August 16th, 2009 . 3:09 am . By: Jay Brownlee

Two straight weeks of bliss for FC Dallas ended in a Columbus Crew defensive swarm Saturday night in Columbus as a 10th minute header from Chad Marshall and an 87th minute sealer from Eddie Gaven led the Crew to a 2-0 victory.

Although Dallas didn’t necessarily play horribly, the crisp passing and relentless pressure for the previous two weeks ebbed slightly. Perhaps the pressure of playing a first place club for the second week in a row- this time away- was too great. But Dallas had previously only won once in Columbus, who came into the match 5-0-2 since a loss to Dallas June 20th.

This game’s story was always going to be about which team could impose their will on the other and take advantage of chances. Columbus prevailed simply by sticking to the storyline.

The first half saw few scoring chances from either side, but Marshall’s header was the difference. On a corner, Marshall charged in with Atiba Harris marking. Harris, who had the man, allowed a moment’s loss of the ball see Marshall bang the ball in for the lone goal of the first half.

It was all Columbus would need.

Columbus’ game plan was to muddy up the midfield. Although Dallas often had more possession moving forward, Columbus never seemed out of position. Dallas rarely looked dangerous as yellow shirts cut out passing lanes and stymied attacks. The Crew remained committed to a primarily defensive-minded game, occasionally sending the blisteringly fast Emmanuel Ekpo up field to slow the Dallas attack.

Ekpo was particularly dangerous in the first half. Daniel Torres, inserted for suspended captain, Pablo Ricchetti, nearly had another defensive howler as Ekpo’s move inside twisted Torres into the pitch.

But Torres and the rest of the Dallas defense held their own for much of the rest of the match. Columbus got their best chances and the final goal late after Dallas was pressed far forward desperately seeking the game-tying goal.

But Columbus is a first-place club playing like a first-place club.

Undoubtedly, this loss is disappointing to a club frantically searching for a way into the playoffs. It might have as much sting if Dallas were at or near the top of the table.

But the horrific start to this campaign has magnified both losses and wins. The recent triumphs underscored this group of players’ ability to win, but has also instilled the hope that a miracle was in the making.

Sour grapes aside, the “miracle” was most likely only ever a hope anyhow.

A loss to a very good team on the road is no cause to burn down the house. But as Dallas has added and benefited by the additions of Harris and Jair Benitez, problems still abound. Kenny Cooper’s departure left Dallas with only untested Peri Marosevic as a fill-in for Jeff Cunningham. And while Brek Shea has shown flashes of things to come, he is still a 19 year-old playing against the league’s best players and a learning curve of titanic proportions. Dave Van Den Berg’s technical abilities have given way to tiring 34 year-old legs. Throw in the expected occasional so-so performances by the club’s regular starters and the future may appear bleak at best.

There is little doubt where Head Coach Schellas Hyndman wants to take this club. The emphasis on range and speed combined with positive offensive-minded play and smothering defense has all the appearances of an eventual attractive, winning formula. But as the gaffer continues to transition this club into his image, it’s the losing of matches against good teams in the midst of a rotten season that appear the most disheartening. The measuring stick always seems a little longer, a little too far out of reach.

Categories: Match Report.

3 Comments

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI

Leave a comment