FRISCO — Entering the match at the beginning of the second half, Victor Ulloa was asked to add a spark in the midfield position for FC Dallas against the Montreal Impact on Saturday night.
Not only did he provide a spark, but he was a quiet presence in the midfield as Dallas held on for the win. Until the 80th minute of the game, Ulloa had a perfect passing completion percentage, and he finished the game with 88 percent rate.
“Just trying to apply some rhythm with the game, I think after we got up 2-0, we got a little bit relaxed,” Ulloa said. “I was just trying to get in there and organize Lamah and Kellyn a lot and try to pressure a little bit higher in the field.”
FCD was sitting on a 2-0 lead entering the second half of play and was able to hold off the Impact for the eventual victory. Although there weren’t any goals scored in the second half, Ulloa was tasked with an important role when he was brought in.
“Just to keep moving the ball,” Ulloa said. “Speed of play has to be quick, we can’t relax, 2-0 is the worst score because usually teams tend to relax, but I was trying to was get a lot of touches on the ball and get that ball moving quickly.”
Dallas has extended its unbeaten streak to eight games across all competitions and Ulloa has made an appearance in six of those. He’s been an integral part of the midfield during that run, and he said being in rhythm has been a big part of the team’s success.
“Great momentum, great rhythm, the team is playing well, anybody that is stepping up to the plate is performing,” Ulloa said. “I think it’s a good problem for the coach, we have a big, big responsibility on Saturday in Kansas City. It’s going to be a tough test for us and we’re up for the challenge.”
FC Dallas’ next match will be on the road next Saturday in a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 match against Sporting Kansas City.
