FC Dallas earns point in 2-2 draw against Toronto FC
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Blas Perez and Andrew Jacobson put FC Dallas up 2-0 before Toronto FC storms back
TORONTO, Canada (Saturday, April 6) – FC Dallas (4-1-1, 13 points) capped its two-game road swing with an exciting 2-2 draw against Toronto FC today at BMO Field. Unbeaten in its last four matches, FC Dallas now returns to FC Dallas Stadium to face the L.A. Galaxy (2-0-2, 8 points) in a match presented by CiCi’s Pizza on Saturday, April 13.
FC Dallas put the Toronto FC back line under pressure in the 11th minute when Kenny Cooper and Blas Perez combined on the right flank to free up Zach Loyd. The right back came forward to send in a measured cross to Jackson at the back post. The line-drive pass beat the Toronto FC defender at the far corner of the six-yard box but left Jackson with a tough angle. The Brazilian attempted to beat Toronto FC goalkeeper Joe Bendik to the near post but his header flew just wide of the left post.
FC Dallas controlled possession for long stretches of the first half, eventually ending the first 45 minutes with a 57-43 edge. Near the 31st minute David Ferreira orchestrated an attack, which led to an open look for Andrew Jacobson, 30 yards from goal. The powerful center midfielder attempted to pick out the far side netting of the goal but instead had his rocket-shot crack off the crossbar before bouncing over the end line.
Moments later, Jacobson got a second crack at goal from five yards out and buried the chance to give Dallas a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute. The buildup once again came from Ferreira. The former MLS MVP won a free kick for Dallas on the right flank, 45 yards from goal. Michel opted to take the set piece and served a dangerous ball to the top of the six-yard box, where Cooper headed a pass that landed at the feet of Jacobson. From the top left corner of the six-yard box, Jacobson crushed another hard shot to the far upper post, giving Bendik no chance to get a hand to the shot.
For the sixth consecutive match, FC Dallas ended the first half with a shutout thanks to a suffocating defense that allowed zero shots on goal through the first 45 minutes.
Dallas took a 2-0 lead in the 59th minute on a goal scored by Perez. Following another set piece opportunity for Dallas, Toronto FC looked to have cleared the ball away from danger before turning the ball over near midfield. Jackson instantly looked to counter and played a perfectly-weighted pass over the top of Toronto’s backline to Perez, who had lost his marker in the shuffle. Perez gave Bendik little opportunity to make a save, blasting home a first-touch volley from seven yards out to give Dallas a two-goal advantage.
Toronto’s comeback began with a goal by Justin Braun in the 85th minute. Toronto FC’s Hogan Ephraim started the attack by playing a dangerous ball into the area from the left flank. FC Dallas goalkeeper Raul Fernandez came off his line to catch the pass but instead got mixed up with defender Matt Hedges, who headed the ball high into the air. The ball fell to second-half substitute Justin Braun, who was able to head the ball into the back of the net before Fernandez could recover. The goal snapped a 272 minute shutout streak for FC Dallas.
Fernandez came up with a huge save on a point-blank shot by Toronto’s Darren O’Dea in the 88th minute but FC Dallas eventually succumbed to Toronto’s heavy pressure in stoppage time.
The final goal of the evening was scored in the 90th minute by Darel Russell, who brought down a lofted cross from Luis Silva at the top of the area. Russell managed to find space and fired a volley that caught the inside of the back post, leveling the final score, 2-2.
Scoring Summary:
DAL – Andrew Jacobson (Kenny Cooper, Michel) 34
DAL – Blas Perez (Jackson) 59
TOR – Justin Braun 85
TOR – Darel Russell (Luis Silva) 90
FC Dallas – Raul Fernandez, Jair Benitez (Bobby Warshaw 86), George John (London Woodberry 45), Matt Hedges, Zach Loyd, David Ferreira, Andrew Jacobson, Michel, Jackson, Kenny Cooper (Fabian Castillo 72), Blas Perez.
Substitutes Not Used: Chris Seitz, Kellyn Acosta, Bradlee Baladez, Je-Vaughn Watson.
TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Jackson 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Blas Perez, London Woodberry, Andrew Jacobson 1); FOULS: 15 (Jackson 5); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 2 (Michel 1, David Ferreira 1); SAVES: 4 (Raul Fernandez 4).
Toronto FC – Joseph Bendik, Darel Russell, Darren O’Dea, Gale Agbossoumonde, Richard Eckersley (Ashtone Morgan 90+), John Bostock (Justin Braun 73), Jeremy Hall, Jonathan Osorio (Luis Silva 45), Reggie Lambe, Hogan Ephraim, Robert Earnshaw.
Substitutes Not Used: Stephan Frei, Doneil Henry, Kyle Bekker, Andrew Wiedeman.
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Robert Earnshaw 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (six players with 1); FOULS: 12 (Richard Eckersley 3); OFFSIDES: 1 (Robert Earnshaw 1); CORNER KICKS: 3 (John Bostock 2); SAVES: 1 (Joseph Bendik 1).
Misconduct Summary:
TOR – Darel Russell (caution) 14
DAL – Jair Benitez (caution) 21
TOR – Hogan Ephraim (caution) 45+
TOR – Luis Silva (caution) 58
DAL – Fabian Castillo (caution) 84
DAL – Andrew Jacobson (caution) 86
TOR – Justin Braun (caution) 90+
Referee: Ismail Elfath
Referee’s Assistants: Kevin Klinger, Kermit Quisenberry
4th Official: Mathieu Bourdeau
Attendance: 16,111
Time of Game: 1:53
Weather: Cloudy, 42 degrees
FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman
What did you think of the game?
We were pleased with the way we played except for the last 10 minutes. Toronto really picked up the pace. They started shoving a lot of people forward. We fell into the trap of just trying to clear the ball. [Fabian] Castillo had a great chance one-on-one with the ‘keeper and missed it. The pressure was just so great. Give Toronto a lot of credit for never dying. They showed great mentality at the end.
What was the difference between this year’s Toronto and last year’s Toronto?
They are a much better team, a more balanced team, and they had some injuries but they are only going to get better. They seem to be working for each other and they are playing with a tactical sense of mentality. I don’t think last year’s team would have come back from being down 2-0.
Was the weather a factor?
We come to this climate only to leave. We are excited about going [home]. It is difficult for the players. The breathing is difficult but the most difficult thing for us was the field. The field was very bumpy, the grass is very thick and I can see how Toronto can cause teams problems.
FC Dallas midfielder Andrew Jacobson
What is your opinion on why or how the game changed?
We went up two goals and they are the home team so they have nothing to lose. You got to give credit to them, they showed great team spirit and they threw a lot of guys forward. We can do a lot better but they did a very good job [coming from behind].
What is the reason for giving up so many late goals in games?
That is something we need to address. We put in a fantastic 85 minutes and we need to learn how to deal with [pressure] because there will be more games where we will be up and those will be the kind of games we need to see out.
FC Dallas defender Zach Loyd
What are your thoughts on the game?
I thought we came out and played well. We got a two goal lead but we kind of took our foot off the pedal and started sitting in and tried to kill the game instead of continuing to play. We took a lot of pressure in the last 30 minutes and I tip my hat to Toronto, they were down two goals and they showed a lot of resilience to come back and get two goals. Going forward with leads we need to not take our foot off the pedal and keep possession. All the pressure we tried to absorb in the final 30 minutes was just too much to handle.
Still, a solid road swing for FC Dallas with four points in two matches?
Yea, we come out with four points so from that perspective it was a great road trip. It was frustrating not to get the six points after being up two goals here today but we are very happy to come away with four points. Now, we get two home games where we hope to win both of them and stay at the top of the table.
Ryan Nelsen- Head Coach, Toronto FC
Clearly a character point for your team?
Yes, delighted to see a second half effort like that, where we dominated the game dominated possession and dominated the chances beside their goal which we were caught on the break. Frustrated by the fact, that it took adversity to get the character and personality out. We are going to learn to show that from the start but it is funny because I am sitting here now the complete opposite from last week and I think the questions were answered tonight about the character and determination of the team against a very good Dallas team.
Five points in the first five games of the season, how are the results matching up to your expectations for the first five games of the season?
If you asked me two months ago or six weeks ago I’d be very happy right now with the schedule and who we are playing. But I feel for the guys who are disappointed because with L.A. and here was an opportunity and they don’t come very often and we are pretty close to being a good team. Just need a bit of belief and we showed we can compete with any team.
Darren O’Dea- Defender, Toronto FC
How did it feel at the end of that game?
It is mixed feelings really, initially we didn’t think we were going to get much out of the game but it was another good step forward from last year where we might have ended up losing the game 3-0. So there were positives, but I’ve said it before the shackles come off when you’re down 2-0, it’s when the game is 0-0 waiting for someone to win it we need to be brave. But this is a point gained.
Takes a lot of things to build character on the team, an effort like this after last week’s result must be positive?
Yes, it gives us belief now that if we do go a goal down we can get back in to the game, strength to get back in to the game and gained some knowledge and belief in ourselves. We need to be stronger and step up earlier, we are waiting to get beat and need to start stronger.
Darel Russell- Defender, Toronto FC
It was a funny game, and you bounced back, that has got to feel great?
Yeah, definitely. Mistakes last week and we end up drawing and it felt like a loss. Then this week I redeemed myself and it almost feels like a win after being 2-0 down. The way we played, we should have started the game the way we finished and we would have had a different result today.
When you hit that ball did you think it was going to be as impressive as it turned out?
I haven’t seen the replay yet so you guys are telling me how good it looks so, I’ll have to wait until I see it. There is one thought in my mind when I saw it coming over, was to control it and have an effort at goal.
Some people wrote you off last week, do you feel like a bit of redemption and silenced some critics?
You’re always going to have critics and that never worries me because they are the guys that I have to repress the most they are the ones that are going to test me and put that pressure on you to keep improving. They are entitled to their opinions and I am going to keep proving them wrong.
Source: FC Dallas.
Last Updated on Monday, 08 April 2013 13:29
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Southwestern trounces UD
Written by Staff
University of Dallas defenders Andrew Kent (7) and Jim O’Toole (21) take the heat off. /Photo by Will Jukes.
By Will Jukes
Southwestern University 13, University of Dallas 2
A shorthanded University of Dallas (UD) men's Lacrosse team lost 13-2 against Southwestern University at Crusader Field in Irving on March 24.
UD fought hard in the 1st quarter, but the larger Southwestern roster ran down the 12 man UD squad. The loss comes on the heels of an encouraging 16-8 win against Centenary College of Louisiana on March 16. The game highlighted the problems of UD's undersized squad, with Southwestern playing an aggressive game, substituting frequently, double-teaming ball carriers and shooting close to the crease.
Southwestern's aggressive play shows in the box scores. They made 30 of 33 clears, won 12 of 18 face-offs and took 60 shots on goal. In comparison, the UD squad made 20 of 38 clears, won 6 of 18 face-offs, and took 16 shots on goal, as well as giving up 44 turnovers to Southwestern's 24. UD held Southwestern to 2 goals and 3 shots in the first quarter but then started slipping, allowing 4 goals in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and 3 in the 4th. UD's Freshman goalkeeper, Ryan Murphy, made 18 saves during the game. Junior attack Tony Lemos put UD on the board with 2 goals for the game, assisted by midfielders Joey Mullen and Alex Ziolkowski.
“Absolutely [they took advantage of our numbers], I would have done the exact same thing. If they get tired, they go to the bench and get more dudes, but we keep on running.” said Ziolkowski.
Fellow midfielder Cody Wooten agreed. “They decided that because we were low on numbers they could pressure out on us, and it really ran us into the ground,” he said.
Head Coach Jeff Guy, however, feels that there's still room to improve.
“We game-planned for it, we practiced for it, but we just didn't do the things we needed to do to clear the ball and be successful,” Guy said. “When they're pressuring out like that, you can't run in straight lines, you can't stop moving your feet. You've got to be able to do that and you've got to see the open space and be able to run into that open space, and unfortunately ,throughout almost the entire game, we weren't able to do that.”
Last Updated on Monday, 08 April 2013 12:39
Hits: 500
UD coach rebuilds struggling lacrosse program
Written by Staff
by Will Jukes
“30 Fulbrights. 0 Heismans. It's Our Priority,” the bragged University of Dallas (UD) in a 2011 ad campaign targeting the type of student the Irving school is known for—bright, driven, a little dorky, and, on the whole, apathetic toward sports. It also betrayed a nearly hostile attitude to the school's languishing athletics department, which struggles with small facilities, a smaller staff and no field lights. Regardless, Jeff Guy wants to win championships.
He is a recent addition to UD athletics, hired in September to coach the school's fledgling lacrosse team, and he brought with him an impressive pedigree of high school and college level coaching experience. Guy formerly worked for the Burn, Arizona's all-star high school team and was defensive assistant for Princeton during their 2012 championship season, but when UD announced they were searching for a new head coach, Guy decided he wanted the greater rewards of a head coaching position – financial and otherwise.
Guy inherited a program that struggled through its first two years of its existence. During his tenure, former head coach Matt O’Connell lead the team to a disappointing 7-23 record. Guy also faces a lack of resources including coaching without a dedicated assistant coach, few athletic trainers, and facilities that are mostly shared with the general student population. The biggest challenge, though, has been working with a small team team—UD fields a 12 man squad, a cripplingly short roster in what’s been called the fastest game on two legs. This gives them little opportunity for substitutions, leaving them without key specialty players such as face-off players and defensive midfielders. Regardless of the challenges, the players Guy has are the kind he wants in the program.
“Right now I’m not recruiting kids and trying to get the guys that were all-conference, trying to get the guys that were all-state or all-Americans in high school. I’m not looking for guys who were four year starters or two year captains for their high school teams,” Guy said. “I’m looking for guys that fit the university’s culture, that fit the university’s academic criteria, and at the same time I’m looking for guys that contributed in some way to their high school program, who’ve shown that they have the ability to make a commitment at a high level to an athletic program.”
Last Updated on Friday, 03 May 2013 14:06
Hits: 389
Southwestern University trounces shorthanded UD
Written by Staff
Photo courtesy of University of Dallas
Pirates 13, Crusaders 2
By Will Jukes
A shorthanded University of Dallas (UD) men's Lacrosse team lost 13-2 against Southwestern University on Sunday, March 24th at Crusader Field in Irving. UD fought hard in the 1st quarter, but the larger Southwestern roster ran down the 12 man UD squad. The loss comes on the heels of an encouraging 16-8 win against Centenary College of Louisiana on March 16th. The game highlighted the problems of UD's undersized squad, with Southwestern playing an aggressive game, substituting frequently, double-teaming ball carriers and shooting close to the crease.
Southwestern's aggressive play shows in the box scores. They made 30 of 33 clears, won 12 of 18 face-offs and took 60 shots on goal. In comparison, the UD squad made 20 of 38 clears, won 6 of 18 face-offs, and took 16 shots on goal, as well as giving up 44 turnovers to Southwestern's 24. UD Held Southwestern to 2 goals and 3 shots in the first quarter but then started slipping, allowing 4 goals in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and 3 in the 4th. UD's Freshman goalkeeper, Ryan Murphy, made 18 saves during the game. Junior attack Tony Lemos put UD on the board with 2 goals for the game, assisted by midfielders Joey Mullen and Alex Ziolkowski.
“Absolutely [they took advantage of our numbers], I would have done the exact same thing. If they get tired, they go to the bench and get more dudes, but we keep on running.” said Ziolkowski. Fellow midfielder Cody Wooten agreed. “They decided that because we were low on numbers they could pressure out on us, and it really ran us into the ground,” he said.
Head Coach Jeff Guy, however, feels that there's still room to improve, “We game-planned for it, we practiced for it, but we just didn't do the things we needed to do to clear the ball and be successful,” he said. “When they're pressuring out like that you can't run in straight lines, you can't stop moving your feet. You've got to be able to do that and you've got to see the open space and be able to run into that open space, and unfortunately throughout almost the entire game we weren't able to do that.”
UD's next game will be against Colorado College on Friday, March 29th at 1:00 pm in Irving.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 02 April 2013 13:55
Hits: 401
FC Dallas extends winning streak to three, beats Revolution, 1-0, on road
Written by Contributor
Blas Perez nets game-winning header in the 87th minute
FOXBORO, Mass. (Saturday, March 30) – FC Dallas improved its record to 4-1-0 (12 points) with a 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium today.
The only goal of the game was scored by second-half substitute Blas Perez in the 87th minute. The goal was assisted by David Ferreira, who is now tied with Montreal’s Patrice Bernier for the league lead in assists with three.
FC Dallas nearly took a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute when Ferreira chipped an entry pass into the area for Kenny Cooper. The FC Dallas forward struck a dangerous ball across the face of goal with his first touch, opening the door for Jackson to finish off the chance, but the Brazilian had the ball skip through his legs and out of bounds for a New England goal kick.
Dallas dominated possession throughout the first half, ending the first 45 minutes with a 62/38 advantage but it was New England’s Diego Fagundez who tested FC Dallas goalkeeper Raul Fernandez in the 34th minute. After receiving a pass from Jerry Bengtson on the left flank, Fagundez cut inside his defender and attempted to pick out the left post. Fernandez made an easy save, diving to his right side to preserve the 0-0 draw. The save was the first of five saves Fernandez would make en route to picking up his second clean sheet in four starts this season.
In the 40th minute, FC Dallas had a great chance to take a 1-0 lead into halftime snuffed out by Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth. The play began with defensive midfielder Andrew Jacobson winning possession back for the visitors near midfield. Michel and Jackson combined in the middle of the field before pushing the ball out to the left flank for Jair Benitez. The defender swung a left-footed pass into space and Ferreira beat New England’s offsides trap, leaving the former MLS MVP alone with Shuttleworth. The 6-2 goalkeeper charged off his line to cut down Ferreira’s angle on goal and managed to catch a piece of Ferreira’s first-touch shot with his left knee to send the game into halftime, 0-0.
New England came out of halftime energized and earned a free kick on the edge of the box in the 58th minute. Former FC Dallas midfielder Juan Toja opted to take the free kick, hammering a shot into the wall. Toja recovered the loose ball after it deflected off the group of players in the wall and chipped a pass to the back post for Bengtson. The Honduran forward rose above a pack of players to redirect a shot on goal, but Fernandez made his best save of the afternoon, leaping backwards to tip the shot over the bar.
The game opened up near the 60th minute, when both sides had multiple opportunities to break the deadlock.
FC Dallas’ chance came first, in the 63rd minute when Cooper chipped a header over Shuttleworth and into the empty net after a perfect cross sent in from the left flank by Benitez. Unfortunately for Dallas, the goal was disallowed by referee David Gantar after his linesman’s flag went up, deeming Cooper offsides.
The Revolution’s chance came in the 69th minute, when an FC Dallas defensive miscue handed New England defender Kevin Alston a one-on-one opportunity against Fernandez. The FC Dallas goalkeeper stood his ground as Alston dribbled the ball towards goal before making a diving save to his left side to knock the ball away from danger.
Perez ended the goal-scoring drought in the 87th minute, after another nice build-up down the left sideline found Ferreira open at the top of the area. The Colombian playmaker lobbed a pass to the back corner of the six-yard box for Perez, who snuck in-behind his marker and headed a shot toward the back post. The bouncing shot evaded Shuttleworth and caught just enough of the inside of the post before it settled into the back of the net to give Dallas the 1-0 victory.
Scoring Summary:
DAL – Blas Perez (David Ferreira) 87
FC Dallas – Raul Fernandez, Jair Benitez (Bobby Warshaw 90), George John, Matt Hedges, Zach Loyd, David Ferreira, Andrew Jacobson, Michel, Jackson, Fabian Castillo (Je-Vaughn Watson 82), Kenny Cooper (Blas Perez 64).
Substitutes Not Used: Chris Seitz, Eric Hassli, London Woodberry, Kellyn Acosta.
TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (David Ferreira, Blas Perez 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Blas Perez 2); FOULS: 9 (Fabian Castillo 2); OFFSIDES: 3 (Blas Perez, Kenny Cooper, Fabian Castillo 1); CORNER KICKS: 6 (Michel 4); SAVES: 5 (Raul Fernandez 5).
New England Revolution – Bobby Shuttleworth, Andrew Farrell, A.J. Soares, Jose Goncalves, Kevin Alston (Chris Tierney 88), Lee Nguyen, Clyde Simms, Juan Toja, Ryan Guy (Kelyn Rowe 60), Jerry Bengtson, Diego Fagundez (Andy Dorman 85).
Substitutes Not Used: Luis Soffner, Chad Barrett, Kalifa Cisse, Stephen McCarthy.
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Lee Nguyen 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (five players with 1); FOULS: 14 (Jerry Bengtson 4); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 1 (Lee Nguyen 1); SAVES: 3 (Bobby Shuttleworth 3).
Misconduct Summary:
DAL – David Ferreira (caution) 51
NE – Kelyn Rowe (caution) 64
Referee: David Gantar
Referee’s Assistants: Craig Lowry, Kevin Klinger
4th Official: Mathieu Bourdeau
Attendance: 10,284
Time of Game: 1:51
Weather: Sunny, 56 degrees
FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman
On controlling the first half but not getting a goal…
There is always the frustration when you are controlling a game, and I thought the first half we did a very good job controlling it. Second half, we were just a little bit anxious to try to get that killer ball. That is probably what you mean by the frustrations. When we were doing that and [the goals] weren’t happening and then they starting finding much more space and we started getting stretched out a little bit. But I thought we created enough chances to score a goal.
In the second half, they started creating some good chances for themselves. Frustration is something we’ll have to continue to look at videos and see what we can improve on.
A big part is that the team really enjoys each other. You never know how important team chemistry is until you lose it. We struggled with that the last year and a half. This year, the guys are really playing for each other. They’re working for each other. They are following directions. They are having great training sessions.
On his second half substitutions…
For us it was obviously Blas [Perez] scoring the game winner, a very good player. He played two games last week with Panama and he came back a little bit banged up. We wanted to rest him the best we could. But what a great substitute to be making, a player of that quality. Then Je-Vaughn [Watson] came in and it helped us a little bit on the flank because Fabian [Castillo] was getting a little tired. Bobby [Warshaw] came in and just kind of anchored things down for us. Jair [Benitez] got a little bit of a hamstring strain. You saw Michel, a very good central midfielder, but he is really a left full back. Very happy to come here, a difficult place to play and come out with the result.
On the play of New England’s Lee Nguyen…
I have such a great respect for Lee [Nguyen]. He came out of Dallas, is a very good player. We’ve have known him since he was 12 years of age. Very technical, good vision, probably one of the better passers in the league. But we also know that he likes to come into the middle. He goes out wide then looks to come into the middle. Today his passes were good, but our defense was shutting down the targets. He is a dangerous player.
On Kevin Alston’s chance for New England in the 69th minute…
That was kind of a goofy sequence there, where our two defenders, both going for the same ball and the it slips through and all of a sudden there goes [Kevin Alston], one on one with the keeper. What a great save from our goalkeeper Raul [Fernandez]. That could have been the game right there …
On his starting lineup this week compared to last week…
It was really the same. Blas [Perez] was gone and Raul [Fernandez] was gone. The only change was we made was Chris Seitz started for us in goal. Chris Seitz’s partner just had a baby the other day at 3 o’clock in the morning, so he missed the next day of training, as you would think. We gave him another day off. So for Raul [Fernandez] to step in was good. Probably the only change. I think the substitutes were a little bit different.
On bringing Blas Perez on for Kenny Cooper…
What we felt like, we just needed someone fresh up there that could hold the ball a little bit different [than Kenny Cooper]. When you bring in a Blas Perez, it does affect the opposition quite a bit. Mentally, [they] go, wow, OK good. Kenny’s out now here come Blas. Are you kidding? He adds something a little bit different. We found him a couple times and he could have had another [goal besides the one he did score].
FC Dallas midfielder Andrew Jacobson
General thoughts on the match…
I thought we did a good job. We moved the ball quickly. Tactically, we were very sound. We let our attackers do their thing. It was a very sound game for us. [We] gave ourselves a chance to win.
On FC Dallas 4-1-0 start to the season…
Obviously it is a good start [to the season]. You want to collect as many points as possible. We are doing it in the right manner. It is not just collecting points. We are playing well. We are very organized. We are playing to our strengths and we are really working on progressing every week. Every year is going to be different. Everything is going to be different, whether it is good or bad. It is just different. This is a real group here. We’ve got everyone pulling for each other. Everyone is excited. Everyone is backing each other up. It is a good feeling. Obviously when you are winning, everything seems easy. We believed in ourselves from the beginning. It is starting to show, but we still have a lot of work to do. We feel good going forward.
FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper
General thoughts on the match…
The team did well to battle. We’ve gotten off to a great start and this just improved our record. It might be the best start in the club’s history. Four and one is great and hopefully we can continue to improve upon it.
On the team…
It’s a great group of guys from back to front. The team is playing really well with a lot of confidence. Our coaches prepare us really well every week. We have great training sessions. So far, it’s been great. Obviously, it’s still early but hopefully we can keep this form going.
On his disallowed goal…
Sometimes calls go for you and sometimes against you. [The called back goal] didn’t go for us, but it’s OK because we got one in the end and the win is the most important thing.
On returning to Dallas…
It’s been great. I’m very appreciative to have the opportunity to play again in front of my family and friends. To feel appreciated by the club, as well, is great and I’m really happy to be back.
New England Revolution head coach Jay Heaps
General thoughts on the match…
It was a tough game for us. Our second half was much better than our first half. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as you know. We’ve got to get better in a lot of areas from the coaches to the players and every aspect of the game, from set pieces to offensive set pieces, defensive set pieces, to moving the ball, to attacking, to … just all areas of the game need to get better. I think that the first half, there wasn’t enough movement, there wasn’t enough playing the ball quickly and a lot of what we worked on all week just seemed to go away. And then in the second half, that was more our group but unfortunately you need 90 minutes to unlock a team. You need more than 45 minutes to play and unfortunately we only came for 45 minutes.
(We put in) Diego (Fagundez) for a little more offense. I thought he brought it tonight. I thought Diego did alright, a couple turnovers, but overall it was positive in what he was trying to do. Ryan (Guy) more for penetration to extend the field. We wanted to be aggressive and we saw what we were trying to do in the second half. The first half was really just not good enough, quite frankly, and I think that it exerted a lot of energy from us even to just stay in the game in the first half. The second half when we needed to have a little bit more kick and a little more bite, we didn’t have it.
I want to have a balance attack and looking at the sheet here we had five shots on goal and they had four shots on goal, and we had nine attempts on goal and they had 10. We only had one in the first half; we had eight in the second half. That’s not balanced enough just in terms of the way the game goes. I like it when guys like Diego (Fagundez) and Jerry (Bengtson) and Juan (Toja) and Kelyn (Rowe) are in the box when we go forward but right now our play is a little bit out of synch with what our runs are, and that’s where I think we just have to continue to get better every week.
On working on finishing during training…
Obviously, we practice [finishing] and practice it. I mean, it’s something that we do a lot of. Maybe we do it too much. We work on those things and you want to get yourself in a place to finish. I thought tonight we had chances to score and we didn’t and so, we go back and work harder as a staff, as a team to take care of those chances when we get them. Soccer is a tough game. You can’t design plays when the game is free flowing, but you can put yourself in a lot of those different situations. We feel we need to do that and continue to do it and hopefully, like you say, it works.
On Dallas’ goal…
I’ve got to be honest, I have to see [Dallas’ goal] on film. I was trying to get it up when I went back in [the office]. We were making a sub at the time and we were going over assignments. I’ve got to look at it, but my recollection is that Kevin (Alston) was down and then he came out which we would rather him stay off the field or stay down or whatever the scenario may be or we could of stopped the time. Maybe they took advantage of that and scored.
On his substitutions…
We brought in Kelyn (Rowe) for the fresh legs and then we started to click a little bit. It looked like we were doing some pretty good things and I knew Diego (Fagundez) was tired and he hadn’t played 90 yet, so I knew he was tired but he seemed so positive in what he was doing - a lot of what he was trying to do – so I didn’t want to take him out too soon. My thought was I knew Kevin (Alston) was struggling a little bit at half time so I didn’t want to waste, not waste, but I didn’t want to make two subs right away. I wanted to see how it played out and I thought we started to pick up the game a little bit. Even during that stance I sat with my staff and said we’ve got control of this a little bit, let’s keep it what it is because I thought if we scored we were going to make two subs right away. We were going to take Kevin (Alston) off to be a little more solid because I just thought he was starting to waver; it looked like he was hurt a little bit and then maybe bring in another midfielder or switch Jerry (Bengtson) up because it looked like Jerry was getting a little tired. I thought that during that time we didn’t make any subs, that was probably our best run of soccer, so I thought that was the best group to help us win at that time.
New England Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth
On Dallas’ goal…
It looked like [David] Ferreira just kind of cut it back and there were two guys at the back post. [Blas] Perez got up and headed it across, and to be fair, he put it in a good spot, probably the only spot I couldn’t have saved it.
General thoughts on the match…
We had a lot of pretty good chances in the second half. I thought we had the better of the run of play and they had a couple half chances. It was not a good enough effort from all of us, I think, at home. Especially in the first half. The second half was better, but everyone’s got to be better from start to finish, myself included.
What was the difference from the first half to the second half…
We just came out in the second half and were a bit livelier and got forward a bit more. I don’t know what it was in the first half, but it just didn’t seem like we were into it from the first whistle.
On getting the start…
By this point, I’m pretty much used to it. I’m not first, second year in the league anymore. I’m five years in, so it’s nothing new for me. Whenever I’m called upon I’m more than willing and ready to play. Hopefully we begin to get better results. They told me earlier in the week I was playing today.
New England Revolution forward Diego Fagundez
General thoughts on the match…
It was a tough game. We were all trying to fight for the three points. I don’t think anyone wanted to give it up and we just kept fighting and fighting. We had our chances and, of course, they just had one chance and they finish it off. We got a nice speech at halftime saying that we need to work harder and our possession was slow enough. We came out in the second half trying to get a better possession and try getting the three points.
I’m really comfortable [playing on the left wing]. I like going one on one against defenders or moving around, especially when you have a lot of good players like Juan (Toja) and Lee (Nguyen) and Ryan (Guy) and Jerry (Bengtson) up top. We can move around and get open. I was loving it [the playing time]. I got 80-something minutes and it felt like I had been playing for a while. The training’s been going well for me so once I stepped on the field it was game-on for me.
Really, I think we are all trying so hard to get three points and the goals. The keepers are just making good saves. We are trying everything we can. We’re crossing the ball. We’re trying to get into the box. Someone needs to step up and try scoring that goal and then I think once we get it, I think we’ll be all set.
Do you think you are trying too hard?
No, I don’t think we are trying too hard. Any team that is 0-0 and you want to get the victory, especially at home, you want to go for it. Either you take out a defender and you put another forward, or you do something else to try and get more attackers.
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Last Updated on Monday, 01 April 2013 07:48
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