It seems ironic that two of MLS' most bitter rivals scheduled a preseason game on Valentine's Day. That was the case, however, as D.C. United and the MetroStars played to a 1-1 draw that was relatively free of malice typical when these two teams face one another. Jamil Walker opened the scoring before a second half reply by the MetroStars' Eddie Gaven provided the final tally of the match, played at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla.
"This was a good training session for us today," said United head coach Peter Nowak. "We've been working pretty hard on our fitness and I think that it showed in our legs today. Our effort is there, however, which is the most important. We'll continue to work throughout preseason to clean the rest of this up."
United controlled action for much of the first half, though the club's creative interplay produced no quality chances early on. The MetroStars nearly scored the game's first goal when a long cross found Mike Magee. The striker's sharp header was parried away by a diving Nick Rimando.
United's persistence paid off just before the half. Freddy Adu worked out of a double-team in the corner and found Clyde Simms in support. Simms slotted an angled ball to a streaking Josh Gros whose endline cross was finished by Walker in the 41st minute.
Though Nowak sent 10 fresh faces onto the field for United in the second half, his team's Atlantic Cup rivals chose to stick with a lineup consisting of much of their first XI. The experience would pay dividends soon after the break. In the 52nd minute, Gaven ran free into the box, the result of a crafty give-and-go, and coolly slid the ball past Troy Perkins.
D.C. United quickly regained composure and Nowak's side began to see more of the ball. Consistent play into the final third, however, resulted in no additional scores and the Black-and-red were forced to settle for the draw.
United returns to action Friday morning against Real Salt Lake. Kickoff is set for 10 a.m. ET at the IMG Academies.
Notes:
Today's line-up included: Rimando (Perkins-45); Devon McTavish (Pablo Gomez-80), Facundo Erpen (Kenney Bertz-45), John Wilson (Stephen deRoux-45); Justin Moose (Nick Van Sicklen-45), Simms (Shawn Kuykendall-45), Christian Gomez (Jeff Carroll-45), Gros (Joey Worthen-45), Walker (Matt Nickell-45), Filomeno (Andy Metcalf-45), and Adu (Rod Dyachenko-45).
Alecko Eskandarian (groin), David Stokes (quad), Brandon Prideaux (Achilles) and Bryan Namoff (groin) sat out today's scrimmage. The four are all listed as day-to-day. Jamie Moreno, meanwhile, remains with his family in Washington, DC awaiting the birth of a child.
