Photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com
D.C. United repeated as champions of the Carolina Challenge Cup, sewing up the tournament with a 2-2 draw with Toronto FC on Saturday.
Charlie Davies opened the scoring in the 12th minute for D.C. (and followed it up by doing the stanky leg). Dwayne De Rosario and Maicon Santos answered with goals in the 19th and 28th minutes, respectively, for Toronto, which had Adrian Cann return to action for the first time since he walked out of training camp in a contract dispute. TFC's Mikael Yourassowsky was red-carded in the 37th minute, and Joseph Ngwenya capitalized on the man-advantage with the equalizer in the 61st minute to seal the draw.
With victories over the Charleston Battery and Chicago Fire and the draw with Toronto, D.C.'s seven points were tops among the four-team field. Chicago and Charleston played to a scoreless draw in their tournament finale.
Here are some other results from the end of the MLS preseason:
Will Bruin's two-goal performance, Brian Ching's latest injury and Chad Marshall's return to action were the most notable items to come from the Atlanta Pro Soccer Challenge.
Bruin, Houston's rookie forward, tallied his brace in Sunday's 3-1 victory over the New England Revolution. Another Houston rookie, Alex Dixon, got on the scoresheet as well, as Houston went 1-1 in the round-robin tournament.
With his performance, Bruin stated his case to earn a spot in Houston's starting lineup, one that may be missing Ching to start the season.
The veteran striker injured his hamstring in the 28th minute of the Dynamo's 1-0 loss to Columbus on Friday, a match in which Marshall also played his first set of 90 minutes since returning from a concussion. He had played 45 minutes last Wednesday in Columbus' 3-1 victory over New England.
COLORADO 1, VANCOUVER 0
Jamie Smith's 79th-minute goal broke a scoreless draw and lifted the Colorado Rapids to a victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps at Empire Field in the final tune-up for both teams.
Vancouver's Designated Player, Eric Hassli, made his team debut and played 58 minutes before giving way to Omar Salgado.
FC DALLAS 2, CHIVAS USA 0
Daniel Hernandez and Ruben Luna scored the goals, as FC Dallas concluded the preseason by posting its fourth consecutive clean sheet.
Things got chippy at about the hour mark, as Luna and Jimmy Conrad got into a scuffle that yielded yellow cards to both of them. A minute later, Conrad was cautioned for a tackle on Marvin Chavez and was sent off, forcing Chivas to play a man down for the final 28 minutes.
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What stood out for you from the weekend's results? Do you think D.C. will rebound in a big way in 2011? Do you think Bruin can fill Ching's void atop Houston's formation? Relieved to see Marshall back in action? Which 2010 MLS Cup finalist do you see having a better season, Colorado or FC Dallas?
Share your thoughts below.
