Draw is a victory for soccer in America

The scoreboard showed a 1-1 tie after 90 minutes of soccer, but to D.C. United, Wednesday night's draw with Real Madrid was a significant victory.

It not only showed that an MLS team could hang with one of the world's best clubs, but that American soccer is not as far behind the rest of the world as some might think.

"We wanted to prove that American soccer is not a joke," said D.C. United midfielder Freddy Adu. "We wanted to go out there and say, 'Hey, all you guys that dis American soccer, forget you, because you know what? We're not a joke.' "

And on this night, anyway, American soccer was far from a joke.

For most of the game, D.C. United had an answer for every Real Madrid attack. The MLS club was not intimidated or dominated by the Spanish power. The possession was, for the most part, even. The American club came to play.

When D.C. United faced its biggest test, it passed with flying colors. After a back-and-forth first 20 minutes, Real Madrid went ahead on an Antonio Cassano goal in the 22nd minute. It could have been the back-breaker that caused D.C. United to let the game slip away. Doubt could have crept into the players' minds. Instead, D.C. United responded with authority.

Only three minutes after falling behind, D.C. United picked up the equalizer when Jaime Moreno played a pass back to Alecko Eskandarian, who buried a shot into the bottom right corner of the net.

"When we keep the ball and let the ball do the work, we're a pretty darn good team," said Adu, who played a cross to Moreno to set up the goal. "We scored that goal, it was just beautiful. When we play like that, we can play against anybody."

And while the game was billed as a friendly, there was no doubting that both teams were serious about winning. That was evident in the four yellow cards issued and in the trash talk and shoving that took place on several occasions.

"Trust me, Real Madrid wants to win," said D.C. United coach Peter Nowak. "You can see the frustration at the end of the game. They came here to win, and with determination and good organization, we tied the game."

Adu, like the rest of his teammates, went into the game unafraid of a team featuring some of the biggest names in soccer.

"I don't care who I play against," said the 17-year-old D.C. United star. "I don't know if that sounds too arrogant, and obviously I don't mean it that way, but it's soccer. Soccer is soccer. You can't let anybody intimidate you. You've just got to go out there and do your thing."

Granted, Real Madrid was playing a preseason tuneup while D.C. United is four months into its season, but the result was still a good showing for American soccer after a lackluster World Cup performance.

"I thought we played very well," said Moreno. "It was a good battle. Of course, it's a great motivation to play against these types of players. It's just nice to be able to play well against them."

Note

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire proclaimed Aug. 9 as Real Madrid Soccer Day in Washington State.