FRISCO, TX – Through their rise in the Western Conference rankings FC Dallas continues their stride to the playoffs, facing off against Real Salt Lake. Although the Utah team has also seen their fair share of success this season, according to MLS Soccer Analytics the odds of them making the playoffs are 78%, which would be enough to get them to the postseason. Regardless, FC Dallas has upgraded their defense throughout the season as it showed in the kickoff between the two rivals, with a right footed goal from FC Dallas winger, Alan Velasco.
Head coach Nico Estevez laid the line up with Cerillo, Ferreira, Velasco, Pomykal and Arriola making up the starters which in compilation have assisted the most- for FC Dallas this season. It was the duo Ferreira and Arriola who undertook the first half of the match, starting it off at the 11th minute with a through ball by Ferreira and missed attempt to score by Arriola who was caught on the offside.
“It was a difficult game, from now on each game is going to be a final for us. There was a lot of energy, moments we had a lot of the moments. We had moments of chances to score, and we didn’t. The moment’s led us to score a tie. What I would like from the team is a response…to speed it up to respond with more energy.” said Nico Estevez, FC Dallas Head Coach.
By halftime FCD had led the match with a series of attempted kicks most notably from Ferreira, minutes before halftime with an attempted close right footed shot from the right before missing to the left.
Coming into the second half Pomykal suffers an unknown injury bringing in Midfielder, Brandon Servania who started of strong winning a free kick in the defensive half. RSL takes on a series of subs, taking out Rubio Rubin, Sergio Cordova and strengthening their offense. RSL brings it into a tie with a header goal, shot from Anderson Julio and assisted by Aaron Herrera. The team led it to a draw with 7 minutes of overtime, where we saw Velasco fight to get a through ball repeatedly and ended in receiving a foul and almost getting kicked off the field.
“Each game at home is important…we started off well the 7th minute with a goal…The last pass the last action failed us. The line right now in these types of games is fine, it’s a fine line. We have to be perfect in steps, we are missing the tranquility when passing to each other.” Nico Estevez, Head Coach FC Dallas.
The North Texas team is coming off their 28th game in the season and with a contrasting line up of 2 wins, 2 loses and a draw in the last 5 games, Head Coach Nico Estevez reflects on the last matches. “We are coming from a very bad loss, we lost 4 nothing a week ago and how these guys came into the game, the mentality the confidence, what happened there was not an accident. The responses we had 1-1, I’m proud of them, it’s just the details to be better, to win.”
FC Dallas heads out on the road to take on Minnesota before returning to play home in October.
