FC Dallas (13-8-5, 44 points) netted three goals and secured its 10th shutout of the season in a key road victory in front of 20, 217 fans tonight at MAPFRE Stadium.
Dallas also made MLS history in the match by starting five Homegrown players including: Victor Ulloa, Kellyn Acosta, Jesse Gonzalez, Coy Craft and Alejandro Zendejas.
Crew SC looked dangerous in the seventh minute of the match, when defender Michael Parkhurst played a through ball to Hector Jimenez on the right flank. The right back ran at goal and looked to have forward Jack McInerney picked out with a quick pass to the top of the six-yard box but FC Dallas defender Zach Loyd was able to dispossess Columbus with a slide tackle to deny Crew SC of a shot on goal.
Columbus was awarded a penalty kick in the 24th minute when a cross from the left flank gave Crew SC’s McInerney a chance to sell referee Baldomero Toledo on a foul in the area. Toledo agreed with McInernery and sent Columbus’ Federico Higuaín to the spot. For the second week in a row, Homegrown goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez was forced to stare down a proven goal scorer from the spot, and for the second time, the 20-year-old was able to make the striker push his shot wide of goal. Higuaín knocked a low shot two feet wide of the post to Gonzalez’s right to keep the match knotted, 0-0.
The miss ignited FC Dallas’ attack and the visitors put the ball in the back of the net three minutes later when Kellyn Acosta lobbed a corner kick to the back post for David Texeira. The Uruguayan forward rose above his marker to head a return pass to the near post for Atiba Harris to calmly nod into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
Dallas held Columbus without a shot on goal in the first half. It was the sixth time this season FCD was able to accomplish the feat.
Acosta had the first good look for FC Dallas in the 59th minute of the second half. The midfielder whistled a free kick wide of the left post after Michael Barrios earned the set piece opportunity, 25 yards away from goal.
FC Dallas defended for the next nine minutes without seeing much of the ball but then managed to catch Columbus with a quick counter-attack goal in the 69th minute. Harris set up the goal with a clearance attempt that hit Barrios in stride and the speedy midfielder did the rest, sprinting 60 yards with the ball before beating Crew SC goalkeeper Steve Clark low to his right side to make it 2-0.
The counter struck again, just three minutes later when Barrios played a ball for himself into space and used his speed to outrun Columbus’ back line. The Colombian nearly had his second of the night but Clark made a nice save. Unfortunately for the goalkeeper, the ball rebounded out to Texeira, who ripped a low hard shot into the far corner of the net from just outside the area.
Dallas’ newest signing, Ezequiel Cirigliano, who came to MLS on loan from Argentine side River Plate on July 22, made his debut in the 79th minute.
FC Dallas returns home to take on New York City FC at Toyota Stadium this Saturday, Sept. 12. The match, presented by Raytheon, is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT.
