FC DALLAS vs NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
TOYOTA STADIUM, Frisco, Texas
July 19, 2014 (WEEK 19, MLS Game #178)
8 p.m. CT (KTXA-CBS; CSN-NE)
FC Dallas will be looking to keep pace in the tight Western Conference when they entertain the New England Revolution aiming to halt a recent slide when the clubs face off Saturday at Toyota Stadium. FC play their first league match since July 4, a 2-1 home win against Philadelphia, and are in a tight logjam with five teams separated by two points in the division. The Revolution started their current road swing with their sixth consecutive loss in league play, falling 5-1 at the LA Galaxy at midweek.
REFEREE: Armando Villarreal. SAR (bench): Adam Garner; JAR (opposite): Mark Cahen; 4th: Younes Marrakchi
MLS Career: 37 games; FC/gm: 23.7; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 15; pens: 10
TICKETS - FC Dallas vs New England Revolution - Saturday, July 19 - 8:00PM Toyota Stadium
SUSPENDED: DAL: Fabian Castillo (through July 27) … NE: A.J. Soares (through July 20)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: DAL: Fabian Castillo
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DAL: Matt Hedges, Michel, Blas Perez, Je-Vaughn Watson, Victor Ulloa … NE: Lee Nguyen, A.J. Soares, Chris Tierney
DISABLED LIST: NE: Andy Dorman
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
READ: Drew Epperley breaks down New England in his "Know Your Enemy" feature.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (39 meetings): FC Dallas 13 wins (1 shootout), 48 goals…Revolution 23 wins (1 shootout), 65 goals…Ties 3
AT DALLAS (20 meetings): FC Dallas 7 wins (0 shootout), 23 goals … Revolution 11 wins (0 shootout), 28 goals … Ties 2
LAST YEAR (MLS)
3/30: NE 0, DAL 1 (Perez 87)
• This is the only league meeting between the teams this season.
• FC Dallas have won in the only meeting between the teams on each of the last two seasons, both by a 1-0 scoreline, including a victory last March 30 at Gillette Stadium.
• The victory was first for FC Dallas at Gillette Stadium since 2003. The Revolution have not won in Frisco since 2008; FCD has taken consecutive 1-0 home wins vs. New England.
• Coaches record: Jay Heaps vs. DAL: P2 W0 L2 T0… Oscar Pareja vs. NE: P2 W1 L1 T0
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas return to action after extending their undefeated run to four games in their last match, a 2-1 win against Philadelphia Union on July 4 at Toyota Stadium. FC Dallas sit in a tie for fifth place in the Western Conference with 26 points from 19 games.
LAST MATCH
• FC Dallas took the lead in the 26th minute. From the midfield, Blas Perez floated pass into the area, and rookie Tesho Akindele, who had worked his way between Union defenders, hammered a full volley past onrushing goalkeeper Zac MacMath.
• But Union drew even in the 43rd minute. Cristian Maidana put in a cross from the left that made its way through a number of FC Dallas defenders and Amobi Okugo was perfectly positioned to the right of goal to drive home his first of the season.
• But the home side nosed back in front four minutes after the break when a passing sequence was intercepted in the box by Union left back Fabinho. He tried to clear, but instead played the ball into teammate Sheanon Williams, and the ball rebounded into the Union net.
• FCD head coach Oscar Pareja made two changes to the team that played to a scoreless result with the Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium. Moises Hernandez and Blas Perez came into the team, in place of Jair Benitez and Michel.
• FC DALLAS (4-4-2): Chris Seitz (Raul Fernandez 72) - Zach Loyd, Stephen Keel, Matt Hedges, Moises Hernandez - Je-Vaughn Watson, Victor Ulloa, Adam Moffat (Hendry Thomas 68), Andres Escobar (Mauro Diaz 78) - Tesho Akindele, Blas Perez.
TEAM NEWS
• FC Dallas extended their undefeated run to four games in league play, having won back-to-back games at Toyota Stadium after a three-match road winless run.
• “During the second half, the team looked much more mature. It showed me a team that knows how to handle the peaks and valleys during a game and that, for me, is great. They controlled the energy and defended pretty well,” said FCD head coach Oscar Pareja. “We finished with a smile on our face because of the three points, because we got some players back … It was a great Fourth of July.”
• Making his seventh consecutive start, rookie Tesho Akindele scored his second career goal, his first coming in his first MLS start on May 21.
• “That chemistry [between Blas and Tesho] is working very well. They're finding each other and they're working for each other very well. That combination is a good example of the chemistry they've developed throughout the season,” said Pareja. “They seem very natural in their movement and they're getting options. It's good to see that chemistry develop the way it has.”
• Mauro Diaz returned to the FCD lineup for the first time in a league game since being forced out of the April 26 game vs. D.C. United with an injury.
• “It made me smile. It's peaceful to see the talent on the field,” said Pareja. “I know that Mauro made us all feel that there is some magic in the air and that everything just calms down with him.”
• Added defender Moises Hernandez: “We’re really happy that he is back. He means a lot to this team. We had a rough spell of games. We learned a lot from those games. We improved and I think we showed that today. If we keep playing like we were able to do, we can achieve great things this season.”
• Midfielder Hendry Thomas also made his return to the FCD lineup after a long absence, his last league appearance coming May 10 (missing seven games).
• There was an injury blow out of the match as Chris Seitz suffered a quadriceps injury that forced him from the field in the 72nd minute. He was starting his second consecutive league game.
• Following the last league game, FC Dallas reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup with a 5-2 win against the NASL Carolina RailHawks. Blas Perez scored a hat trick, and Fabian Castillo and Mauro Diaz added second-half goals.
• Here’s the FCD team: Raul Fernandez, Moises Hernandez (Stephen Keel 46), Zach Loyd, Matt Hedges, Je-Vaughn Watson, Fabian Castillo, Victor Ulloa, Hendry Thomas (Andrew Jacobson 28), Andres Escobar (Mauro Diaz 69), Tesho Akindele, Blas Perez.
• FC Dallas will play host to their semifinal on Aug. 12 at Toyota Stadium. They last reached the Open Cup final in 2007; their lone championship came in 1997.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution saw their losing run stretched to six games, the LA Galaxy rolling to a 5-1 victory on Wednesday evening at StubHub Center. The Revolution are in a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 23 points from 18 games.
LAST MATCH
• The Galaxy were two goals up early. Robbie Keane opened the scoring with a tremendous goal in the 10th minute, cutting in from the left to unleash a bender to the top corner from outside the area. Eight minutes later, Keane played a one-time pass from the spot to a cutting Gyasi Zardes, who beat Revs ‘keeper Bobby Shuttleworth with a near-post blast.
• The Revolution then went a man down in the 29th minute when A.J. Soares was ejected for a studs-first challenge on Juninho. But Dan Gargan was sent off in the 36th minute by referee Ricardo Salazar after taking down Revolution striker Teal Bunbury in the LA box, and Lee Nguyen converted the resulting penalty.
• The Galaxy restored their margin three minutes into the second half. Keane again played provider, driving in a pass from the left side of the penalty area for Zardes to turn home first-time at the near post.
• The rout was complete with two late goals in a four-minute span. Stefan Ishizaki scored directly from a free kick in the 75th minute after his strike took a deflection from the wall and looped into the goal. Then Keane made it 5-1 when he latched onto an ill-advised back pass, firing into an empty net after rounding Shuttleworth on a breakaway.
• Revolution head coach Jay Heaps made two changes to the team that fell 1-0 to the Chicago Fire at Gillette Stadium. Darrius Barnes and Lee Nguyen came back into the team in place of Andy Dorman and Daigo Kobayashi.
• NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-3-1-2): Bobby Shuttleworth - Darrius Barnes (Daigo Kobayashi 69), Jose Goncalves, Andrew Farrell, Chris Tierney - Kelyn Rowe, A.J. Soares (ejected 29), Lee Nguyen - Diego Fagundez (Steve Neumann 57) - Teal Bunbury, Patrick Mullins (Jerry Bengtson 57).
TEAM NEWS
• The Revolution’s losing streak in league play reached six matches, the club’s longest losing streak since losing six games in a row in a 2001, the Revolution’s longest ever in the post-shootout era. The club record is nine losses in a row, in 1997 and ’98.
• The five goals allowed were the most for a Revolution since a 5-0 loss at Real Salt Lake on July 2, 2010, one goal shy of the most allowed in a game in team history (three times).
• “It is a disappointing game all the way around. You give up two goals, and the first one you just tip your hat, but the second and third goal to me are the two that really broke our back, and you can't do that, it is just not good enough,” said Revolution head coach Jay Heaps. “We as a staff have to get better, we as a group have to get better; we have a quick turnaround so we have to move on.”
• It was the fourth time the Galaxy had scored five goals in a game vs. New England – and came just a year after the Revolution defeated LA 5-0 in Foxborough.
• “We wanted to stay compact and have the ability to break them when we needed to and find chances in the box. We tried to find that first goal coming out of the second half and it didn't happen, and from there you are chasing the game again, further and further, and pushing numbers,” said midfielder Kelyn Rowe. “Obviously when you push numbers you are susceptible to the counter, and they took advantage of that and put five on us.”
• With Andy Dorman sidelined for up to 3 months after suffering a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee during the Chicago game, A.J. Soares again moved into the holding midfield role with Darrius Barnes making his second start over the last seven games, at right back.
• Lee Nguyen scored his sixth goal of the season, his first since May 17, converting his fourth penalty kick of the season (from four attempts).
• After featuring as a wide midfielder in nine consecutive matches, Teal Bunbury reverted to an out-and-out striker role, partnering Patrick Mullins in attack. It was the first time since April 26 that Heaps had used a front two in attack.
• “We practice it, and thought it was a good time to try a 4-4-2 with a diamond shape. With the personnel we had, we thought there were times in the game early on, where we had chances in the run of play, and our forwards did a good job battling, but defensively if you are going to leak goals it doesn't matter what formation you are in,” said Heaps.
• It was also a third consecutive road defeat for the Revolution, following a three-game undefeated streak in away matches. “You want to go on the road with these two road games, here in Los Angeles today and then in Dallas, and we want to find as many points as we can, we didn't find any tonight, so we have to find some Saturday,” said Rowe.
