(Sports Network) - Reigning Major League Soccer MVP Luciano Emilio is heating up, and consequently, so is his club, D.C. United. With United playing with just nine men after two ejections, Emilio broke a 1-1 deadlock in second-half stoppage time to give D.C. a 2-1 win at Chicago on Saturday night at Toyota Park.

It was the third straight game Emilio has scored a goal, and it was the third straight game D.C. has gotten at least one point. The result was also United's first road win of the season.

The Fire, who entered the game four points back of Eastern Conference leaders New England with two games in hand, scored the first goal in the game on a brilliant pass from Cuauhtemoc Blanco to Chad Barrett in the first half-hour.

Blanco's pass beat three D.C. defenders and Barrett played a shot near-post just past the feet of defender Devon McTavish and past goalkeeper Zach Wells.

That was how the score stayed until after the break when D.C.'s playmaker, Marcelo Gallardo, was given a red card along with Chicago defender Brandon Prideaux after an altercation in the 55th minute, forcing the teams to play 10-v-10.

United forward Jaime Moreno scored his fifth goal of the season just after the hour mark to tie the game after a brilliant effort by Emilio. The Brazilian cut into box, cut back and fired a shot on goal that Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch got a hand on, but Moreno fired the rebound home.

After United defender Bryan Namoff was booked for two yellow cards in a three minute span to force the visitors to play 9-v-10, Emilio scored the winner on a similar play to the equalizer, but from the other side of the box. He drove into the Chicago area, two defenders backed up and he cut inside and fired on goal, but this time Busch, who made eight saves in the loss, couldn't get a hand on it.

United (4-7-1) will aim to continue the surge that has it out of the Eastern Conference basement when it hosts New York next Saturday while Chicago (6-3-1) will look to rebound when it travels to take on FC Dallas a day later in its next league fixture.



Copyright 2008 The Sports Network
All rights reserved