Real Salt Lake bring a long unbeaten streak with them as they try to make some Texas history against an FC Dallas side on a winless run when the two teams meet Saturday evening in Frisco. Real Salt Lake extended their unbeaten run to seven games in their last match, a dramatic 2-2 home draw with Philadelphia. FCD returns home now winless in their
last six, following a 2-0 loss at the LA Galaxy last weekend. RSL has never won in the state of Texas in club history; FC Dallas claimed a 2-0 home win when the teams met in March.
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REFEREE: Drew Fischer. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Adam Garner; 4th: Matthew Foerster
MLS Career: 17 games; FC/gm: 26.1; Y/gm: 3.0; R: 1; pens: 5
DISABLED LIST: DAL: Peter Luccin; Ugo Ihemelu (season-ending injury)
SUSPENDED: RSL: Lovel Palmer (through July 14)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: DAL: Fabian Castillo … RSL: Lovel Palmer, Chris Wingert
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DAL: Je-Vaughn Watson … RSL: Ned Grabavoy, Kyle Beckerman
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: DAL: Blas Perez (PAN) … RSL: Tony Beltran (USA); Kyle Beckerman (USA), Nick Rimando (USA), Alvaro Saborio (CRC)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (24 meetings): FC Dallas 13 wins, 37 goals … Real 8 wins, 31 goals … Ties 3
AT DALLAS (10 meetings): FC Dallas 9 wins, 21 goals … Real 0 wins, 6 goals … Ties 2
FUTURE MATCH: 10/5: Real Salt Lake vs. FC Dallas, 7 p.m. MT
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Fabian Castillo and Jackson scored second-half goals to give FC Dallas a 2-0 win March 23 in Frisco and continue RSL’s dismal run in Texas.
- Real still have yet to ever win in the state of Texas. All-time combined vs. Houston and Dallas, over all competitions, Real are 0-18-3 in the Lone Star State.
- RSL is 0-9-2 at FC Dallas all-time in league games between the clubs; FCD has also won a game in the MLS Cup Playoffs (in 2010) and a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal (in 2011)
- FCD’s win at Rio Tinto Stadium in the final meeting last year was their first win in Utah since 2007.
- Coaches record: Schellas Hyndman vs. RSL: P11 W4 L5 D2 … Jason Kreis vs. DAL: P15 W6 L7 D2
LAST MEETING (MLS)
3/23: DAL 2, RSL 0 (Castillo 71; Jackson 81)
- FCD finally opened the scoring in the 70th minute. Fabian Castillo found some space down the left side after taking an angled pass from Jackson and drilled a shot into the upper corner on the near side to give the home side the lead.
- RSL nearly pulled level when Matt Hedges cleared a near-certain goal from substitute Devon Sandoval off the line, then from the ensuing corner, RSL's Olmes Garcia sent a diving header off the post.
- But FC Dallas put the match away with some good fortune in the 81st minute. After a tricky back pass, Josh Saunders took a bad first touch under pressure from Jackson, who slid in to knock the ball off the RSL keeper's feet and into the net.
- FC DALLAS (4-2-3-1): Chris Seitz - Zach Loyd, George John, Matt Hedges, Jair Benitez (London Woodberry 90) - Andrew Jacobson, Michel - Jackson, David Ferreira, Fabian Castillo (Eric Hassli 71) - Kenny Cooper (Bobby Warshaw 84).
- REAL SALT LAKE (4-1-3-2): Josh Saunders - Lovel Palmer, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Nat Borchers, Chris Schuler - Yordany Alvarez (sent off 83) - Cole Grossman (Olmes Garcia 77), Luis Gil (John Stertzer 66), Ned Grabavoy - Robbie Findley, Joao Plata (Devon Sandoval 73).
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas saw their winless run extended to six matches, falling 2-0 to the LA Galaxy on Sunday evening at StubHub Center. FCD are in second place in the Western Conference with 31 points from 19 matches.
LAST MATCH
- The Galaxy finished off the match with two second-half goals. In the 65th minute, Robbie Keane took a long pass from Omar Gonzalez on the left flank, got to the byeline and chipped in a ball that found Marcelo Sarvas running nearly parallel to the goal for the simple finish.
- The second came with 10 minutes to play. Robbie Rogers, from the byeline to the left of goal, sent the ball into the center of the box where Hector Jimenez slotted home first-time.
- FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman made two changes to the team that reached a scoreless result with Chivas USA in Frisco. Je-Vaughn Watson and Fabian Castillo came into the midfield for Jackson and Kenny Cooper.
- FC DALLAS (4-2-3-1): Raul Fernandez - Zach Loyd, Stephen Keel, Matt Hedges, Jair Benitez - Andrew Jacobson (Ramon Nunez 63), Michel - Je-Vaughn Watson (Jackson 46), David Ferreira, Fabian Castillo (Kenny Cooper 74) - Blas Perez.
TEAM NEWS
- FC Dallas saw their winless streak extended to six matches in the loss to the Galaxy, their longest since going a club-record 13 games without a victory last April 21- July 7.
- “We’re always talking about this not happening, that not happening but today, basically, we just got out worked. We didn’t create enough scoring chances, which causes you problems, we didn’t have people running off the ball, we didn’t have many tackles,” said FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman.
- FC Dallas were also shut out at the attacking end for a second consecutive match. After scoring a goal in each of their first 14 league games, they have been shut out in three of the last five.
- “I think the reality is that they basically outworked us. And by outworking us they caused us a lot of problems. … So, before we gets too complicated with the scoring chances we have to get better, we have to get some work done,” said Hyndman.
- Blas Perez played his final match with FC Dallas before joining the Panama national team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Perez did not play in Panama’s Gold Cup opener, an historic 2-1 win against Mexico.
- “Blas is a very important player for us, leading goal scorer, but the fact of the matter is that he didn’t really get a lot of opportunities these last couple of games. We have to find ways to make ourselves a little bit more dangerous,” said Hyndman.
- Je-Vaughn Watson returned to the lineup after a one-match absence, nominally playing a new spot on the right of midfield. Jackson was not in the starting lineup for the first time since May 8, but came on at halftime in place of Watson.
- “You have to give them credit because they played a good game,” midfielder David Ferreira said. “The team came apart in the second half and they took advantage of the spacing that we weren’t allowing in the first minutes and end up with a bad result. We came here with the intention of winning, but that didn’t happen. So, we need to keep working and keep thinking about what’s ahead and hopefully the next game will be a positive one for us.”
READ: FCD newcomer Erick could be available for debut vs. RSL
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake stretched their undefeated streak to seven games last time out, getting a late, late equalizer for a 2-2 draw with Philadelphia Union on July 3 at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL lead the Western Conference with 34 points from 19 games.
LAST MATCH
- Union took the lead in the 16th minute. After he was sent all alone down the right flank by Sheanon Williams, Conor Casey got to the byeline and sent in a centering pass that Sébastien Le Toux easily tapped in from almost on the goal line.
- RSL then went a man down in the 59th minute when Lovel Palmer was shown a straight red from referee Ismail Elfath after a slide tackle on Michael Farfan.
- But 10-man Real leveled first in the 75th minute through substitute Luis Gil, who found himself unmarked at the top of the box on a Javier Morales corner kick to head home. Yet less than a minute later, substitute Antoine Hoppenot beat RSL defender Nat Borchers to the ball and fed Casey at the top of the box, who buried the ball into an open net.
- Union should have put the game away in stoppage time when Le Toux found himself one on one with Josh Saunders, but the RSL 'keeper made the save.
- It came back to haunt the visitors. Union fullback Raymon Gaddis handled the ball in the box during a scramble, and Elfath pointed to the spot. Morales stepped up to take the penalty seven minutes into stoppage time and drilled it off the right post and into the left-side netting to rescue the point for Real. RSL head coach Jason Kreis made six changes to the team that defeated Toronto FC 1-0 at BMO Field. Josh Saunders, Carlos Salcedo, Chris Wingert, Khari Stephenson, Ned Grabavoy and Robbie Findley came into the side, in place of Nick Rimando, Tony Beltran, Aaron Maund, Kyle Beckerman, Olmes Garcia and Devon Sandoval.
- REAL SALT LAKE (4-3-1-2): Josh Saunders - Lovel Palmer (ejected 59), Carlos Salcedo, Nat Borchers, Chris Wingert - Khari Stephenson (Sebastian Velasquez 71), Yordany Alvarez (Luis Gil 58), Ned Grabavoy - Javier Morales - Robbie Findley (Olmes Garcia 56), Joao Plata.
READ: With Nick Rimando on USMNT duty, Josh Saunders making most of chance to play with RSL
TEAM NEWS
- While the draw snapped Real Salt Lake’s four-game winning streak, it extended their undefeated run to seven games. It’s the longest unbeaten streak for RSL since going seven games without loss last April 25-June 16.
- The penalty kick from Javier Morales came seven minutes into second-half stoppage time, tying the fourth-latest goal scored in regulation in MLS history (and the second scored in the 97th minute this season).
- “I think it was a step forward for the team because we’re down a man and a goal and we showed character to go and look for the win all the time. We were losing time but always looking for the lead with 10 men,” Morales said. “So that is a good thing for me.”
- Morales recorded a goal and an assist in a single game for the second time this season (also: June 1 vs. San Jose), and the 10th time in his seven-year MLS career.
- “We trusted him to be captain for a reason. His goal, not only his position, but linking the defending players to the attacking players,” said RSL head coach Jason Kreis. “He’s been great in the locker room between the Hispanic players and the American players. He’s just such an important figure for us – has been, since he’s gotten here – and we’re really pleased to see him reaping some rewards after all that he’s had to go through.”
- Josh Saunders made his second league start of the season, with Nick Rimando away on international duty, and allowed two goals for a second time (the first coming in the 2-0 loss to FC Dallas on March 23).
- The other five players who came into the RSL lineup – Carlos Salcedo, Chris Wingert, Khari Stephenson, Ned Grabavoy and Robbie Findley – all returned to the first XI after a one-match absence.
- “We have to be very comfortable to send out a group like that, that has that much fight and that much spirit to come back in this game. It says a lot about them; it says a lot about their character,” said Kreis. “Tonight wasn’t the best night for some guys, soccer-wise, particularly in the first half. What they did give was everything they could, and that’s really appreciated.”
- Luis Gil scored his third goal of the season – all coming on headers. Gil has scored six goals in MLS in his three seasons, four from headers. “I don’t know man, I’m hoping. I have more goals with my head in my career than I do with my feet. I’ll start working on that,” Gil said.
