MATCH NOTES
- Sebastian Lletget scored his second Leagues Cup goal
- Eugene Ansah registered his first FC Dallas goal of the year
- Jesús Ferreira scored his first goal in Leagues Cup action
- MLS Box Score
Frisco, TX (July 25, 2023) – FC Dallas earned its first-ever Leagues Cup victory in tonight's 3-0 win against Club Necaxa of Liga MX on Tuesday night at Toyota Stadium. Dallas currently has four points and sits atop the South Group 4 standings after two Leagues Cup matches.
LEAGUES CUP LLETGET
Sebastian Lletget registered his second Leagues Cup goal when the midfielder opened the scoring in the 24th minute to put Dallas on top 1-0. Forward Bernard Kamungo provided the assist and returned the favor as Lletget assisted Kamungo’s last goal on Friday vs. Charlotte FC. Lletget added a second assist in the 63rd minute.
THE ANSAH HAS ARRIVED
Ghanaian forward Eugene Ansah scored his first goal for FC Dallas in the 62nd minute of the match. Ansah signed for the club on June 19 and made his debut against Seattle Sounders on July 15.
CAPITALIZING ON EVERY OPPORTUNITY
Jesús Fereira scored FC Dallas’ third goal of the night, his first in Leagues Cup play. The Homegrown forward leads the club with 11 goals in all competitions this season.
THE RETURN OF PAUL
Winger Paul Arriola returned to the FC Dallas lineup for the first time since sustaining a muscle injury on May 13 against Austin FC.
UP NEXT: LEAGUES CUP ROUND OF 32
With the win, FC Dallas advances to the Round of 32 in Leagues Cup play. Dallas’ next opponent has yet to be determined. Tickets for Dallas’ next Leagues Cup match at Toyota Stadium will go on sale on Sunday, July 30 at 1PM CT at FCDallasTickets.com.
FC DALLAS POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Nico Estévez
On scoring more goals…
“These attacking adjustments are something we’ve been working on the past three to four weeks. We’ve changed the way we attack and added a lot of variation to it. It’s really nice to see the changes working, because it’s not just the goals we score but also the clear chances we created throughout the game. There are still some details on the attacking side we can improve on, but I’m happy the things we’ve been working on helped us to score more goals, which is the most important thing. Scoring six goals in the past three games is really good for us.“
On the second half mentality…
“We started the second half well, with a good chance by Marco that hit the post. Club Necaxa has quality and plays in a really good league, with players like Edgar Méndez who have played in La Liga. They can pose a threat with crosses because they have a lot of bodies in the box similar to Colorado Rapids. Maarten always helps us and it’s good to have him make important saves for us. After that, we regrouped well and were able to score some more of our chances.”
Midfielder Sebastian Lletget
On the bounce-back performance…
“The way we responded today makes me really proud of our guys and really proud of this team. Losing is always tough and this was a quick turnaround but that does help when you have a result that doesn’t go your way, you want to play right away and I’m happy that we got the win.“
On the next Leagues Cup game…
“I believe the next game is at home as well so that is an advantage. Playing in front of these great fans, we need to take advantage of it.“
Forward Eugene Ansah
On scoring his first FC Dallas goal…
“It felt amazing. I’m very happy for the team and winning at home. We struggled a little last game and this was a must-win for everyone. I’m very glad that I brought my qualities to this team and we won the game tonight.”
On what the team learned
“We learned several things from the last game and took those lessons from it, there were several good things and this time around, it worked. We are very happy to advance to the next round.”
On advancing in the Leagues Cup…
“Since I came to Dallas, I see that this is a team that wants to compete. We have players on this team that want to compete and bring their qualities to the game so we really want to move forward in this tournament and how far we go depends on us.”
Goalkeeper Maarten Paes
On the importance of getting a dominant win…
“Getting the win and a clean sheet is important. Yes they went down a player early, but looking at the Minnesota and Puebla game, it does not mean you will dominate and score lots of goals in most cases. When we took the lead our message was to just keep pushing for another goal instead of relaxing. 3-0 is a great scoreline for a goalkeeper.”
On making a deep run in Leagues Cup…
“The chances are high, especially when you play at home. At the beginning of the season we said we wanted to win trophies. Leagues Cup is a great opportunity because it’s a new tournament. There’s some stuff we need to keep getting used to, but I think it’s a great tournament so far that I would like to win.”
CLUB NECAXA POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Rafael Dudamel
On tonight's game…
“We knew that FC Dallas centralized a lot of pressure with their three attackers and their two inside players. It was very difficult to find space in the center because they were pressing and it was our wingers who were going to find the space to be able to have a clean exit from the defense to the attack.”
On the red card…
“The red card changed the game very quickly because FC Dallas’ speed began to impose itself through the spaces we offered them. It is an emotional blow when you have a player as important as Montes and you need a few minutes to settle down under a new game script and we did not have the time to recover.”
