Washington, DC - Mira Mupier and Justin Moose each notched a second half goal as D.C. United's reserves topped the FC Dallas reserves 2-1 on a hot morning at the D.C. United Training Complex. Abe Thompson scored Dallas' lone goal, as the visitors fall to 2-3 in the Reserve Division, while United improves to 3-1-2.
Despite a scoreless first half, the few hundred fans who attended the game were not disappointed as both teams created good scoring chances throughout. In the third minute, Dallas midfielder Sandi Gbandi collected a loose ball and carried it deep into United's box. Gbandi unleashed a shot that required a diving save from goalkeeper Jay Nolly. </p>
Six minutes later, Moose sent a corner kick into the penalty area that bounced around before falling to the feet of Mupier. The forward turned quickly and hit a shot that beat goalkeeper Ray Burse, but was cleared off the line by a Dallas defender. </p>
In the 15th minute, Gbandi again created difficulties for D.C.'s defenders when he was given a nice through ball towards goal. His close range shot was met with a reflex save from Nolly who parried the ball wide of the net. </p>
United had the best chance of the half to get on the scoreboard when a corner kick was sent into Dallas' goal box. Brad North rose above his marker and smashed a header on goal, but Burse managed to get his hand on the ball and push it away. Dallas was not out of danger, however, as the loose ball was collected and sent back into the box, this time to Mupier who struck a header off the crossbar. </p>
With just a minute left in the half, Dallas almost tallied its first goal when a low corner kick was sent into United's goal box. The ball careened past a few players and fell to Andrew Daniels. His ensuing shot beat Nolly, but not the goal post, as it smashed off the woodwork. </p>
The second half saw the two team's torrid pace continue, as in the 51st minute, David Wagenfhur put Gbandi behind the defense with a well-placed pass. Gbandi approached Nolly from the right side of the box and sent his low shot wide of the far post. </p>
United finally put the ball into the back of the net in the 64th minute. The goal was created when Marc Burch overlapped Stephen deRoux deep in the right corner of Dallas' half. The midfielder fed Burch who sent a first time ball to the far post, where Mupier rose above the defense six yards from goal and whipped a header into the Hoops' net.
The home team doubled their lead in the 76th when Rod Dyachenko collected the ball near the halfway line. The crafty midfielder slid past two Dallas players and then put a perfectly weighted pass behind a Dallas defender to the sprinting Justin Moose. Moose took one touch towards goal and then snuck a low shot under the approaching Burse. </p>
Dallas managed to get a goal back three minutes from time when Scott Jones drove a freekick into United's box. Thompson rose above his defender and sent a well-struck header over Jay Nolly and into the back of the net. </p>
United's reserves are next in action on September 2 when they travel to Dallas for the two team's final meeting of the year. Kickoff for the match is scheduled for 10 a.m. EST. </p>
D.C. United Reserves vs. FC Dallas Reserves
July 15, 2007 - Washington, DC (D.C. United Training Complex
Scoring Summary
DCU - Mira Mupier (Marc Burch, Stephen deRoux) 64
DCU - Justin Moose (Rod Dyachenko) 76
FCD - Abe Thompson (Scott Jones) 87
D.C. United Reserves: Jay Nolly; Marc Burch, Clyde Simms, Domenic Mediate, Brad North; Stephen DeRoux, Jeff Carroll, Rod Dyachenko, Justin Moose (Josh Gros 79); Mira Mupier, Nicholas Addlery (Guy-Roland Kpene 62)
Subs not used: Shawn Crowe, Bobby Boswell, Devon McTavish
FC Dallas Reserves: Ray Burse; Michael Dello Russo, Andrew Daniels, Aaron Pitchkolan, Blake Wagner, David Wagenfhur, Chase Wileman, Scott Jones (Ralph Pace 89), Sandi Gbandi (Charlie Howe 83), Ramon Nuñez (Nowaf Jaman 83), Abe Thompson
Subs not used: Shaka Hislop, Kevin Edwards
DCU - Shots: 11, Saves: 7, Fouls: 9, Corner kicks: 8, Offside: 7
FCD - Shots: 9, Saves: 5, Fouls: 10, Corner kicks: 5, Offside: 6
Misconduct Summary:
DCU - Nicholas Addlery (caution) 56
DCU - Marc Burch (caution) 81
FCD - David Wagenfhur (caution) 83
