Quakes, United draw in Adu's first start
Dayak put the Earthquakes in the lead when he headed home in the 33rd minute, but Kovalenko pulled the visitors level in the 66th minute as D.C. ended a two-match losing streak.
United, which has not won in San Jose in six years (since June 3, 1998), started the match strong and nearly found the back of the net in the fifth minute when Bobby Convey was slipped through ball by Ben Olsen but his shot from the left side of the box was blocked by San Jose goalkeeper Pat Onstad, who came off his line quickly.
The Earthquakes also emerged with a series of opportunities of their own, the best one coming in the 14th minute as forward Brian Ching attempted to catch D.C. goalkeeper Nick Rimando off his line. Rimando just reached back to tip Ching's effort off the crossbar.
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Ching almost beat Rimando from point-blank range in a goalmouth scramble in the 31st minute, then a set piece led the opening goal.
Defender Jeff Agoos delivered the ball into the box from the right flank and Dayak, his fellow center back, made the near post run and headed the ball back past Rimando who was late to claim the cross, Dayak's first goal since May 5, 2001.
D.C. United, which had played its best soccer in the first half of its first four matches with dominating midfield play, was seemingly disrupted by the Earthquakes swarming pressure. In fact, the home team outshot United, 8-1, in the first period helped by a very active Ching, who made his first start of the season in attack alongside Landon Donovan.
Down a goal, United controlled possession in the opening minutes of the second half, but set pieces led to the only real chances after the break, both coming from the Quakes when Donovan (62nd minute) and Agoos (66th minute) forced Rimando to make a save.
The visitors remained persistent and were rewarded for their improved second-half play in the 66th minute. Convey, on the right flank, sent a big cross toward the far post which found an unmarked Dema Kovalenko, who snuck in behind the Earthquakes defenders on the play. Kovalenko settled the ball with an expert touch and then slotted home inside the far right post for the equalizer.
Richard Mulrooney, who was making his club-record 130th start for the Earthquakes, nearly grabbed the points for San Jose in the final minute, but Rimando tipped away his drive toward the left corner at full stretch. Mulrooney surpassed former defender and current San Jose assistant coach John Doyle with the appearance.
Adu, who made his professional debut in United's 3-2 season-opening victory against San Jose in Washington, came off for substitute Alecko Eskandarian - who he replaced in the starting lineup - in the 80th minute. Adu managed just one shot but it wasn't on goal, as Onstad was credited with just one save on the day.
D.C. United returns to RFK Stadium for the first of three consecutive home matches on Saturday, May 8, when they host the Columbus Crew (7:30 p.m. ET; FOX Sports World, FOX Sports en Espanol). The Earthquakes will remain in San Jose for their next MLS match as they host another Eastern Conference team, the MetroStars, on Saturday, May 8 (10 p.m. ET; HDNet).MLSnet.com Man of the Match: Troy Dayak (San Jose Earthquakes)
Scoring Summary:
SJ -- Troy Dayak 1 (Jeff Agoos 1) 33
DC -- Dema Kovalenko 1 (Bobby Convey 1) 66
D.C. United -- Nick Rimando, Bryan Namoff, Ryan Nelsen, Brandon Prideaux, Earnie Stewart, Brian Carroll, Dema Kovalenko, Ben Olsen, Bobby Convey (Joshua Gros 86), Jaime Moreno, Freddy Adu (Alecko Eskandarian 78).
Substitutes Not Used: Ronald Cerritos, Mike Petke, Doug Warren.
TOTAL SHOTS: 8 (Earnie Stewart 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Dema Kovalenko 1, Ben Olsen 1); FOULS: 19 (Dema Kovalenko 6); OFFSIDES: 3 (Bobby Convey 2); CORNER KICKS: 5 (Bobby Convey 3); SAVES: 5 (Nick Rimando 5)
San Jose Earthquakes -- Pat Onstad, Craig Waibel, Jeff Agoos, Troy Dayak, Ramiro Corrales, Brian Mullan, Ronnie Ekelund (Dwayne De Rosario 74), Richard Mulrooney, Chris Brown (Ian Russell 61), Landon Donovan, Brian Ching (Jamil Walker 78).
Substitutes Not Used: Ryan Cochrane, Jon Conway, Steve Cronin, Tighe Dombrowski, Wes Hart.
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Brian Ching 4, Landon Donovan 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Brian Ching 2); FOULS: 17 (Brian Mullan 5); OFFSIDES: 1 (Brian Mullan 1); CORNER KICKS: 10 (Jeff Agoos 6); SAVES: 1 (Pat Onstad 1)
Misconduct Summary:
DC -- Bobby Convey (caution; Reckless Foul) 33
SJ -- Brian Mullan (caution; Tackle from Behind) 42
DC -- Dema Kovalenko (caution; Reckless Foul) 55
SJ -- Jeff Agoos (caution; Pushing, Holding) 58
DC -- Brian Carroll (caution; Pushing, Holding) 78
DC -- Nick Rimando (caution; Delaying a Restart) 90
Referee: Abiodun Okulaja
Referee's Assistants: -Steven Davidson; Paul Scott
4th Official: Brent Sorg
Attendance: 17,667
Time of Game: 1:49
Weather: Clear-and-81-degrees
All Statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
