Saturday, June 13, 2009

Houston Dynamo 3, FC Dallas 1

By Erin Rice

Despite effort on the home club's part, FC Dallas was unable to convert when it mattered, leaving the win and El Capitan to the Houston Dynamo.

Houston scored first and early when Brian Mullan and Cam Weaver combined in the box. The Dynamo would score again in the 37th minute, when Kenny Cooper headed a corner out of FCD's box that landed right at Richard Mulrooney's feet. Taking a touch to control, he ripped a shot from 20 yards out that made it's way past the outstretched hands of a leaping Ray Burse.

When FCD switched formation in the second half, Houston capitalized on a second Weaver goal to go up 3-0 in the 63rd minute. Drew Moor would pull one back for the Hoops in the 67th minute, but it was too late for Dallas to mount a comeback and the game would end 3-1 in Houston's favor.

Tribute Match

Prior to the game, the Dallas Soccer Tribute Match took place. Playing to a fairly small but dedicated crowd, the group of former professionals spanning several decades of Dallas soccer were split into two groups, red and white, lead by "head coaches" Bob Sturm, Dan McDowell and Donovan Lewis from Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket’s “BaD Radio.”

Scoring first for the red side was Chad Deering (Dallas Burn) on a penalty kick after white team goalkeeper Paul Hason fouled a forward in the box. Terry Woodberry (Sidekicks) added a second goal to the red team's tally before Dev Reeves (Sidekicks) nailed a header for the white teams opening point. The final score came in the 50th minute (stoppage time of this mini-game) from Tatu (Sidekicks) who finished a rebound off the post for white's equalizer. Well-known for taking off his shirt after every goal in indoor, in the presence of several kids he now coaches, Tatu opted to keep his clothes on this "late in the game." The players walked off the pitch to a standing ovation from many in the crowd who were thankful just to see their local greats take the field one more time.

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