.
"He has an unbelievable work rate - the guy runs all game," said defender Clarence Goodson. "He doesn't seem to get tired. He has a great touch on the ball and he works his brains out. He is one of the best additions to this team in a long time."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
