FRISCO, Texas - Whether you're in Brazil or Frisco, it's a good time to be a Colombian with the ball at your feet.
For the second-straight home game, FCD's Colombian connection, Fabian Castillo & Andres Escobar, found the scoresheet in a 2-0 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup fourth round victory over in-state foe San Antonio Scorpions.
"It’s great to see [Escobar & Castillo] gelling up already and getting some understanding on the field," head coach Oscar Pareja said after Tuesday's match. "Andres looks fitter and more engaged with everything we want. Fabian is coming from a long stretch in the last month that has been very hard not just for him but the whole team...I thought it was very important."
READ: Match Recap - FC Dallas 2, San Antonio Scorpions 0
USOC HIGHLIGHTS: FCD 2, SAS 0
It was always going to take a brilliant moment to break the deadlock in what was a true stalemate at Toyota Stadium on Tuesday evening, and Castillo produced that moment of magic for a third-straight game in the 74th minute. The birthday boy, who turned 22 today, took down a long cross from Andrew Jacobson expertly. His pinpoint first touch was all she wrote for Scorpions goalkeeper Jeremy Vuolo who Castillo nutmegged to open the scoring.
"Whenever you get a touch like that on the ball as a forward it doesn’t matter how fast you are, that touch will give you an advantage," Castillo said through a translator after the match. "I feel really good because I try to make those plays. They don’t always have the right touch, but when you feel the touch and see the ball bounce the way it does, that’s when you know that you’re in a good place."
Castillo is in a great place right now and his Colombian teammate Escobar showed he's getting there himself on Tuesday night. Starting his third-straight match, Escobar scored his second goal of the season for FCD, but given the deflected and fluky nature of his first one, this one will certainly mean a whole lot more. Escobar finished an expert pass from substitute David Texeira to double FCD's lead in the 81st minute.
"I’m very thankful for the whole team and how much they’re supporting me," Escobar said through a translator. "This goal felt a lot better, more my goal. But at the same time it’s about what it means for the team and the steps we’re taking to reach our goal which is the championship."
Up next for Oscar Pareja's side in LHUSOC play is a matchup against Texas Derby rival Houston Dynamo, the second-straight year Dallas will face the south Texas side in the knockout competition. FC Dallas defeated Houston 3-0 at Toyota Stadium in last year's matchup and this year's edition will take place at BBVA Compass Stadium either next Tuesday or Wednesday.
