Major League Soccer

Lassiter instrumental for D.C. United in 2-1 victory over Eastern foe Mutiny.

Lassiter's offensive output, coupled with Carlos Llamosa's airtight defensive play, snapped the Mutiny's four-game winning streak and padded D.C.'s lead in the Eastern Conference. D.C. United (21-7, 53 points) sits atop the Eastern Conference with a comfortable 15-point lead over the Columbus Crew (16-10). The Mutiny (13-15, 29 points) sits in third place.

Lassiter terrorized the Mutiny defense for much of the first half, turning minor defensive miscues into one-on-one chances. In the 23rd minute of play, Mutiny midfielder Steve Ralston passed a ball back to defender Chad McCarty, who mishandled the ball. Lassiter seized the opportunity, taking the ball deep into the Tampa Bay penalty area. Mutiny defender Joseph Addo made a valiant effort to stop Lassiter, but the league-leading scorer danced around Addo and planted a right-footed strike into the back of the net. The goal, Lassiter's 17th of the year, ties him with Columbus' Stern John for the league lead.

Lassiter struck again in the 43rd minute, when he received a short pass from teammate Jaime Moreno inside the Mutiny box. Lassiter quickly touched the ball around the defense and back onto Moreno's foot. The give-and-go put Moreno in prime scoring position, and the Bolivian forward deftly placed the ball past former United goalkeeper Scott Garlick.

Moreno has now been involved with nine of D.C. last 10 goals (two goals, seven assists).

The Mutiny almost got on the board a minute later, when Raul Diaz Arce's redirection of a Manny Lagos cross barely missed going into the D.C. net, rolling wide by mere inches.

The Mutiny showed more signs of life in the second half, mounting consistent offensive pressure that tested United's defense. Llamosa and Jeff Agoos were on constant call, defusing the opportunities created by Mutiny playmaker Carlos Valderrama.

In the 64th minute, McCarty again came close to scoring with a quality header that was knocked wide by D.C. goalkeeper Mark Simpson. On the ensuing corner kick, Diaz Arce headed home an apparent goal that was immediately disallowed due to Mutiny interference in the box.

Diaz Arce would not leave the game empty-handed, however, as he knocked home the Mutiny's only goal of the game and his 13th of the season in the 72nd minute. Defender Ritchie Kotschau accepted a long ball feed from Mauricio Ramos while streaking along the left-hand touch line. Kotschau put the ball into the center of the box, and Diaz Arce slid in and knocked the ball home to make the score 2-1.

Despite a 19-7 edge in shots, the Mutiny could not pull even.

D.C. United 2, Tampa Bay Mutiny 1

Referee: Brian Hall. Referee's assistants: Robbie Mann, Roger O'Brien. Attendance: 12,397 at Raymnd James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Weather: Clear, 89 degrees, humid.

Colorado Rapids 0, Kansas City Wizards 0
(Colorado wins shootout 3-2)

"Our inability to score right now is killing us," said Rapids striker Paul Bravo. "We had a couple of good chances, but we need better chances and more chances. We must start scoring more goals. As a team tonight we played very well, but we just are not doing it around the box. We ran out of ideas on attack."

The one-point victory gives the Rapids (17-9) 43 points in the playoff standings, dead even with the defending MLS champion Chicago Fire (15-11). The win also snapped a three-game losing streak for the Rapids, while extending the Wizards' slide to three consecutive games.

"Overall I'm happy with the way we played, but I'm concerned that we are not creating enough quality goal-scoring chances," said Colorado coach Glenn Myernick. "To play that well between the boxes and not really create any goal-scoring chances, everybody in the final third has to be better. "It's a good victory for us, we dominated the game in every single department."

Kansas City goalkeeper Tony Meola faced a busy night, being called upon to make five saves during regulation play. His Colorado counterpart, keeper Ian Feuer, did not need to make a save as K.C. did not put a shot on net.

"It was important today that we did not give up any goals," said Colorado defender Marcelo Balboa. "We created some chances, but the problem we have had lately is putting them away."

In the tiebreaker, Colorado received goals from defender Joey DiGiamarino, forward Wolde Harris, and midfielder David Vaudreuil. On the other side of the pitch, only midfielders Chris Klein and Brian Johnson could get the ball past Feuer.

Colorado Rapids 0, Kansas City Wizards 0
(Colorado wins shootout 3-2)

Referee: Rich Grady. Referee's assistants: Alex Del Angel, Jose Corro. Attendance: 17,832 at Mile High Stadium in Denver. Weather: Rain showers.