Rookie Houston Dynamo striker Will Bruin completed his first career MLS hat trick and Cam Weaver added a fourth goal to doom D.C. United to their third straight defeat in all competitions as they fell 4-1 to Houston Friday night at Robertson Stadium.
Trailing 2-1 at halftime, D.C. United made a bright start to the second half thanks in large part to the substitution of Andy Najar for Fred at halftime. But the visitors couldn't make their pressure tell with a goal and the Dynamo eventually made them pay as Bruin scored his and Houston's third goal of the night. There wasn't much art to the 57th-minute goal. It came off a free kick which Brad Davis swung into the six-yard box, and for which Bruin outjumped Perry Kitchen to head past Bill Hamid, just as the striker had done on his second goal in the 41st minute.
The final indignity came in the 62nd minute, as Houston scored their fourth goal on an unforgivable lapse by United's defense. With Hunter Freeman preparing to take a throw-in from Houston's own half, Weaver slipped behind the visitor's defense, taking advantage of the rule that says an attacker can't be offside from a throw-in. With all of United's back four looking back upfield, Weaver received the throw-in unmarked and a good 10 yards ahead of D.C. United's defense. With Ethan White, Dejan Jakovic, Perry Kitchen, and Marc Burch hurriedly tracking back in vain, Weaver strolled into the area and finished high past Hamid from a tight angle.
The remaining 30 minutes or so were only valuable as an academic exercise and not a competitive one.