D.C. United's seventh home draw of the season cost the Black-and-Red the chance to vault above the New York Red Bulls in the MLS playoff standings, as Juan Pablo Angel scored two goals in the second half to erase a 2-0 United lead and earn Chivas USA a 2-2 draw in front of 14,849 fans at RFK.
To add to the agony and frustration, Dwayne De Rosario had a penalty kick saved in second-half stoppage time that would have surely won the match for the home side. Angel nearly became the villain for Chivas as referee Chris Penso penalized him for a push in De Rosario's back in the penalty area. The contact appeared minimal, but Dan Kennedy ensured that the penalty was diminished as a talking point by guessing correctly and saving De Rosario's tame penalty to his left.
Leading 1-0 at halftime, United had doubled their lead less than 90 seconds after the restart. Dwayne De Rosario's shot from a left-wing corner was saved by Kennedy, but the rebound fell to defender Ethan White, who scored his first MLS goal with a simple tap-in from about three yards away.
That should have killed the match off, but United's defensive frailties let them down again. Angel's first goal came in the 57th minute, when he outjumped Perry Kitchen to head Nick LaBrocca's right-wing cross past Bill Hamid to cut the visitors' deficit in half. LaBrocca almost brought Chivas level shortly after with a shot from outside the box, but the ball curled just wide.
The home side were not so lucky twenty minutes from time, when Angel outmuscled Brandon McDonald to receive Ante Jazic's left-wing cross. With McDonald helpless on the floor, his fellow center-back, White, couldn't get back in time to block the shot, which Angel slammed past Hamid to tie the match at 2-2.
Chivas kept pressing for a winner and had the better opportunities as the match wound down. Three minutes after his equalizer, Angel tried for a hit trick, but the attempt curled just wide. Then, three minutes before the end of normal time, substitute Laurent Courtois was sent away down United's right wing, but his shot was palmed away by Hamid.