Lisi’s Goal Clinches Victory
The last time D.C. United played at the Coliseum, it was beaten on penalty kicks by the Galaxy in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup in January.
“That crossed my mind,” D.C. Coach Thomas Rongen said Friday night after the three-time Major League Soccer champion had defeated Comunicaciones of Guatemala, 2-1, on a late goal in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Giants Cup.
Less than two minutes remained before another penalty shootout when Bolivian forward Jaime Moreno lofted a cross into the goal area from the right. Abdul Thompson Conteh of Sierra Leone rose to head it down and MLS rookie Mark Lisi tucked the ball into the back of the net from close range.
The victory put D.C. United into Sunday’s Giants Cup final at 3 p.m. against Club America of Mexico, a 2-1 winner over Saprissa of Costa Rica.
“From our prior history we always know these games are never easy,” Rongen said. “We did some extensive scouting of Comunicaciones and knew they were a very good team with [such high quality players as] Jorge Rodas, Martin Machon and Fredy Garcia.
“It was icing on the cake, obviously, scoring late. That’s always good.”
Winning the Giants Cup would give D.C. United another trophy to go alongside the three MLS Cups, the U.S. Open Cup, the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the InterAmerican Cup it has won in its brief history.
“In our six-year existence we’ve become very accustomed to playing international competition,” Rongen said. “Each and every year we compete on the international level among the elite teams in CONCACAF [soccer’s North and Central American and Caribbean region].”
D.C. United had to come from behind in front of an announced 4,533 to secure its place in the final.
Comunicaciones took the lead in the 22nd minute when Garcia sent a corner kick from the left and Andres Rivera sent a powerful header toward the roof of the net.
D.C. United goalkeeper Mike Ammann managed to get his fingertips on the ball, but it got past him and crossed the line by the time defender Bryan Namof hooked it out of the net with a desperate lunge.
Rongen’s squad, which has struggled in the MLS this season, but like the Galaxy, reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup, took only four minutes to tie it.
The goal came on an excellent volley by Moreno, who sent it just inside the right post beyond the dive of goalkeeper Luis Pedro Molina.
“The fact that we were able to come back from a 1-0 deficit showed maybe more character and heart than maybe technical skill necessarily, but it says a lot about this team,” Rongen said.
Goalkeeper D.J. Countess, 19, gave up his UCLA career and signed with Major League Soccer as a Project-40 player, the league announced. Countess, from Sacramento, was a starter on the U.S. under-17 national team that finished fourth at the FIFA Under-17 World Championship in New Zealand in 1999 and for the U.S. under-20 national team that reached the second round of the FIFA Youth World Championship in Argentina this summer. A lottery will be held Tuesday to determine which MLS team Countess will join.
