Of the two 4-1 games played Thursday night, only one was closer than the score would indicate and it wasn't the U.S. loss to Argentina in the Copa America. Rain, lightning, and two late strikes by D.C. United swept Colorado to its fifth straight defeat, 4-1, after Colorado wasted chances to stay in the game.

Jacob Peterson got his first goal of the season from a Terry Cooke cross to provide a 1-0 Colorado lead in the19th minute. Peterson had just been robbed a minute earlier from point-blank range by keeper Troy Perkins.

Christian Gomez put away a penalty kick called for a Greg Vanney handball, shortly after Rapids defender Mike Petke left the field with a suspected broken ankle.

Nicolas Hernandez and Peterson narrowly missed giving their team the lead before halftime, and Nicholas Addlery punished those misfires by heading home a Fred corner kick in the 71st minute as a steady drizzle gained strength and lighting flashed in the distance.

It was the first corner kick of the match.

Referee Alex Prus waved the teams off the field in the 77th minute. After a 28-minute delay of lightning and heavy rain, play resumed. Colin Clark flicked a ball behind him and blasted a shot just wide. That was to be Colorado's last gasp.

Fred scored by knifing diagonally through midfield to start and finish a one-two with Addlery, and Gomez set up Luciano Emilio on a classic counterattack for his team-leading seventh goal of the season. Fred picked up a caution after his goal by lifting up his jersey to display a T-shirt reading, "Jesus Loves You."

Colorado (4-7-3) plays at Chicago on Sunday. United (6-4-2) joins Kansas City, temporarily at least, in third place of the Eastern Conference and plays at Arrowhead on the Fourth of July.

June 28 in Washington, D.C.
D.C. United 4 Colorado 1.
Goals: Gomez pen. 34, Addlery (Fred), Fred (Addlery) 82, Emilio (Gomez) 87; Peterson (Cooke, Clark) 19.

D.C. United - Perkins, McTavish, Erpen, Simms, Gros, Carroll, Gomez (Dyachenko, 90), Fred (Burch, 86), Moose, Emilio, Kpene (Addlery, 12). Colorado - Coundoul, Prideaux, Gargan, Petke (Wingert, 29), Vanney, Cooke, Mastroeni (Keel, 71), Peterson, Wasson (Brown, 77), Clark, Hernandez. Yellow Cards:

D.C. United - Gros 40, Fred 83; Colorado - Wasson 43, Vanney 69. Referee: Alex Prus.

Att.: 14,982.