Tuesday in Mechanicsburg, Penn., a team made up primarily of D.C. United reserves defeated the Harrisburg City Islanders 2-1 in what was dubbed "The Clash of the Capitals II." A Harrisburg record crowd of 5,133 turned out, as Lucio Filomeno and Rod Dyachenko notched goals for the Black-and-Red.
United got on the board early when Dyachenko found Filomeno at the top of the box in the eighth minute. The Argentine sent his shot to the far post and past City Islanders' goalkeeper Dave Kern to put D.C. up 1-0.
Though United controlled much of the possession, Harrisburg's Mo Oduor collected the ball on the right side of midfield and sent a cross to Teofore Bennet on the edge of the 18-yard box. Bennet struck the ball from a difficult angle over the head of D.C.'s Ryan McIntosh to bring the score line even.
The final goal of the game was scored in the 62nd minute when Dyachenko pounced on a loose ball in the goal box, following a corner kick, and easily put it past substitute Sam Bishop.
Scoring Sunmary:
DCU: Lucio Filomeno (Rod Dyachenko) 8
HAR: Teofore Bennett (Mo Oduor) 23'
DCU: Rod Dyachenko (UA) 62
Lineups:
DCU: Ryan McIntosh, Domenic Mediate (Josh Gros 59), John Wilson, Devon McTavish, Justin Moose, Freddy Adu (Stephen Deroux 59), Rod Dyachenko, Matt Nickell, Jeff Carroll, Lucio Filomeno, Andy Metcalf
HAR: Dave Kern (Sam Bishop 45), Ryan O'Neill, Derek Potteiger, Jeff Pearce, Chris Morman, Matt Tanzini (Justin Sadler 76), Mo Oduor (John Lapore 76), Sumed Ibrahim (Steve Fisher 63), Adam Clay (Francesco Caruso 72), Teofore Bennett, Jamel Mitchell (David McClellan 63)
Game Summary:
DCU: Shots: 6. Corners: 9, Fouls: 13, Saves: 5
HAR: Shots: 9; Corners: 4, Fouls: 10, Saves: 2
Cautions:
HAR Jeff Pearce 64
HAR Ryan O'Neill 72
Gros honored
Tuesday night's game with the City Islanders was played in Josh Gros' hometown and at his former high school -Cumberland Valley. United's third-year player was honored in a pregame ceremony along with two Harrisburg players, Derek Potteiger and Justin Sadler, who also went to CVHS. Gros entered the game in the 59th minute of play.
Garber stops by
On Wednesday, MLS commissioner Don Garber stopped by the D.C. United offices for a quick visit. The commissioner met with members of the team and the front office before taking some time to discuss the state of the league with members of the media. Among other things, Garber discussed competition format, expansion, soccer specific stadiums, player salaries and new owners.
Nelsen in UEFA Cup
Following the conclusion of the English Premier League season on Sunday, former United captain Ryan Nelsen and his Blackburn teammates found themselves in sixth place, qualifying Rovers for the 2006-07 UEFA Cup. The finish is a huge improvement following 15th place finishes in both of the previous two seasons.
