The Fredericksburg Area Soccer Association will welcome D.C. United’s Under-23 squad to their University of Mary Washington home for a friendly match with Fredericksburg Hotspur, FASA’s Premier Development League side, on Tuesday, June 21.
Featuring some of the best young players from across the central Virginia and Washington, D.C. areas, Tuesday’s event promises a high level of play for spectators as well as a stern test for Hotspur, who are presently in the midst of their inaugural season in PDL competition.
The friendly will mark the United U-23 team’s competitive debut. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. at UMW’s Battleground Soccer Stadium, located on Hanover Street in Fredericksburg.
“We are simply delighted to host a team with the history and quality of D.C. United,” said FASA General Manager Pete Cinalli. “This match offers our players a great opportunity to measure themselves against premier competition – and our fans can look forward to watching a great event.”
Coached by living legend and all-time Major League Soccer scoring champion Jaime Moreno, United’s U-23 team features top collegiate players from across the Washington, D.C. region and represents the top tier of the MLS club’s successful youth academy system. With a pool of 28 players, the U-23 squad competes against MLS Reserve sides and select USL Premier Development League organizations throughout the summer.
“Fredericksburg will be a good matchup for us. I’m excited to see how the first game goes,” said Moreno. “We hope that we have a nice crowd, that way our kids have a feeling of playing in front of a few people.”
Moreno is the all-time leading goal scorer in Major League Soccer history with 133 tallies. He became the first MLS player to notch 100 goals and 100 assists in a career in 2009. The Bolivian spent 14 seasons with D.C. United and won four MLS Cups and two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups before retiring at the end of last season to assume leadership of D.C.’s new U-23 team.
