ORLANDO, Fla. – A 9th-minute penalty kick from Brek Shea and a gorgeous save from goalkeeper Kevin Hartman in the second half gave FC Dallas preseason bragging rights over the Houston Dynamo and third place in the Disney Pro Soccer Classic on Saturday night.
Shea buried the penalty kick in the early going before Hartman stoned Houston’s Brad Davis from the spot in the 50th minute to fuel FCD’s 1-0 win in tournament consolation game, which was typically chippy and physical for the Texas teams’ festering rivalry.
FC Dallas striker Blas Pérez drew what proved to be the decisive call of the night in the 7th minute, when he collided with Houston defender Andre Hainault while pursuing a bounding ball in the box. Hainault protested the call to no avail, and Shea promptly thumped the ensuing penalty kick past Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall for the early lead.
Shea logged 45 minutes in the match after a lightning-quick turnaround from his 73-minute effort in the US-Italy friendly earlier this week in Genoa, and played largely up top with Pérez before he was pulled.
Hartman stole the show early in the second half after Davis willed himself to the penalty spot, earning a foul in the box when he was tripped up from behind by FCD defender Zach Loyd. Davis went low and to Hartman’s left from the mark but Hartman was equal to the task, stretching his left hand out to snuff out the chance.
Hartman also punched out a shot from Houston midfielder Adam Moffat in the 54th minute, but the FC Dallas central defense of Ugo Ihemelu and Hernan Pertúz was up to task much of the night against Houston’s front line.
FC Dallas had the bulk of the scoring chances in the first half, none better from the run of play than a breakaway chance for Shea off the foot of Fabian Castillo in the 22nd minute. But Hall somehow put his right hand on the shot, steering it wide.
Houston had a great look off the foot of Davis in the 12th minute, but Hainault’s header skipped over the bar.
Davis was back it in the 69th minute after taking a feed from Je-Vaughn Watson. But he chipped a shot over an onrushing Hartman off the crossbar, and Ihemelu cleared the chance away before Houston’s Calen Carr could finish the loose ball.
Houston center back Geoff Cameron played the entire game Saturday after he went as an unused sub during the US win over Italy on Wednesday.
SCORING SUMMARY:
FCD – 9’ Shea (PK)
HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-2, left to right): Tally Hall – Corey Ashe (85’ Oscar Recio), Geoff Cameron, Bobby Boswell, Andre Hainault (79’ Kofi Sarkodie) – Brad Davis, Adam Moffat, Je-Vaughn Watson (77’ Youssof Hersi), Colin Clark (61’ Luiz Camargo) – Mac Kandji (61’ Cam Weaver), Will Bruin (67’ Calen Carr)
FC DALLAS (4-4-2, left to right): Kevin Hartman – Jair Benitez (46’ Geoffrey Tulasne), Hernan Pertuz, Ugo Ihemelu (capt), Zach Loyd – Carlos Rodriguez, Daniel Hernandez (59’ Bobby Warshaw), Andrew Jacobson (59’ Victor Ulloa), Fabian Castillo (53’ Andrew Wiedeman) – Brek Shea (46’ Ruben Luna, 87’ Bryan Leyva), Blas Perez (77’ Juan Carlos Enriquez)
CAUTIONS: 45’ Jacobson, 52’ Watson, 70’ Boswell, 78’ Juan Carlos Enriquez
EJECTIONS: 88’ Boswell
Referee: Jorge Gonzalez
Referee Assistants: Greg Barkey, Kevin Klinger
Fourth Official:Ted Unkel
