United battle to draw with Real Madrid
Despite the match being announced less than three weeks beforehand, nearly every available seat in the spacious NFL stadium was filled and the crowd's enthusiasm lent a festive air to the proceedings.
Jaime Moreno signaled United's attacking ambitions just moments into the match, when he dragged a shot just wide of Iker Casillas' near post after a string of short passes among United's attacking force.
Real Madrid's galacticos seemed somewhat detached in the early going but a long ball from right back Michel Salgado gave Ruud Van Nistelrooy a clear look at goal in the 18th minute. Facundo Erpen seemed fooled by the trajectory of the pass and the dangerous Dutchman snuck in behind him, only to see his low shot blocked as Troy Perkins came off his line alertly.
With Madrid still laboring through their preseason, it was no surprise to see that the MLS squad's fitness and understanding was better developed than that of the tourists. D.C.'s confidence, possession and speed of play was nonetheless impressive in light of the star-studded lineup they faced, with David Beckham, Emerson, Roberto Carlos, Raul Gonzalez Blanco and van Nistelrooy just a few of the international stars in Real's first XI.
But just as United seemed poised to grab the upper hand, the Spanish side showed its class to take the lead in the blink of an eye in the 22nd minute as Raul and Antonio Cassano combined down the left channel.
The Madrid local boy and Spanish international took possession near the center circle just inside his own half and found Cassano with a visionary through ball that left D.C.'s Bryan Namoff for dead. The flamboyant Italian did the rest on his own, cutting inside onto his right foot to drill a well-placed shot off the near post as Namoff tried unsuccessfully to recover.
The excellent effort gave Perkins little chance and surely reminded new Real boss Fabio Capello of the torrid form Cassano displayed in his previous stint under the Italian manager at AS Roma.
The 66,830-strong Qwest Field crowd was already enjoying an attractive spectacle but they were brought to their feet by a scintillating United move to equalize matters in the 25th minute.
Freddy Adu was showing no fear in his matchup with Roberto Carlos and Sergio Ramos on the left side of the Real defense, and with a quick shimmy he skipped clear down the right flank, sending in a bending cross that fell to Josh Gros beyond the far post.
Gros laid off for Christian Gomez at the corner of the area, who found Moreno with his back to goal near the penalty spot, and the Bolivian dropped a delicate pass into the stride of Alecko Eskandarian as he raced into the box. The ball was perfectly placed on Eskandarian's left foot and he drilled a first-time shot past Casillas into the net to draw D.C. level.
Van Nistelrooy made the most of some contact with Erpen to draw a foul just outside the D.C. box in the 63rd minute, setting up a risky situation right in front of goal. On the ensuing set piece, Roberto Carlos stepped forward to blast a stinging shot on goal that was well blocked by Perkins, only to set off a wild goalmouth scramble that brought Real within inches of retaking the lead.
Emerson tracked down the loose ball and crossed for Raul and van Nistelrooy as the strikers collided at the far post, creating a tangle of bodies while the ball trickled off the face of the post and toward the net. But first a rolling Ben Olsen blocked the ball, then Erpen popped up to boot it clear off the line and preserve the draw.
The men in white seemed certain to restore their advantage just moments later when second-half sub Cicinho roamed forward from his right back spot in the 69th minute. Raul Bravo's low cross from the left made its way all the way through the United penalty box, but with Perkins exposed, Gros lunged to get the slightest of touches, foiling the Brazilian as he waited at the back post.
Madrid youngster Javier Balboa made a favorable impression after coming on in place of van Nistelrooy in the game's latter stages, and his hard work in the attacking third was nearly rewarded with a good chance in the 85th minute, but his first-time volley flashed just high of goal.
But it was Cicinho who came closest to finding the matchwinner with an incredible blast in injury time. The Brazilian international took a pass from Emerson and unleashed a wicked knuckling drive from 20 yards out that flew past Perkins and nicked the outside of the far post.
Like so much of the quality soccer on display all evening, the effort was brilliantly taken but came just inches short of full execution. Once the final whistle blew, both sides moved forward with objectives achieved and heads held high as Madrid benefited from lively preseason competition and United once again represented its nation and its league with pride.
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
