After conceding possession for much of the game, FC Dallas could not find an equalizer and went on to lose 1-0 against San Diego FC at Snapdragon Stadium.
Since the World Cup break, the Burn are 0-1-1 in their first two games and sit at 6th in the Western Conference.
Lineups and Tactics
Per usual, Dallas maintained a 4-4-2 formation, with Daniel getting his 2nd start of the season in goal for his new team. Head Coach Eric Quill made three substitutions from their previous game, including Petar Musa returning to the starting XI in place of Logan Farrington.
Up top next to Musa, Patrickson Delgado started at ST after Ran Binyamin replaced Santi Moreno. This move allowed Binyamin to play out wide at RM and Delgado to slide up top. No additional changes were made in the midfield.
On the backline, Sebastien Ibeagha replaced Herman Johansson, which allowed Shaq Moore to transition out wide to RB, a position he’s seen plenty of minutes at over the course of his career. Nolan Norris remained at LB, and Osaze Urhoghide started at CB for the 14th time this season.
San Diego sported a 4-3-3 formation, with Carlos Dos Santos getting his 4th start of the season. The backline consisted of their normal rotation of defenders as Kieran Sargeant (LB), Manu Duah (CB), Christopher McVey (CB), and Oscar Verhoeven (RB) all started.
Making his debut in the starting XI, Alejandro Alvarado earned his first start of the season at CM. The 22-year-old Los Angeles native was paired with Onni Valakari (CM) and Jeppe Tverskov (CDM) in the midfield.
Up top, Alex Mighten made his 5th start of the season at LW, opposite Anders Dreyer (RW), who leads the team in assists with 9. Most notably absent from the starting lineup was forward Amahl Pellegrino, who has 2 goals and 3 assists through 11 games.
The Game
Daniel made 3 saves early on in the game, but was subbed off for Jonathan Sirois in the 19th minute with what appeared to be a hyperextended hamstring after making a split-save to keep the game level 0-0.
“They moved us around and found the goal they needed,” Quill said. “They dominated the play and unfortunately (goalkeeper) Daniel went down early, and Jonathan Sirois came in and played great for us.”
After 45 minutes of action (mostly from San Diego), this game remained level at 0-0. The home side held 73% of the possession and accumulated 2 shots on target through the first half. Dallas, with an xG of 0.10, added 0 shots on goal and completed a measly 71% of their passes.
A rough half for the Burn, indeed.
San Diego broke through in the second half. In the 50th minute, Alvarado dribbled past two defenders and, from outside the box, fired a low strike to the bottom right corner for his first MLS goal and the 1-0 lead for the home side.
“Tough result,” Moore said. “We knew it was going to be a tough place to come in and get points. They’re a good football team. They make you chase, and they take care of the ball. So this wasn’t our night.”
Dallas would add 2 more shots, including 1 on goal; however, they could not find the back of the net and ultimately lost 1-0. Out-possessed, out-passed, and out-shot. Nothing went well for the road side in a rematch that saw 5 fewer combined goals from their previous meeting at Toyota Stadium.
In what may be his only opportunity to claim the spot as Man of the Match, Sebastien Ibeagha managed to play better than every other player for Dallas, statistically speaking. 8 clearances, 3 tackles, 2 recoveries, and most importantly, he didn’t stand out in a negative way. Which is all you can really ask for from the 34-year-old defender.
Up next, FC Dallas travels to Dignity Health Sports Park to take on the LA Galaxy on Saturday, August 1st at 9:30 pm CT. The Galaxy are currently 5-7-6 on the season.