Harrisburg, Penn. - A second half goal from Jason Thompson proved to be the difference in United's Tuesday night friendly with the Harrisburg City Islanders of the United Soccer League Second Division. Made up mostly of reserves, United won in front of a standing room only crowd of 4,000, packed into the small confines of the Skyline Sports Complex. Goalkeepers Troy Perkins and Andrew Weber each worked a half and made two saves apiece in securing the shutout.
The game was made problematic by a rough and patchy pitch, while intermittent rain throughout the day created a muddy field for both teams. The difficulty of playing on the field was evident early, as both teams struggled to maintain possession and gave away numerous turnovers.
The City Islanders created the best chance to score early in the game when in the fifth minute Ryan O'Neill drove a low shot from just inside the goal box that required a diving save from Perkins.
In the 16th minute, Chad Severs collected a poor United pass and found himself moving towards goal with only Perkins to beat. The ensuing shot sailed over the crossbar, however. Severs had another chance just three minutes later when the City Islanders were awarded a free kick 30 yards from goal. Severs got on the end of the cross and flicked the ball over a charging Perkins toward the open net. A backtracking Kenny Arena was able to clear the ball away from goal and out of danger.
United's best chance of the half came in the 27th minute when John Wilson sent in a corner kick from the right side that found Shawn Kuykendall on the back side of the goal box. Kuykendall struck a first-time volley from 20 yards that sailed over the bar.
Harrisburg had the last good chance of the half when an errant United header fell directly into the path of an onrushing Sumed Ibrahim, who slid past Arena and found himself moving in alone on a charging Perkins. Sumed's shot requited an impressive diving save from Perkins that was eventually cleared away by Arena.
United got on the board early in the second half when Matt Nickell collected the ball deep in the left corner of Harrisburg territory. Showing patience, Nickell moved into the goal box and then slid the ball across the six-yard box to a wide-open Thompson, who controlled the ball with his first touch and then slide the ball through traffic and past goalkeeper Bryan Hill for a 1-0 lead.
Harrisburg almost evened the score in the 60th minute when the ball was sent into United's goal box, creating a moment of confusion as United's defense attempted to remove the danger. The loose ball fell to the foot of Harrisburg's O'Neill, who rocketed his first touch towards goal, but a quick reflex save by Weber kept the ball out of the net.
Nana Kuffour made an ambitious attempt on a Nick Van Sicklen cross in the 73rd minute, but did not fully get the ball on his bicycle kick, as the it fell into the hands of the City Islander's third goalkeeper of the game, Sam Bishop.
Harrisburg's final chance to even the score came in the 85th minute, when a D.C. foul gave Matt Tanzini a free kick opportunity from 22 yards. His curling shot sailed just over the bar and harmlessly out of play.
The last minutes of the game proved to be interesting as Harrisburg threw players forward and United attempted to keep possession of the ball. Aggressive play led to two yellow cards for the Black-and-Red in the final minutes of the game, as Thompson's goal stood as the lone tally of the night.
D.C. United vs. Harrisburg City Islanders
August 16, 2005 - Skyline Sports Complex
Scoring Summary:
DC - Thompson (Nickell) 51
Harrisburg City Islanders: Dave Kern (Bryan Hill 31 [Sam Bishop 67[), Shane Crawford (Clay 63), Dustin Bixler, J.T. Dorsey (Adam Schultz 45), John Lapore (Matt Tanzini 57), Steve Fisher (Jimmy Stone 67), Mo Oduor, Derek Potteiger (Matt Crist 67), Ryan O'Neill, Sumid Ibrahim (Henry Mensah 67), Chad Severs (Bernie Showers 67)
Shots: 12, Saves: 3, Fouls: 10, Offside: 1, Corners: 4
D.C. United: Troy Perkins (Andrew Weber 45), John Wilson, Kenny Arena, Tim Merritt, Jason Thompson, Clyde Simms, Shawn Kuykendall, Nana Kuffour, Nick Van Sicklen, Jamil Walker (Josh Gros 67), Matt Nickell
Substitutes not used: Facundo Erpen, Brian Carroll, Bobby Boswell
Shots: 7, Saves: 4, Fouls: 19, Offside: 2, Corners: 5
Misconduct summary:
DC - Kuffour 18
DC - Thompson 56
DC - Kuykendall 87
DC - Gros 88
Referee: Ed Marco
Referee's Assistants: Stan Nagle, Zach Rubinich
4th Official: Tim Snyder
Attendance: 4,000
Weather: Overcast, rainy, 75-degrees
