FCD remains unbeaten since 2009 in home openers
- A sold out crowd of 16,116 pack Toyota Stadium for home opener
- FC Dallas outshoots RSL 11-5 in first half barrage
FRISCO – FC Dallas drew Real Salt Lake 1-1 tonight at Toyota Stadium.
FC Dallas got the first chance of the game in the 15th minute when Matt Hedges stepped in to snuff out a Real Salt Lake counterattack. Hedges quickly got the ball to Mauro Diaz, who played a perfect lobbed pass into the area for Maxi Urruti. The Argentine snapped a header on goal but Nick Rimando was in perfect position to make his first save of the game.
Michael Barrios broke free down the right flank in the 20th minute. The Colombian waited for Urruti’s run to develop before opting to fire a low shot to the near post. Rimando made another save, this time diving to his left side to deflect the shot out for a corner kick.
Urruti tested Rimando again in the 22nd minute. The forward found space at the near post and ripped a shot that smacked the goalkeeper in the chest before being cleared away by the Salt Lake defense.
Real Salt Lake scored in the 25th minute to go ahead 1-0. Joao Plata accepted a pass from Albert Rusnák on the left side and sprinted towards goal. FC Dallas right back Reggie Cannon ran him down, but Plata cut back and slid a shot under FC Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer to give the visitors the lead.
Barrios set Diaz up with a pair of chances in the center of the pitch between the 35th and 37th minutes but Dallas’ No. 10 was unable to keep his attempts on frame.
Cannon overlapped and found Urruti for a chance to finish at the back post in the 39th minute, but Rimando recovered to make a diving save on the goal line that required another look from the Video Assistant Referee. Seconds later, Jacori Hayes cracked a shot off the crossbar behind Rimando but despite the pressure, FC Dallas still could not put one up on the scoreboard.
A perfectly timed run and pass had Barrios alone against Rimando just before the halftime whistle. Barrios cut back on the late-arriving defender but for the fifth time in the half, Rimando came up with a huge save to keep his team in the lead at the break.
Real Salt Lake’s Jefferson Savarino knifed through the FC Dallas defense in the 76th minute. In alone against Maurer, the forward tried to cut right at the last minute but the goalkeeper put him off just enough to force a long touch out of Savarino. The long touch trickled over the end line before the forward could catch up to the ball, resulting in an FC Dallas goal kick.
Urruti broke through for FC Dallas in the 86th minute after Hayes knocked the forward a simple pass. Urruti turned and ran on three RSL defenders, eventually twisting his run to the right side of the goal near the end line. There, Urruti fired a low shot towards goal that caromed off Salt Lake defender Marcelo Silva and flew into the top corner of the goal to make it 1-1.
Lineups
FC Dallas – Jimmy Maurer, Maynor Figueroa, Reto Ziegler, Matt Hedges, Reggie Cannon (Ryan Hollingshead 79), Carlos Gruezo, Jacori Hayes, Michael Barrios, Mauro Diaz (Roland Lamah 68), Santiago Mosquera (Cristian Colman 63), Maxi Urruti.
Substitutes not used: Kyle Zobeck, Tesho Akindele, Kris Reaves, Victor Ulloa.
Real Salt Lake – Nick Rimando, Marcelo Silva, Demar Phillips (Danilo Acosta 77), Shawn Berry, Justen Glad, Kyle Beckerman, Albert Rusnak, Damir Kreilach (Sunny 78), Joao Plata, Luis Silva, Jefferson Savarino (David Horst 84).
Substitutes not used: Luke Mulholland, Sebastian Saucedo, Sunny, Alfredo Ortuno, Alex Horwath.
Scoring Summary:
RSL – Joao Plata (Albert Rusnák) 25
DAL – own goal (Maxi Urruti) 86
Misconduct Summary:
DAL – Jacori Hayes (caution) 65
DAL – Michael Barrios (caution) 77
Weather: Clear, 68 degrees
Attendance: 16,116
Referee: Robert Sibiga
Assistant Referees: Jason White, Eric Weisbrod
4th official: Ted Unkel
Video Assistant Referee (VAR): Hilario Grajeda
