VANCOUVER — FC Dallas faced the Vancouver Whitecaps on the third weekend of MLS looking for a second straight win posterior a great performance against LA Galaxy last week. Los Toros will have to wait at least another week to get their second victory this season and the Whitecaps, will continue looking for their first one after three games without getting the three points.
Nico Estevez’s squad began the game in Vancouver with a change from last week’s starting eleven. The coach changed Jose Martinez for Sebastien Ibeagha and it was not too long before the change went as good as it could have been. Following a couple of disputed balls in the Whitecaps area, Burgess crossed the ball to the penalty spot and Ibeagha header it to the back of the net at the 5th minute of the first half. Los Toros wanted more, and the next occasion was almost immediate. Alan Velasco, after a fast paced transition to attack passed it to Arriola and let him in front of Takaoka, but this time the goalkeeper saved it.
The Whitecaps reaction was not going to be much after this. Following a long ball from the midfield that Ibeagha cleared but was rapidly recovered by Schöpf, one the changes made from the starting men against Real C.D. España, he went to the right side of the box, crossed it to White but he couldn’t get the job done at the 11th minute. The opportunities continued, after a deflected cross from the right side and disputing the ball on the air, White found a rebound in front of Paes, but the goalkeeper made an outstanding save to keep FC Dallas with the lead.
The amplitude given by attacking defenders on the sides continues to be effective to Estevez’s squad. Alan Velasco with an almost identical movement to the one who got Arriola the chance after the goal, found Twumasi on the right side, but the pass wasn’t good to find Ferreira who shoot the ball but was deflected at the 31st minute. The deflection turned into a corner kick, and Ibeagha found an opportunity to score the second goal of the game but this time his header would find the crossbar. There’s a popular saying in this game, “if you don’t do them, they do them to you” and it was just like this. The Vancouver team found an opportunity just after Ibeagha’s miss from a long throw deflected to the far post by Veselinović that Arriola, by accident convert in his own goal tying the game at the 34th minute. The intensity of the first half continued, Andrés Cubas got a yellow card for a fould to Pomykal just before the midfield line, and the first 45 were not over. Vanni Sartini’s men would have another chance, Gressel with a long distance pass to the area that White header to the goal but found Paes again, who saved FC Dallas of falling behind just before the end of the first half.
The second half began with a substitution, trying to keep the momentum Sartini substituted Dájome and got in Sergio Córdova to gain numbers upfront. Three minutes passed and the first scoring chance appeared to Ryan Gauld, after a great pass by Schöpf but the Whitecaps captain missed the goal on his shot. Gauld would have another scoring occasion, at the 69th minute when FC Dallas goal scorer cleared a cross to the middle of the penalty area but again the playmaker failed to find the goal. Los Toros managed to hold the tie before having a clear shot, at the 77th minute, a great run again from the right side but made by Pomykal, that continued with a long pass to the other side, were Farfan tried a volley and missed Takaoka’s goal.
The 5 minutes of stoppage time would be as intense as this whole game was, first FC Dallas would find a great opportunity after a corner rebound that Velasco smashed to the goal but couldn’t find the goal at the 92th minute of the game. The Whitecaps would find what could have been the winning occasion just 1 minute before the end of the game, Veselinović tried a cross from the left side that went through the entire area and Córdova missed the pass just by a few inches leaving the game tied.
FC Dallas will face Sporting Kansas City, at Toyota Stadium on Saturday March 18, at 7:30 p.m. and will try to look for the second victory this season at home, where they got their first one. Vancouver Whitecaps FC will play against Real C.D. España in the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday and will continue their MLS tournament against LA Galaxy on the road on Saturday as well, but at 9:30 p.m.
