NATIONAL SOCCER HALL OF FAME GAME

By Jeff Vella

Staff Writer

Star photo by Julie Lewis Marcelo Balboa of the Colorado Rapids slidetackles the ball away from D.C. United’s Shawn Kuykendall during the first half of the 2005 Hall of Fame Game at the Wright National Soccer Campus on Monday. United’s Matt Nickell is in the center.

ONEONTA — Some day, Fernando Clavijo might be the answer to a trivia question: Oldest player to score in a Major League Soccer game.

Colorado Rapids coach Clavijo, 48, converted a pass from fellow Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Marcelo Balboa on a gimmicky play, and their team went on for a 6-2 victory over D.C. United in the Hall of Fame Game on Monday.

A crowd estimated at 2,300 gathered at the Wright National Soccer Campus and watched the Rapids score six unanswered goals after re[an error occurred while processing this directive]igning MLS Cup champion United built an early 2-0 lead.

Inductees Clavijo, Balboa and former United standout John Harkes all started and played the whole first half. But the Clavijo-Balboa hookup on a penalty kick with 8 minutes, 40 seconds left in the first half had fans buzzing.

It started when United defender Kenny Arena — the son of U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena — was whistled for holding Balboa in the box on a free kick.

Harkes, 38, and Arena, 24, argued the call to no avail.

"Apparently we have the best refs in the world, so I don’t challenge anything anymore," Harkes said with a laugh afterward.

Before Balboa lined up to take the shot, Clavijo whispered something to him, tipping off the crowd that this might not be a typical penalty kick.

Instead of shooting, Balboa tapped the ball forward and Clavijo ran onto it, scoring inside the right post as United goalie Troy Perkins came out to challenge.

"I told Marcelo that somehow we needed to combine," said Clavijo, who roomed with Balboa on the U.S. national team during the early-1990s. "We managed to do that. We just decided three seconds before the penalty. It worked pretty good. ... Some of the kids were complaining that it wasn’t legal. It’s old school. I know you can do it."

Balboa, 38, seemed willing to take the assist over the goal.

"It was perfect," said Balboa, who calls Clavijo a second father. "You had a bunch of young kids out on the field who hadn’t seen that pk, so what do you do? As long as the ball rolls in any direction, it’s free game. I rolled it forward, and here comes Fernando. The Hall of Fame is about new and old. We’re new inductees with an old play."

Harkes, though, had a different view.

"If Marcelo took it by himself, he probably would have missed it, but if you give it to Fernando, he’ll probably finish it for you," he said.

The goal cut United’s lead to 2-1, and the Rapids tied the score in the last minute of the first half.

Terry Cooke’s cross from the right flank found an unmarked David Ben-Dayan at the far post, and he headed it under a diving Perkins.

It was the first of two goals for Ben-Dayan, an Israeli midfielder signed by the club earlier this month. He made his MLS debut Aug. 17 and did not score in his only match.

"This game helps my self-confidence," Ben-Dayan said. "I’m happy with the goals. Every time you play, you want to show that you deserve to be on the field. Every game you try to impress the coaches."

Ten seconds into the second half, Clavijo exited the game, and Balboa followed 45 seconds later.

"I tried to convince Fernando to play us in the last 20 minutes because everyone would be tired and we’d look better," said Balboa, a rugged defender during the 1990s who played midfield opposite Harkes on Monday. "He said no."

The Rapids responded by scoring three times in 12 minutes against third-string goalie Andrew Weber.

It started when United’s John Wilson — one of the team’s few regulars who came to Oneonta — committed a foul in the box. That gave Luchi Gonzalez a penalty kick, and he scored just under the crossbar to make it 3-2.

Seven minutes later, Ricky Lewis beat Weber with a straight-away, low shot from 20 yards. Stephen Keel made it 5-2 about three minutes later on a goal from in close.

Harkes left the game with about 30 minutes left, and Ben-Dayan completed the scoring 10 minutes later. He beat a defender on the left side of the box and scored inside the far post.

"I think we were a little bit late to everything," United defender Wilson said. "When that happens against a good team, they stick goals in. Plus we had some new guys in there who haven’t trained as much, but there’s no excuse for six goals. I’m a defender, and I never like to see that. But I guess you’d rather have it happen in an exhibition than a real game. I wish we could have represented better."

United (11-8-5), which received goals from Shawn Kuykendall and Matt Nickell, is in the midst of a four-games-in-11-days stretch. It plays host to Real Salt Lake at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday before visiting Colorado on Saturday.

United’s upcoming schedule is one reason it kept almost every key player back in Washington, including 16-year-old Freddy Adu, the team’s marquee attraction.

In the weeks leading up to the game, the Hall said it expected Adu to come to Oneonta, especially after D.C sent out a press release Aug. 5 saying so. However, D.C. officials decided otherwise Sunday night.

"It’s their team, and if they think it’s in their best interests to hold him out, there’s nothing we can do about it," Hall spokesman Jack Huckel said. "I don’t see anyone getting in line saying, ’Where’s Freddy? I want my money back.’"

COLORADO RAPIDS 6, D.C. UNITED 2

D.C. 2 0 — 2

Colorado 2 4 — 6

D.C. United: Shawn Kuykendall 1-0, Matt Nickell 1-0, Nana Kuffour 0-2.

Colorado: Fernando Clavijo 1-0, Marcelo Balboa 0-1, David Ben Dayan 2-0, Luchi Gonzalez 1-0, Ricky Lewis 1-0, Fabrice Noel 0-1, Stephen Keel 1-0, Terry Cooke 0-1.

Shots-corners: D.C. 19-3; Colorado 16-5.

Goalies: Troy Perkins (D) 2 and Andrew Weber (D) 2; Byron Foss (C) 4 and Bouna Coundoul (C) 4.

Jeff Vella can be reached at jvella@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 209.