To be decided by the fans, three D.C. United-related instances are among 20 contenders for the 2012 MLS Moment of the Year: Dwayne De Rosario's 100th MLS goal, the snowed-out playoff match at Red Bull Arena and MLS All-Stars defeating European champions Chelsea FC, with Ben Olsen as coach, De Rosario as captain and Chris Pontius selected as MVP.
FANS CAN CHOOSE UP TO THREE MOMENTS THROUGH FRIDAY, DEC. 21. Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on the 21st. The top three vote-getters will then be voted on, and the winner will be revealed on Dec. 31. VOTE NOW
Let's re-live these three moments, shall we?
Dwayne De Rosario's 100th MLS goal
On August 29, De Rosario became only the seventh player in League history to hit the century mark in goals scored, heading in the go-ahead strike against the New York Red Bulls in the 68th minute. The last person to achieve the feat, Taylor Twellman, also netted his 100th goal against New York.
Eastern Conference Semifinals Leg 2 match snowed-out
Seven hundred brave D.C. United supporters made the treacherous trek up to Red Bull Arena on Nov. 7 to cheer on their side, but heavy snowfall in Harrison, NJ caused League officials to postpone the match for the next day. Despite the shared frustration among United players, coaches and fans, the Black-and-Red would go on to win the second leg the following day, an 88th minute goal from Nick DeLeon as the game-winner. Three hundred supporters would return to witness the 1-0 win that propelled United into the Eastern Conference finals.
MLS All-Stars defeat European champions Chelsea FC 3-2
With Ben Olsen at the helm of the MLS All-Stars - the youngest All-Star head coach in League history - and De Rosario as captain, the team came from behind to win 3-2 over European champions Chelsea FC on July 25. Chris Pontius tallied the game-tying goal in the 73rd minute, assisted on Eddie Johnson's match-winner in the 91st and was subsequently named AT&T All-Star MVP. All in all, a great showing for D.C. United and MLS.
