United's season was rescued from the brink by the unlikeliest of leading men on Thursday night, as young striker Francis Doe notched a second-half brace to pace the Black-and-Red to a comeback 2-1 victory at RFK Stadium. The clutch result against their Eastern Conference rivals breaks a 10-game winless skid in all competitions and keeps United in contention for a playoff spot despite the two-month drought between league wins.

Though the home side controlled play for most of the evening, Taylor Twellman's 58th-minute counterattack goal looked to have crushed D.C.'s hopes before Jaime Moreno came off the bench to inspire a late revival that was made official by Doe's finishing touch. Now D.C. has it all to play for as they visit the Supporters' Shield-winning Columbus Crew in their season finale.

United welcomed leading scorer Luciano Emilio back into the first XI after missing four games with a hamstring strain, though he was partnered with Francis Doe up top as Jaime Moreno's knee troubles kept the Bolivian on the bench to start. Santino Quaranta was handed playmaking duties at the top of United's midfield diamond, supported by Ivan Guerrero and Boyzz Khumalo on the wings.

Doe carved out a great chance in the 19th minute when he sliced past Gabriel Padilla with a nifty fake and poked a low shot at Matt Reis. Though New England's veteran goalkeeper made the save, he directed the rebound right into the path of Emilio just seven yards out, only for the D.C. striker's predatory instincts to let him down as he looped his shot well over the net.

Three minutes later the Brazilian did better with Quaranta's corner kick, meeting the near-post delivery with a thumping header that flew inches wide of the target.

The Revs won a free kick in a menacing spot just outside the United box in the 25th minute, and Castro stepped up to whip a bending left-footer over the defensive wall but was denied a goal by Louis Crayton's acrobatic leaping parry.

Emilio came agonizingly close again a few moments later, rising well to flick Khumalo's inswinging cross past Reis only for the effort to clang off the crossbar. As the RFK faithful groaned, Quaranta flew in to contest the rebound with a high boot on Chris Albright and was quickly cautioned by referee Tim Weyland.

The Black-and-Red were dominating at this stage, as Burch stung Reis' palms with a sizzling free kick aimed for the right side of the net just before Peralta came close to connecting with Quaranta's lofted corner.

Seconds after his teammate Khumalo went to ground clutching his leg, D.C. center back Greg Janicki dropped to the turf in similar fashion with what turned out to be a hamstring strain. The loanee from USL-2 side Pittsburgh Riverhounds was forced to exit the match after just 36 minutes, with Gonzalo Martinez entering in his stead.

Taylor Twellman had been kept in check throughout the first half by Peralta's close marking and physical play, but the Revs striker showed new life right from the second-half whistle. Barely 20 seconds in, Twellman tested Crayton with a shot from distance, then forced the Liberian netminder to tip his low effort around the near post less than two minutes later.

But United continued to display greater urgency and soon laid siege to the visitors' goal with a flurry of crosses and corner kicks as the Revolution scrambled to close down space and keep bodies in front of goal.

In the 58th minute United seemed certain to score as Devon McTavish led a quick breakout with a bevy of black jerseys racing ahead to catch the Revs with numbers forward. But United soon found the roles reversed when Emilio was dispossessed at the top of the New England box, leading to a counter in the opposite direction.

Kheli Dube's pass found Castro in acres of space behind the D.C. defense and when Crayton raced out to cut down the angle, the Honduran squared to Twellman for the simplest of finishes into an empty net. The goal stunned RFK into silence as the home side protested for offside, but the Revolution had connected with a sucker punch that threatened to kill off United's playoff prospects for good.

But the gloom lifted a bit when the home faithful saw Moreno, their longtime hero, entering the match in place of Peralta as D.C. boss Tom Soehn went for broke with the season on the line. The captain's entry brought a cheer from the crowd -- and soon turned the match in United's favor.

Prompted by a great through ball from Moreno, Doe finally found a way past Reis in the 63rd minute, cutting past a sliding Albright and tucking a tidy finish just inside the near post. The assist pushed Moreno's season total to 10 and 99 for his MLS ledger, also giving him 10 goals and 10 assists for the fourth time in his illustrious career.

RFK rumbled as the fans returned to full voice, and their resurgent team fed off that energy as the flustered Revs surrendered several chances. But the final touch was lacking and as the minutes ebbed away, United's desperation grew palpable as New England looked to slow the tempo and run down the clock.

A draw would not be enough to keep D.C. in the postseason hunt. Yet just when such an outcome seemed likely, Doe popped up again to play the hero's role in the 80th minute.

Chasing a flick-on from Quaranta from a long Crayton punt, a subtle movement at the top of the Revs box got the stocky Liberian into position on Parkhurst as the New England defender tried in vain to manhandle him off the ball. But Doe shrugged off the attention and stroked a shot past Reis into the top corner to push United into their first lead of the night as the old stadium pulsed with noise.

In keeping with the lively history of the rivalry, the Revolution refused to surrender and enjoyed most of the possession as time ran down, testing Crayton and his defense with probing long balls into the box. A series of testy fouls elevated tempers on both sides and drew a flurry of late cards from Weyland, but United were all smiles when time ran out on a 2-1 victory that keeps them alive in the hunt for MLS Cup 2008.

By Charles Boehm / MLSnet.com Staff

Photos: Sanjay Suchak/minute91.com