FRISCO, Texas - FC Dallas defeated D.C. United 2-0 in its final tune-up match of the preseason Saturday afternoon at Toyota Stadium.
FC Dallas found the opening goal within three minutes when Paul Arriola collected the ball at midfield and threaded a long through ball to Herbert Endeley who rounded the goalkeeper and tapped it into the empty net.
Six minutes later, Dallas should’ve doubled its lead when Bernard Kamungo and Logan Farrington were bearing down on goal but Kamungo opted to shoot and dragged it wide.
After the flurry of early chances, the game settled down with D.C. United keeping Dallas in its own half for long periods. Neither team mounted any more serious attacks for the rest of the interval and Dallas held onto its lead into halftime.
Kamungo had a sight of goal four minutes into the second half, unleashing a left-footed shot from outside the box that forced a good save from Alex Bono in goal. The ensuring corner led to another chance with Logan Farrington shooting just over the bar after the ball fell to him eight yards out.
D.C. nearly equalized in the 59th minute when a low cross went through the six-yard box and was struck towards goal by Jared Stroud but Maarten Paes scrambled across to make an incredible save and keep his shutout intact. Arriola almost scored against his former team when Farrington laid the ball off him in the box but Bono blocked his close-range shot.
But Arriola wouldn’t be denied. In the first minute of added time, Kamungo burst down the right wing and found Eugene Ansah who squared it to Arriola for an easy tap-in to make it 2-0.
Nico Estévez
On the match...
"I like the effort of the team but we were very sloppy with the ball. We didn't have the touch. I'm disappointed with that, I think we have to be brave, we have to be a team that wants to take risks most of all. But the effort was there and this gives us a lot of information about what we need to improve for the first game of the season."
Herbert Endeley
On the goal...
"We scouted that, during the build up they are gonna press a lot. So that leaves some space in behind and I just thought to use my athleticism and just try and get out as much as possible. And thankfully, Paul (Arriola) played a perfect pass and I'm always happy to get on the scoresheet."
On if he's more comfortable this year...
"I would definitely say so. I now have a year of experience under my belt. I've learned a lot, and every single day is an opportunity for me to improve. My teammates and my coaches have been great to me. So I definitely feel I'm a different player now than I was a year ago."
