FRISCO, TX – For 45 minutes, the 'Caps held their own against the league leaders.
But FC Dallas (13W-6L-5D) scored two goals in the span of three minutes early in the second half en route to a 2-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC (8W-9L-6D) Sunday on a scorching hot evening at Toyota Stadium.
The loss ends Vancouver’s unbeaten run at four matches.
Dallas, meanwhile, extend their home unbeaten run to 17 matches dating back to last August and gain a six-point cushion atop the Major League Soccer table.
Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson made a pair of changes after last weekend’s scoreless draw in Houston, starting Canadian left back Marcel de Jong in place of the injured Jordan Harvey (MCL sprain) and former FC Dallas striker Blas Perez for Nicolas Mezquida.
Perez scored a lot of goals at Toyota Stadium over the years, but his return to Frisco didn’t go as planned.This was never going to be a pretty game – despite the attacking firepower on both sides.
It felt like 40 degrees Celsius at kickoff. Yes, 40 degrees.
That made for a rather uneventful first half, which would have been fairly pleasing for the visitors considering Dallas’ typical dominance at home.
Dallas, the highest scoring team in the Western Conference, did have nearly 60 per cent of possession in the first half. They also created a couple decent chances – Maximiliano Urruti had three shots from dangerous areas but couldn’t hit the target.
For the most part, however, the ‘Caps defended well and remained quite organized. Budweiser Man of the Match Matias Laba, in particular, made things difficult for Mauro Diaz and company, racking up three tackles, two clearances, and an interception in the first 45 minutes.
It was a different story after the break.
Dallas opened the scoring in the 56th minute through Kellyn Acosta, who found some space inside the area after a good spell of possession and beat David Ousted with a low strike to the right. Urruti doubled Dallas’ advantage just three minutes later, finishing from close range after a nice ball over the top from right back Atiba Harris.
And that was basically all she wrote.
Next up for Whitecaps FC is a long trip to Trinidad and Tobago for Tuesday’s CONCACAF Champions League opener vs. Central FC (5 p.m. PT at Ato Boldon Stadium).
The ‘Caps who don't travel to Trinidad tomorrow will remain in Texas ahead of next Saturday’s clash with Colorado Rapids in Commerce City (6 p.m. PT on TSN2 and TSN 1040). Giles Barnes, who Whitecaps FC acquired late Saturday, will join the team in Dallas tomorrow night.
MATCH DETAILS
Budweiser Man of the Match: Matias Laba
Referee: Jair Marrufo
Attendance: 13,824
Scoring Summary
56’ – DAL – Kellyn Acosta (Michael Barrios, Mauro Diaz)
59’ – DAL – Maximiliano Urruti (Atiba Harris)
Stats
Possession: Dallas 57.5 % – Vancouver 42.5 %
Shots: Dallas 16 – Vancouver 6
Shots on Goal: Dallas 2 – Vancouver 1
Saves: Dallas 1 – Vancouver 1
Fouls: Dallas 7 – Vancouver 7
Offsides: Dallas 2 – Vancouver 0
Corners: Dallas 3 – Vancouver 1
Cautions
None
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.David Ousted; 14.Cole Seiler, 4.Kendall Waston, 26.Tim Parker, 33.Marcel de Jong; 17.Andrew Jacobson, 15.MatÃas Laba; 7.Christian Bolaños, 27.Blas Pérez (11.Nicolás Mezquida 64’), 77.Pedro Morales (13.Cristian Techera 73’); 9.Masato Kudo (19.Erik Hurtado 64’)
Substitutes not used
70.Paolo Tornaghi, 8.Fraser Aird, 18.David Edgar, 67.Alphonso Davies
FC Dallas
18.Chris Seitz; 14.Atiba Harris, 25.Walker Zimmerman, 24.Matt Hedges, 31.Maynor Figueroa; 7.Carlos Gruezo, 23.Kellyn Acosta; 21.Michael Barrios (13.Tesho Akindele 73’), 10.Mauro Diaz (77.Mauro Rosales 85’), 12.Ryan Hollingshead, 37.Maximiliano Urruti (22.Carlos Lizarazo 83’)
Substitutes not used
1.Jesse Gonzalez, 2.Aubrey David, 8.Victor Ulloa, 20.Juan Ortiz
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