MATCH NOTES
- Forward Eugene Ansah scored his second goal of Leagues Cup play
- Alan Velasco scored his first goal of Leagues Cup
- MLS Box Score
FRISCO, Texas (August 2, 2023) – FC Dallas earned a 2-1 win over Liga MX side Mazatlán FC in its Round of 32 fixture against Mazatlán FC on Wednesday night at Toyota Stadium. With the win, FC Dallas hosts Inter Miami CF this Sunday, August 6 from Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
ALAN VELASCGOOOOL
Alan Velasco delivered his first Leagues Cup goal after scoring a penalty seconds after the commencement of the second half. Velasco’s penalty kick gave FC Dallas its first goal of the night. FC Dallas was awarded its first regulation time penalty kick in 508 days. The penalty drought of 54 games is still tied for the longest in MLS history.
BACK-TO-BACK ANSAH’S
Forward Eugene Ansah has scored in back-to-back Leagues Cup matches for FC Dallas. Both goals scored in Leagues Cup have come off the bench as a substitute, the first one was against Necaxa in the 62nd minute on July 25. Tonight’s goal came in the 75th minute after heading in a cross from Jesús Ferreira.
FC DALLAS UNDEFEATED AGAINST LIGA MX IN LEAGUES CUP
Two consecutive wins against Liga MX sides Necaxa and Mazatlan FC see FC Dallas advance to the Round of 16 which will be played this Sunday, August 6 from Toyota Stadium. Against Liga MX teams, FC Dallas have scored five goals while only conceding once.
UP NEXT: LEAGUES CUP ROUND OF 16
FC Dallas will now take on Inter Miami CF in the Round of 16 next Sunday, August 6. Tickets for Dallas’ next Leagues Cup match at Toyota Stadium will go on sale on Thursday, Aug. 3 at 11AM CT on FCDallasTickets.com.
Previous Leagues Cup and MLS match credentials are NOT valid for the upcoming Round of 16 match versus Inter Miami CF on Sunday, August 6. The online media credential applications for the Round of 16 match will be available through the following link:
Lineups
FC Dallas — Maarten Paes; Sam Junqua, José Martínez (Sebastien Ibeagha – 65’) , Nkosi Tafari, Geovane Jesus; Facundo Quignon, Alan Velasco (Tsiki Ntsabeleng – 87)’, Sebastian Lletget (Paxton Pomykal – 77’); Jáder Obrian (Eugene Ansah – 64’)) , Jesús Ferreira, Bernard Kamungo (Paul Arriola – 65’) .
Substitutes not used — Jimmy Maurer, Antonio Carrera, Amet Korça, Ema Twumasi, Dante Sealy, Edwin Cerrillo, Jesús Jiménez.
Mazatlán FC — Ricardo Gutiérrez; Francisco Venegas (José Madueña – 57’), Lucas Merolla (Néstor Vidrio – 72’), Facundo Almada, Bryan Colula; Andrés Montaño, Jefferson Intriago; Eduard Bello (David Colman – 57’), Sergio Flores (Ramiro Árciga – 72’), Alan Medina (Ake Loba – 81’); Luis Amarilla.
Substitutes not used — Hugo González, Brian Betancourt, Omar Moreno, Miguel Sansores, Jair Díaz, Luis Olivas.
Scoring Summary:
DAL: Alan Velasco (penalty kick) – 48’
MZT: Andres Montaño (Luis Amarilla) – 57’
DAL: Eugene Ansah (Jesus Ferreira) – 75’
Misconduct Summary:
MZT: Jefferson Intriago (caution) – 30’
DAL: Sam Junqua (caution) – 42’
MZT: Lucas Merolla (caution) – 46’
Weather: Sunny, 105ºF
Attendance: 6,844
FC DALLAS POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Nico Estévez
On Leagues Cup Play…
“I hope the Leagues Cup tournament helps us get back on track in MLS play. Prior to the Leagues Cup, we hit a phase of injuries, where we lost our style of play and Leagues Cup has helped us recover it and helped us get our players back into game rhythm. Our play style has evolved positively throughout the tournament. We are very happy to get to the Round of 16 after three different games against three different teams.”
On Euguene Ansah…
“(Eugene) Ansah is a player that changes the game. He has energy, throughout his career he has always scored goals. He scored because he is positioned well, all throughout the danger zone. Ansah is a player that is calm on the ball. I am very happy with how well he has fit into FC Dallas.”
Forward Eugene Ansah
On scoring the match winning goal…
“It felt amazing to score the goal tonight. When I’m on the bench I look forward to scoring and making an impact when I come in because when you’re sitting there as a player you want to prove yourself. Tonight I wanted to come into the game to push the team and help contribute. I’m very happy that I was able to come into the game and score to help us win and I’m looking forward to the next match.”
On mentally preparing to come in as a substitute…
“When I am sitting on the bench I am always focused on the game. Coming from the bench I already knew what I needed to do when coming into the game. It makes me feel really good that I am able to contribute to the team. It is important to always keep pushing and stay motivated as we have to fight until the end.”
Forward Jesús Ferreira
On the team’s performance…
“I think we started off the game with the right intensity and the right mindset. We knew it was going to be hot, we knew it was going to be a long game. I think overall the team handled business and we kept pushing until we could score the second goal and finish out the game.”
On teammate Eugene Ansah’s play lately…
“He’s a guy that works hard. He’s a guy in training that’s always asking and demanding from players. He’s always willing to adapt and to listen to guys that have already played in this role and this system. We’re glad with his performance and we’re glad that he’s able to come in and score goals and make a difference. We’re happy to have him here.”
ALAN VELASCO
About the match…
“This was a difficult game with it being very hot. I am glad we were able to pull this off and we are now rewarded with advancing to the Round of 16.”
On the penalty…
The penalty taker is Jesus Ferreira, he was going to take the penalty kick but I spoke to him and he humbly allowed me to take the penalty shot. I was going through a tough time after losing a loved one. Jader came up to the ball but I told him that I was going to take the penalty kick. Thankfully I was able to score and it helped us get the win.
On the Round of 16 matchup…
“At the beginning of the tournament, I was not expecting us to take on Inter Miami CF. We are going to welcome Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF until the game starts. It will be a dream to play against Messi.”
MAZATLÁN POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Rescalvo Ismael
On tonight's game…
“It feels a bit bitter to lose a game we could have won. FC Dallas scored its opportunities and we did not. We did not have the ball tonight. We lost the ball too quick. We cannot attack if we do not have the ball which we did not have throughout the first half.”
