September 14th, 2009 . 2:12 am . By: Jay Brownlee

FC Dallas reversed a season-long trend Saturday night at the Home Depot Center against the LA Galaxy, exploding for four second half goals to bury the home team 6-3 in front of 18,148.

It was the first time this season the rejuvenated Galaxy had given up as many as four goals in a match and the first time in their history the club had given up six. The beating left LA looking much like FC Dallas did only a year ago in a match that saw David Beckham’s Dallas debut send Dallas to a 5-1 defeat and the sacking of FC Dallas head coach Steve Morrow.

Of course, LA head coach Bruce Arena will not be fired, nor does he deserve it. But a vastly improved Galaxy side still managed to implode under the relentless pressure provided by FC Dallas. That this match was an opportunity for the Galaxy to move into first place in the West was added salt into the wounds exposed.

Dallas’ season-long struggles to maintain a high level of play and deliver a knockout blow seemed all but inevitable in a wide-open first half.

Dallas got off to a quick start, Jeff Cunningham nearly drawing first blood only three minutes in when he found the side-netting after neatly rounding the stranded Donovan Ricketts. However, left-winger Dave Van Den Berg’s low-struck ball from a set-piece glanced off a Galaxy defender and into the back of the net for the 1-0 Dallas lead.

Cunningham struck next at the 25’ minute mark on a goal that could end up as Goal of the Week. Atiba Harris sent in a long early cross that split the Galaxy defense. Cunningham took the ball off his foot on the volley, placing the ball at his feet for the finish, pushing the Dallas lead to 2-0.

But just as Dallas appeared to be off and running, the team feel victim to what can only be described as a weird play to give back a goal almost immediately.

After the ensuing kickoff, Galaxy defender A.J. De La Garza slammed a ball towards the Dallas goal that was parried away by FC Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala, but right into the path of Jair Benitez, who deflected the ball for an own goal. Suddenly, a Galaxy side that was 0-4-8 on the season when giving up the first goal had the break they needed.

Even though Dallas continued to be dangerous, they would not find the back of the net again in the first half. Of course, the LA Galaxy would; that’s the way it has gone for FC Dallas practically all-season long, right?

De La Garza would strike again when a hard shot from the right off the foot of Landon Donovan was batted by Sala into the center of the box and right to the feet of the on-rushing De La Garza, who slammed home the game-tying goal at the 42’ mark.

As the second half began, Dallas fans had to wonder what sort of horrors were in store for the second half. Too many promising starts have followed this exact script.

FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman made his first adjustment, subbing newly acquired Daniel Hernandez in the defensive midfield role for the other new acquisition, Marvin Chavez.

The moved provided Dallas with the intended effect, settling down the center of defense while allowing Dax McCarty the ability to play higher in the attack. McCarty’s ability to go forward was brilliantly displayed when his late diagonal run was rewarded with a goal from a Cunningham assist at the 71’ mark, pushing Dallas back ahead 3-2.

But instead of allowing the Galaxy back into the match, FC Dallas took advantage of LA’s attempts to cheat forward by burying the home club with three more goals in rapid succession.

First it was Atiba Harris’ bullet-like header from an absolutely gorgeous cross at the 82’ mark, then Cunningham’s second assist of the game found a streaking David Ferreira whose excellent finish under pressure to beat Ricketts pushed the Dallas lead to 5-2 and effectively put the dagger in the hearts of the Galaxy.

But Cunningham would strike again, this time on a pass from Brek Shea, beating Ricketts low and hard to the far post with razor-like precision, and pushing the Dallas lead to 6-2 just four minutes from full-time.

LA finally found an answer with an Edson Buddle header from a Beckham corner in extra time, but the match was decided.

The game ended with a scuffle involving Donovan, Hernandez, Beckham and others after Donovan’s chippy tackle. Not nearly as ugly as Adrian Serioux’s “Welcome, baby, welcome” moment a year earlier, it was still a moment borne from the frustrations felt after receiving a good old-fashioned ass-whipping.

But Dallas is a frustrated team, too, for altogether different reasons. Too often matches like this one have ended in ties or losses. Almost every answer has seemed to find another question looming like a dark cloud over the team. Players have come and gone, yet the results have not changed much.

In sports, they say nothing cures a problem like a win, and Dallas will surely feel good about this one. In fact, Dallas appeared to be enjoying this one a little too much. I’m not condemning the club for a little over-exuberance (read: showboating), but winning a match that will have little effect on their playoff chances seemed to be relished a little too deeply, to the point of rubbing it in. For a club that has been accused of not being emotional enough in the face of failure, the giddiness on display struck me as further proof that this club is not on an even keel. And yes, it is further proof that there is no “winning attitude” in place.

Yes, Dallas changed their recent history; my hope is they next learn how to win.

Categories: Match Report.

10 Comments

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI

Leave a comment