FRISCO - It was not the performance FC Dallas wanted to open the all-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, taking a 3-0 defeat to the MLS newcomers on Sunday afternoon. Here are three things we learned from the match.
Jesse MOTM
Despite a trio of goals against him, Jesse Gonzalez was my Man of the Match for Dallas with eight saves, his best mark in 2017. It says a lot when a goalkeeper is the best player despite having three shots get past him, but without Gonzalez, it would’ve been a much more lopsided contest. Early on, Atlanta came out firing and the Homegrown made five stops in the opening 31 minutes to keep it a 1-0 game into half.
Chasing Games
Sunday was the eighth straight time Dallas has allowed the first goal in a match - a nine-game span with a singular 0-0 draw in the middle. The team is now 2-8-4 when conceding first, compared to an unbeaten 6-0-3 record when scoring first. If FCD is going to right the ship and make a playoff run, they need to play with intensity and create chances from the opening whistle.
Card Trouble
A second minute yellow card issued to Carlos Gruezo put Dallas in a hole early on against Atlanta’s high-powered attack. Unable to afford another first-half double yellow like Jacori Hayes saw a week ago against New York, Gruezo was limited in what he could do to stop playmaker Miguel Almiron (who had two assists) and was subbed out at halftime to avoid a second yellow. I mentioned during the week that Gruezo would have the biggest task in shutting down the DP and the early warning put him at a very early disadvantage.
Both Gruezo and defender Matt Hedges will be on yellow card accumulation warning this weekend as Seattle comes to town.
