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Fred leads D.C. United past Fire

Aug 17, 2008 - 4:05 AM BRIDGEVIEW, Illinois (Ticker) -- Fred scored in the 27th minute to give D.C. United a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Fire on Saturday.

Recently signed goalkeeper Louis Crayton stopped two shots for D. C. United, which handed the Fire their first loss in eight matches. Crayton spent the last 11 years in the Swiss league before signing with United on Friday.

"I got a great reception from these guys, they are a very good group," Crayton said. "That helped me to integrate into the team and play well."

The lone goal came after Jaime Moreno sent a perfect cross into the penalty area. Fred was left unmarked and headed the ball past goalkeeper Jon Busch to the right side.

"I was open. Jaime (Moreno) made a good crossing pass off the corner kick and the ball ended up on me. I was lucky. He saw me open so he sent the ball my way. It was an unbelievable goal."

"We actually practice plays like that," Moreno said. "He was wide-open so I just hit the ball . It was a great finish by him.

Busch said it was a mental error that led to the goal.

"We just lost our concentration," Busch said. "We lost a mark there. We weren't focusing on him. I had (United defender Marc) Burch in front of me. So I was trying to keep that organized. I didn't have a chance to look at the back post, I (was) assuming everyone was marked. As soon as it was played, I turned and Fred was there.

"We can't fall asleep. That was the one good chance in the first half. We lost the game in the first 45 minutes."

Chicago, which had not lost since July 8, outshot United, 13-4.

The Fire had a prime scoring opportunity in the 36th minute, when Cuauhtemoc Blanco sent a beautiful lead pass to Andy Herron. On the run, Herron fired a fired a shot straight at Crayton, who turned it aside.

"I think the first half we didn't have much," Fire coach Denis Hamlett said. "In the second half, we made a great push. But in the first half we weren't very good at all. I think we fell asleep on a set play and that's the way the game was decided."