FRISCO, Texas – The FC Dallas U-18 Academy team opened their Super Group play at Pizza Hut Park with an impressive 3-1 win over FC Barcelona on Sunday. Dallas’ goals came from striker Jonathan Top and midfielders Jose Perez and Daniel Garcia, while the lone goal for the Spanish side was scored by Barcelona’s David Babunski.
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Home Grown forward Jonathan Top earned the first goal of the game in the 23rd minute, when he found himself with the ball on the right side of the Barcelona box. Top sent in a cross that landed at the feet of midfielder Daniel Garcia, putting him one-on-one with Barcelona goalkeeper Pol Busquets.
Garcia ripped a shot that caught the crossbar and bounced back out of the penalty area. Top’s fellow Home Grown player, Victor Ulloa, recovered the ball and got it back up to Top on the right side of the box. Top would opt to shoot this time, and found the back of the net to put FC Dallas up 1-0.
The second goal of the game built off an FC Dallas goal kick in the 32nd minute. The long ball was mishandled by the Barcelona defense and FCD number 10 Jose Perez was quick to capitalize on the miscue. Perez got in one-on-one with Busquets and found the back of the net to give Dallas the 2-0 lead.
FCD would get their final goal of the game 10 minutes into the second half. Home Grown midfielder Bryan Leyva initiated the play, working his way up the right flank and into the offensive third of the field. Leyva played a ball to Top at the top of the box, who one-touched the play ahead to Garcia for the finish and the 3-0 lead.
FCD goalkeeper Eduardo Cortes came up with multiple big saves throughout the game, and it looked as if he had earned his side a shutout until the 89th minute. Barcelona threatened more and more in the dying minutes of the match, and after Cortes made a save on a point-blank shot in the box, the FC Dallas defense committed a foul in the area that gave a penalty kick to the Spanish squad. David Babunski buried the shot from the spot to spoil Cortes’ shutout, but Barcelona didn’t have enough to get another, as the game ended 3-1.
The next Dallas Cup Super Group match for the FC Dallas U-18s will be Monday evening when they face CS Cartagines of Costa Rica on Field 8 at Pizza Hut Park at 6 p.m.
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Scoring Summary:
DAL – Top 23’
DAL – Perez 32’
DAL – Garcia 55’
BAR – Babunski 89’
FC Dallas – Cortes, Ambrose, Coleman, Okwuonu, Hernandez, Robledo, Garcia (Ramirez 74’), Ulloa, Perez, Leyva, Top (Pinal 76’).
FC Barcelona – Busquets, Escribano, Currais (Olivan 46‘), Gabarron, Canadell (Mendes 56’), Alarcon, Martinez, Quintilla, Roige (Lopez 46‘), Ruano (Babunski 46‘), Sylla (Ebwelle 46’).
Referee: Alain Bieri
Referee’s Assistants: Abdella Ahmad Al-Hashemi, Kevin Terry, Jr.
4th Official: Kyle Borne
Other FC Dallas action at Dallas Cup XXII:
The U-16 Academy team earned a decisive 6-1 victory over Costa Rican side Barrio Mexico on Sunday morning. Bobby Edet and Ricardo Mejia each scored in the win, and Erick Chapa and Will Coleman bagged two goals each. The 97 Boys Premier team defeated FB Correcaminos 4-2, the 96s beat Alberta SA 2-0, the 95s tied Fussballschule Millerntor 1-1. The 94s fell to Brazilian side Brasilis FC 1-0 off a first half PK.
