WASHINGTON (AP) Perry Kitchen broke a 4-4 tie in the 79th minute and D.C. United beat Real Salt Lake 6-4 on Saturday night.
The 10 goals fell one short of the MLS single-game record. The teams combined for seven goals in the second half, one short of the record for most goals in a half.
The MLS record for goals in a game is 11, set in Los Angeles' 7-4 win over Colorado on May 6, 1998. Columbus and Kansas City set the mark for goals in a half with eight in Kansas City's 6-4 win on May 2, 1996.
Kitchen's header, off of a long service from Taylor Kemp, beat Jeff Attinella for the difference-maker. Nick Deleon's left-footed blast from way outside provided insurance 6 minutes later.
Real Salt Lake (7-8-8) jumped ahead 2-0 on goals by Joao Plata and Kyle Beckerman - his first returning from the U.S. national team. United (12-7-5) halved its deficit before halftime on Chris Rolfe's first of the game. He added a penalty kick goal to tie it early in the second.
Salt Lake started quickly, scoring in the second minute. Devon Sandoval won a ball in the United penalty area and tapped to an open Sebastian Jaime. Jaime then fed Plata at the top of the box, and Plata found the lower left corner against Andrew Dykstra for his third of the campaign.
Salt Lake struck again in the 21st minute. This time, Plata corralled a high ball and gave it to Kyle Beckerman, whose blast from 25 yards hit the left post and went in for his first of the year.
United made it 2-1 just before halftime. Rolfe tried to make service into the box. It was blocked, but came back to him. He split two defenders, then buried a right-footed shot far side past Attinella for his seventh of the season.
In the 54th minute, Bobby Boswell was hauled down in the box by Sandoval, resulting in a penalty shot and Rolfe made no mistake to tie it. United then took the lead on Taylor Kemp's first of the season just 5 minutes later with a left-footed volley into the upper corner from 22 yards out.
Aaron Maund's header off a set-piece tied it again in the 62nd minute.
But D.C. came right back. Alvaro Saborio's shot from close range was stopped by Attinella. There was a scramble for the rebound near the right post, and from the seat of his pants, Fabian Espindola deflected a clearing attempt and the ball trickled into the goal.
Salt Lake evened it again five minutes later. Javier Morales found Abdoulie Mansally on a run, and Mansally beat Andrew Dykstra high to make it 4-4.
