In the final game at Texas Pro Soccer Festival D.C. United and Houston Dynamo played to a 1-1 draw. The Festival was held in Cibilo, Texas and the last game was played in extremely windy conditions. D.C. trial player Cezar scored a late goal after the newest member of the Dynamo team, Cerrcio gave the defending MLS champions a 1-0 lead.
Houston had the winds at their back during the first half of play and had the first chances to score. Only 6 minutes into the game Richard Mulrooney was at the end of a long cross and sent a shot on goal but D.C. goalie Zach Wells was in position to stop the shot. In the 24th minute Houston’s Richard Clark retrieved the ball off a D.C. turnover and carried the ball all the way to the goal firing a 18 yard shot but it was right to Wells, who saved the shot with ease.
The game entered halftime tied 0-0. Both head coaches made major changes to the lineup, as both teams took the field for the beginning of the 2nd half. Just after the half started Houston drew first blood after a free kick from 25 yards out. After a dead ball John Michael Hayden fired a shot that Jose Carvallo, who was substituted in at half, got a hand on but could not bring the ball to his body and the rebound fell at the feet of Carracio, who easily buried a shot in the back of the net from 6 yards out giving Dynamo a 1-0 lead.
Only 2 minutes later Guy-Roland Kpene almost tied the score for D.C. Justin Moose collected a ball on the right sideline and juked past a defender toward the end line and whipped a cross to the far post and Kpene headed a ball just left of the goal.
In the 71st minute Moose again had the ball near midfield and fed a ball right to the feet of Cezar who gave a one-time to Jamil Walker, who also made a one touch back to a streaking Moose behind the Dynamo defense and hit a low shot, which was saved by a diving Pat Onstad.
Only a few seconds later Moose forced a turnover and sent a cross to the far post where Kpene was waiting and he used his chest to bring the ball down and touched it towards the goal but Onstad was right there to stick out a foot and punch the ball out of bounds.
On the next opportunity for United they would not be denied as Moose fed the ball wide right to Quavas Kirk, who gave it right back to Moose who found Jamil Walker open and he sent a cross to the back of the goalpost to Cezar who dived and headed a ball past Onstad into the left side of the goal to tie the game 1-1.
D.C. had a chance to steal the game in the 89th minute, as Santino Quaranta had a free kick from 30 yards out. His bending ball was headed by Walker but the shot was low and Onstad made a diving save and pushed the ball wide. The game ended at a 1-1 draw in a match up of a possible MLS final at the end of the 2008 season.
Author: Jason GreenÂ
