FRISCO, Texas – Jaime Castrillon’s 61st-minute header was all the Colorado Rapids needed to cruise to a 2-0 win against an FC Dallas side reduced to nine men by two first-half red cards.
Castrillon got on the end of a Brian Mullan cross to head the ball past FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. Buoyed by their two-man advantage, the Rapids had been peppering Hartman’s goal with shots before Castrillon made the breakthrough. Martin Rivero sealed the victory with a 74th-minute goal, his first in MLS.
FC Dallas was forced to play with nine men for 55 minutes thanks to red cards to Daniel Hernandez and Blas Perez – both of which came within two minutes of one another in the first half.
Hernandez was issued his first yellow card in the 25th minute for dissent. In the 34th minute, Hernandez failed to pull out of a late challenge on Rivero, sending the Argentinian to the turf and earning a second yellow and subsequent red card.
Opta Chalkboard: Colorado dominates play with two-man advantage
Just minutes later, Dallas was reduced to nine men when Perez was issued a straight red card for a reckless tackle on Rapids’ defender Drew Moor.
Schellas Hyndman’s team managed to make it to halftime without conceding, but that didn’t last long after the break.
Colorado nearly got on the board in the 56th minute when Conor Casey and Kamani Hill both almost got on the end of a Tony Cascio cross. Casey couldn’t connect on the ball just in front of goal, while Hill got a shot off that Dallas defender Zach Loyd deflected wide of goal.
The Rapids continued to pressure the nine-man Dallas squad, and in the 65th minute Hill found himself in scoring position once again, but Hartman parried his volley out for a corner kick.
Then Castrillon got the Rapids’ first before Rivero sealed the victory in the 74th minute. The Argentine latched onto a cross across the 18-yard box from Mullan, took his time and teed up a low shot to the corner that beat Hartman.
Dallas’ best chance came in the 32nd minute, as Perez got on the end of a Hernandez corner kick but sent his header just wide of Matt Pickens’ goal.
Colorado moved to 5-4-0 (15 points) on the season while Dallas fell to 3-4-3 (12 points).
FC Dallas return to the field on Wednesday night when they host the Seattle Sounders, but will be missing both Hernandez and Perez due to suspension. The Rapids will have a week to savor their victory, as they have a bye before returning to action against D.C. United on May 16.
