FRISCO, Texas – The Fourth of July fireworks began a little earlier than planned at Toyota Stadium.
FC Dallas were able to defeat the New England Revolution 3-0 on Saturday night, primarily behind the playmaking ability of midfielder Mauro Diaz – who played a part in all three goals on the evening.
The young Argentine put the home team on the board early on a set piece awarded for a foul committed by Revolution defender London Woodberry, who tripped up David Texiera right outside the penalty box in the 8th minute.
Diaz lined up to take the free kick and he fired a shot on the ground underneath a leaping New England wall and out of the reach of diving goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth to give FC Dallas a 1-0 advantage. The goal was only Dallas’ second goal from a set piece in 2015, just one season removed from scoring 15 from set pieces.
Diaz also played a key role in Dallas’ second goal of the night in the 64th minute. The 24-year-old intercepted a ball from Revolution center back Jose Goncalves in the Revs' own third of the field and was able to find fellow midfielder Fabian Castillo rushing into the penalty box. Castillo’s initial attempt was saved by Shuttleworth, but the rebound caromed off of defender Jeremy Hall and right back to Castillo, who tapped the ball in to double the Dallas lead.
The match was sealed in the 73rd minute when Diaz maneuvered past Revolution midfielder Scott Caldwell and toward the New England penalty box. He threaded the ball to a crossing Michael Barrios, who entered the match off the bench in the 60th minute, and the Colombian winger collected the pass and zipped the ball between Shuttleworth and a defender for his first career MLS goal and a 3-0 Dallas lead.
The Revolution had a chance to tie the game at 1-1 before the match was out of reach in the second half. Alston sent a 47th minute cross from the right side of the penalty box to the feet of forward Charlie Davies, who tapped the ball right into the chest of diving goalkeeper Dan Kennedy. The ball slipped out of Kennedy’s attempted trap with Revolution midfielder Daigo Kobayashi in position to take advantage, but Dallas defender Matt Hedges was able to clear the ball out of harm’s way.
FC Dallas extended their home dominance this season with the win and now sport a 6-1-2 record at Toyota Stadium. New England on the other hand have now lost four straight and have only won once in their last 11 matches.
Both teams hit the road next Saturday, with the Revolution visiting the New York Red Bulls (7 pm ET, MLS LIVE) and FC Dallas visiting Orlando FC (7:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
