United gets defensive

It’s going to take a near total defensive collapse for D.C. United not to win its Eastern Conference semifinal series tonight against the MetroStars at RFK Stadium.

United holds a commanding two-goal cushion heading into tonight’s second leg of this home-and-home, total-goals series. The only way United could miss advancing to Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference final would be to lose this game by at least two goals during regulation and then allow a goal in the 30-minute golden-goal overtime period.

If neither team scores a goal in the overtime period, the winner of the series will be determined by penalty kicks. United can advance to the Eastern Conference final by winning, tying or even losing tonight’s game by one goal.

“We know what we’re playing for and we know our situation, but we’re not going to slow down — it’s going to be the same pace, the same mentality, and the same approach,” United coach Peter Nowak said.

One has to go back almost two months to find the last match United lost by two goals, a 3-1 road defeat by the Chicago Fire on Sept.4.

Since then United has allowed just four goals in eight games, including a meaningless friendly. United is the hottest team in the MLS playoffs riding a season-high four-game winning streak. The winner of tonight’s playoff series will face the New England Revolution or Columbus Crew in a one-game Eastern Conference final at a site to be determined.

A defensive game wouldn’t bode well for United teenage sensation Freddy Adu seeing much action tonight. Nowak didn’t play his 15-year-old prodigy in last Saturday’s 2-0 victory over the MetroStars because the league’s highest-paid player was not needed. It was the first match this season in which Adu did not appear.

But if United scores the first goal tonight, there is a good chance Adu will appear.

“The first goal is going to be so important. Obviously if they score it, they’re going to get their tails up, and if we score it, that could be the dagger in the back,” United defender Ryan Nelsen said.

The key to beating the MetroStars is containing attacking midfielder Amado Guevara, who is a finalist along with United forward Jaime Moreno and Colorado goalkeeper Joe Cannon for the league MVP Award. Guevara tied for the league’s scoring title this season with 10 goals and 10 assists.

In Game 1, United’s midfield pushed the MetroStars playmaker higher into the midfield and minimized the MetroStars’ chances in the run of play. Guevara constantly drifted out to the left flank and tried to make runs off the wing into the middle of United’s packed five-man midfield.

United probably will use a similar defensive strategy tonight. With the MetroStars staring at the end of their season, United expects the visitors to push bodies forward and risk counterattacks in an attempt to get the first goal.

“The further we can get Guevara away from our goal, the better,” Nelsen said. “We’ve done that really well. He’s never picked [the ball] up in kind of dangerous spots yet; he’s always been getting it off the backs. Once he gets the ball, then we double-team him. We can double-team a lot of them because they like to take touches.”