Everton FC's Premier League quality was on show in the first half as early goals for Victor Anichebe and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov have the Merseysiders 2-0 up on D.C. United after 45 minutes at RFK Stadium.
Anichebe's goal came in the fourth minute on Everton's first attack of the evening. A Leighton Baines long ball from the middle of the field found the Nigerian making a run from the middle of the field to the left side of the penalty area. Anichebe worked his way to a spot near the end line before curling a right-footed shot past a diving Bill Hamid.
United should have been level in the 11th minute, but Josh Wolff pulled a right-footed shot wide across the face of Jan Mucha's goal after Najar's corner was cushioned down to Wolff's feet by Marc Burch. While Wolff was still ruing that miss, Everton got a second through Bilyaletdinov, who received a precise through ball from Ross Barkley and slid the ball past Hamid.
D.C. United closed the half much stronger and Andy Najar, in particular, was unlucky to not get on the score sheet. The Honduran struck a wonderful free kick in the 27th minute, but Mucha was alert enough to palm the ball away. Two minutes later, Najar's audacious chip from the left side of the penalty area eluded Mucha, but bounced off the crossbar. The home side's last best chance of the half came in the 37th minute when substitute Chris Pontius flicked a long ball to Joseph Ngwenya, whose shot from 15 yards away was parried by the Slovak.