Chelsea edge out DC United in second tour match
By Joel Rothstein
LANDOVER, Maryland (Reuters) – English Premier League
champions Chelsea rallied from a goal down to overcome DC
United 2-1 in a friendly on Thursday, registering a second
consecutive victory in the middle leg of a three-match U.S.
tour.
Displaying little urgency in the opening exchanges, the
west London side fell behind to the Major League Soccer
champions in the 31st minute, when defender Bobby Boswell rose
unmarked to head home a Christian Gomez corner.
The goal acted as a wake-up call for Chelsea, who were back
on level terms just four minutes later after Irish winger
Damian Duff had picked up a pass from new signing Shaun
Wright-Phillips and driven an unstoppable shot past home keeper
Nick Rimando.
Chelsea continued to pile pressure on the DC United defense
and Argentine striker Hernan Crespo added a second goal nine
minutes into the second half, tapping in a pinpoint pass from
Dutch winger Arjen Robben.
Despite the victory, Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho was
unhappy with his team’s display before praising their spirit.
“The team was really bad in the first half and I am not
happy with some players,” Mourinho said.
“When they (DC United) scored, you could see the reaction.
Why? Because they don’t want to lose, so that’s good.”
The home side introduced Freddy Adu in the second half but
the teenage prospect was unable to make an impact on the game
as Chelsea dominated possession with their slick passing.
However, the 16-year-old was upbeat about the performance
of his side.
“Everyone though we were going to get run off the field,”
he said.
“In my opinion, we played the best team in the world and we
proved we can play with them.”
The English side opened their tour with a 1-0 victory over
AC Milan in Massachusetts last weekend and conclude the trip
with another match against the Italians in New York on Sunday.
Chelsea kick off the defense of their domestic title with
an away match against promoted Wigan Athletic at the JJB
Stadium on August 14.