FC Dallas Bends, Doesn’t Break
April 13th, 2008 . 4:44 pm . By: John CarltonThere were nervous moments galore for FC Dallas as they tried to protect a late lead for a third straight match. This time they were successful, as Red Bull New York couldn’t convert on numerous late opportunities Saturday night at Pizza Hut Park. The 2-0 victory is Dallas’ first of the season. With several good performances, better ball possession and stamina, the Hoops can now take confidence going into their next match at Chivas USA. Picking up where they left off in Houston, FC Dallas forwards Kenny Cooper and Arturo Alvarez each scored a goal and looked dangerous for most of the night. Alvarez struck in the opening minute, latching onto a lofted cross from midfielder Andre Rocha and heading it past New York ‘keeper Jon Conway. The early strike caused the Red Bulls to take more chances as the game progressed, leaving them vulnerable to counter-attacks. In the 66th minute, Cooper controlled a 45-yard pass from left back Adrian Serioux and lured Conway off his line before surgically placing the ball in the right side of the net. “I’ve got to give credit to Cooper for finishing on the run that he did,” Serioux said. “That made the pass a lot easier for me.” Despite defensive tactical substitutions from Steve Morrow, the Red Bulls threatened until the end. Unfortunately for New York, their finishing was abysmal. Late substitution Mike Magee had a wide open look at goal from 8 yards in the dying moments, but the Red Bull rookie scuffed his shot and it rolled harmlessly to Dallas ‘keeper Dario Sala. Sala was only forced to make two saves on the night, though there were several more chances that went begging for New York. Late in the first half Sala was caught out of position on a dangerous cross from the right side, but it floated just over the head of Red Bull midfielder Seth Stammler, who was standing at the far post. In the 61st minute New York’s Dave Van den Bergh lifted a free kick from 35 yards to the far post, which Claudio Reyna headed back into the area, but Sala read the play well and calmly smothered the ball. The more clear and present danger on the night obviously came from the Hoops. With Alvarez and Cooper bothering the New York back line, Dallas midfielders Juan Toja and Pablo Ricchetti were free to direct the course of play. With crisp triangle passing and good runs off the ball, FC Dallas gave the Red Bulls plenty to worry about tactically. Asked about the better display of possession, coach Steve Morrow said after the game, “I think we’re starting to move the ball a bit better. We see what these guys are capable of in training and at times, they move the ball very well. We haven’t quite translated that into the game over 90 minutes yet but I think tonight, we saw a lot of good passing and a lot of good movement. I still think there is better to come.” For FC Dallas, there were numerous positives to take away from the match. Along with better possession and attacking, the tactical shape of Morrow’s 3-5-2 seems to be breathing a lot better. Brazilian newcomer Andre Rocha appears to be getting more comfortable each match, notching his second assist of the year. “Andre is doing well,” Morrow said. “He had another good assist. I think he’s still finding his feet and adjusting to the league as well. I think he’s going to get better as the season goes on.” And the list of positives goes on. Mexican defender Duilio Davino was a rock at the center of the three-man back line. The club recorded it’s first clean sheet of the season. And it appears they emerged from the game injury-free, good news for a team with several players out to injury. (Juan Toja did have his knee wrapped in ice on the sideline, but it didn’t look to be serious.) Going into next week’s important match at defending Western conference champs Chivas USA, Dallas will look to capitalize on this dominant performance and make a powerful statement on the road. New York Red Bulls (1-1-0) vs. FC Dallas (1-0-2)April 12, 2008 — Pizza Hut Park Scoring Summary: New York Red Bulls – Jon Conway, Chris Leitch, Kevin Goldthwaite, Dave van den Bergh, Luke Sassano, Claudio Reyna, Seth Stammler, Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Mike Magee 63), Danleigh Borman, Jozy Altidore, Oscar Echeverry (John Wolyniec 72), Substitutes Not Used: Chris Megaloudis, Carlos Mendes, Kevin Mesa, Michael Palacio, Caleb Patterson-Sewell FC Dallas – Dario Sala, Drew Moor, Duilio Davino, Adrian Serioux, Dax McCarty, Andre Rocha (Marcelo Saragosa 72), Pablo Ricchetti, Juan Toja (Aaron Pitchkolan 77), Blake Wagner, Arturo Alvarez (Ricardinho 84), Kenny Cooper, Substitutes Not Used: Ray Burse, Dominic Oduro, Abe Thompson, Anthony Wallace
Misconduct Summary: referee: Jair Marrufo 3 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment |
Good report, and good game. Our lineup is looking very solid, except for Wagner, who still seems shaky.
Now if we can only find a forward to replace Ruiz… Oh yeah, Cooper is already half way to Ruiz’ goals last season…and Alvarez is not looking too shabby either.
What’s the story on 11.5k attendance?
Good report except for the statement about Mike Magee. No rookie been in the league for a while now.