It's all clicking for D.C. United, which put together its third consecutive win Sunday night over Chivas USA to pull five points clear of the sixth-place team in the MLS playoff race.
As Martin Shatzer of Black and Red United wrote, the story of the night was Branko Boskovic, who came off the bench to tally United's only goal of the evening.
Publicly criticized by his coach, repeatedly subbed out just barely into the second half, and now finding himself on the bench to start the match. Many players would mope, or beg to return home where the playing time comes easier. That's not what Boskovic did though. He kept fighting for minutes, and when deployed in an unfamiliar advanced role, he earned himself a goal and his team a win.
Less noticed but as notable in Shatzer's eyes was the D.C. defense, which has only allowed a single goal in in last three matches in front of goalkeeper Bill Hamid.
This three-game winning streak hasn't been pretty and hasn't come against the most spectacular of opponents, but with three close matches, the winning streak wouldn't have come at all without a steady defense.
D.C. now has 50 points, four ahead of the Houston Dynamo, which sits in the final playoff spot, and five ahead of the Columbus Crew, which is the last team out.
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