SAN JOSE, Calif. (Friday, July 8) – FC Dallas (11-5-4, 37 points) got a 51st minute, bicycle-kick goal from forward Maxi Urruti and goalkeeper Chris Seitz made three saves to extend the defense’s shutout streak to 315 minutes, to win for the first time, 1-0, tonight at Avaya Stadium.
Seitz was called upon in just the sixth minute of the match after Carlos Gruezo was whistled for a foul on Quincy Amarikwa inches outside the area. San Jose’s Aníbal Godoy stepped up to take the free kick, 20 yards from goal, but Seitz positioned his wall to take away the left side of the goal and reacted well to make a diving save to his right side when the midfielder attempted to pick out the inside of the post.
Mauro Diaz set the table for Urruti in the 19th minute of the match. Urruti, in alone against David Bingham, had all day to pick out the far post but the goalkeeper read him well and deflected his shot up, off the near post and smothered the rebound.
Dallas gave up another free kick in a dangerous area when Matt Hedges clipped Amarikwa in the 31st minute. Godoy took the kick again, this time cracking a well-placed shot off the crossbar. Fortunately for Dallas, the ball was cleared away from danger, keeping the team’s, then 256-minute shutout streak, intact.
Diaz combined with Urruti at the top of the area and dribbled past the final defender but was stonewalled by Bingham, who made a sprawling save with his face when the Argentine attempted to chip the goalkeeper in the 38th minute.
Seitz made the best save of his season to deny Shea Salinas of a goal in the 42nd minute. The winger dipped inside to take a cross from Alberto Quintero with his first touch, striking a hard shot towards the near post from within the six-yard box. Seitz reacted quickly and fought off the attempt with his left arm to send the teams in halftime tied, 0-0, at Avaya Stadium for the fifth consecutive half.
It took the spectacular to end the goal drought between the two teams at Avaya Stadium. Six minutes into the second half, Michael Barrios sent a cross back into the area that was deflected up into the air by San Jose defender Victor Bernardez. Urruti, in perfect position to capitalize, leaned back and cracked a full bicycle-kick volley just inside the near post to make it 1-0. The strike was the Argentine’s fourth goal of the season.
Urruti smacked a second shot off the bar following another Bingham save in the 52nd minute.
Seitz answered the call at the opposite end, making his third save, this one also on Godoy, through traffic in the 82nd minute to give FC Dallas a league-leading 37 points this season.
Scoring Summary:
DAL: Maxi Urruti 51
FC Dallas – Chris Seitz, Maynor Figueroa, Walker Zimmerman, Matt Hedges, Atiba Harris, Kellyn Acosta, Carlos Gruezo, Fabian Castillo, Mauro Diaz (Victor Ulloa 78), Michael Barrios (Tesho Akindele 84), Maxi Urruti (Ryan Hollingshead 73).
Substitutes Not Used: Jesse Gonzalez, Mauro Rosales, Aaron Guillen, Carlos Lizarazo.
San Jose Earthquakes – David Bingham, Cordell Cato, Victor Bernardez (Chad Barrett 77), Marvell Wynne (Jordan Stewart 58), Shaun Francis, Alberto Quintero, Anibal Godoy, Matheus Dawkins, Shea Salinas (Matias Perez Garcia 62), Chris Wondolowski, Quincy Amarikwa.
Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Tarbell, Andres Imperiale, Tommy Thompson, Innocent.
Misconduct Summary:
SJ – Alberto Quintero (caution) 29
DAL – Matt Hedges (caution) 31
SJ – Anibal Godoy (caution) 60
DAL – Mauro Diaz (caution) 61
DAL – Atiba Harris (caution) 72
Referee: Juan Guzman
AR1 (bench): Mike Kampmeinert; AR2 (opposite): Matthew Nelson; 4th: Alejandro Mariscal
Weather: Clear, 73
Attendance: 18,000
