For just over 60 minutes of play, FC Dallas played well enough defensively to escape Sporting Park with at least one point.
But a series of miscues starting in the 65th was enough to open the floodgates for Sporting Kansas City and allow them to defeat a red-hot FC Dallas 3-1 on Friday night.
“For 60 minutes, we had a game plan tonight where we wanted to neutralize them, and I thought it went well,” said head coach Oscar Pareja. “[…] But at the end, they won it on a couple of set plays, a free kick, and that made the difference. They played better than us in the second half.”
Homegrown ‘keeper Jesse Gonzalez personified the tale of two halves for Dallas. After making a handful of quality saves in first 60 minutes, including a stellar diving one-handed swat in first half stoppage time, he came back to earth following a 65th minute foul by first-time starter Ezequial Cirigliano. The 20-year-old took a small stutter step to his right before Benny Felihaber blasted the free kick to Gonzalez’s left, which was just enough to put space between the ‘keeper’s out-stretched arm and the ball.
Just ten minutes later, Gonzalez charged out of his net to meet an open Dom Dwyer, but the two collided, resulting in a PK from Felihaber who again outsmarted the youngster.
“It was a mix of feelings for him,” Pareja said. “He made a few saves that shows how he’s growing, but at the same time, I know he is [upset] with the goals. But I’m very proud. It’s a long journey for him. I’m happy with his performance today. It just proves one more time he really deserves the opportunity to be the goalie for the team.”
And while inconsequential in the result, Dallas’ lone goal by midfielder Victor Ulloa in the 80th minute was significant from an individual standpoint. After firing a laser from the penalty box after a give-and-go with second-half substitute Fabian Castillo, Ulloa can now claim a goal to his MLS career through 56 games.
“I’ve been waiting for my goal for a long time, but it’s a bittersweet moment,” Ulloa told MLSsoccer.com. “We didn’t get the result we wanted, but I’m happy for the fact that I got my first goal.”
The loss negated a golden opportunity for Dallas to leap-frog Vancouver and New England, at least for a day, in the Supporters' Shield standings. But what may be more concerning for the club is the fact that they continue to struggle against MLS’ best away from Toyota Stadium.
FC Dallas is 4-7-3 on the road this season, and they have only come away with points once when traveling to a team that currently rests above the red line in either conference.
The club recognizes their problems in opposing stadiums and knows it is something that must be addressed for a deep playoff run to occur.
“We’ve had some tough results,” Ulloa said. “We need to be better away from home at the end of the day. We need to have more balance. We’ve played great at home, and we need to do the same thing on the road.”
