After having his PK saved in the dying moments of the game, Petar Musa was unable to find the game-winning goal, resulting in a 1-1 draw for FC Dallas against Sporting KC at Sporting Park. With this draw, the Burn remain 2nd in the Western Conference with one game remaining in the season.
Lineups and Tactics
Despite what the broadcast said, Dallas came out in a 3-4-3 formation. Jonathan Sirois returned to the starting XI for his 11th start. With Shaq Moore and Nolan Norris both suspended due to Yellow Card accumulation, Lalas Abubakar (LCB) and Sebastien Ibeagha (RCB) were inserted into the lineup.
Kaick replaced Christian Cappis in the central midfield and played more as an 8, while his counterpart, Ramiro, played more as a 6. Out wide on the wings, Ran Binyamin started at LWB, while Herman Johansson started at RWB.
Up top, more changes took place as Daniel Job replaced Musa and slid over to the left as a 10 to create room for Santi Moreno to start as the team’s ST. Joaquín Valiente replaced Patrickson Delgado and started as the team’s other 10.
Kansas City sported a 4-4-2 formation, with Stefan Cleveland earning his 24th start of the season. The backline consisted of Emir Karić (LB), Wyatt Meyer (CB), Jansen Miller (CB), and Jacob Davis (RB). 24-year-old Davis captained Kansas City for the game.
In the midfield, former Austin FC player Owen Wolff started at CM, alongside Jacob Bartlett (CM). Capita and André Luiz started out wide, with Capita starting at LM and Luiz at RM. Most notably absent from the starting XI was midfielder Lasse Berg Johnsen, who has completed the most passes for SKC this season.
Up top, Rubén Ramos and Taylor Calheira started as dual strikers for Kansas City. The pair of forwards have accounted for 12 goals total, which is almost 1/3rd of the team’s goals this season.
The Game
Dallas kicked off the scoring early, as Moreno played Binyamin through in the 19th minute. The LWB made his run into the box, then unselfishly laid it off to Johansson, who banged home his 1st goal in an FC Dallas uniform, giving the away side a 1-0 lead.
“I thought we were together, our tactics were right, and we had tightened our structure,” Head Coach Eric Quill said. We even got a great goal in the first half, which started from Jonathan (Sirois), went to DJ (Daniel Job) and ended with Ran (Binyamin) keeping his composure to set up Herman (Johansson) for a great goal.”
Not to be outdone, however, Kansas City found a way to equalize before the halftime whistle. After winning a free kick in the 2nd minute of stoppage time, Wolff curled in a cross from right to left, which found Miller uncovered at the back post. The defender’s header tied the game at 2.
“There was an unmarked player at the back post,” Osaze Urhoghide said. “We worked a lot on set pieces and defending corners this season, so we’re disappointed to have conceded that goal late in the first half.”
The 2nd half proved to be far more favorable for the road side. Dallas outshot SKC in terms of total shots, 8 to 3. However, only 1 of their 8 shots found the target. Dallas also accrued an xG of 1.42, but had nothing to show for it.
In the 95th minute of the game, Dallas was awarded a PK after Anderson Julio’s shot deflected off of Miller’s arm in the box. Musa stepped up for the kick, fired it towards the left side of the goal, and had his shot saved by Cleveland. The missed PK resulted in the game finishing as a 1-1 draw.
In what would be one of his best games of the season, Ran Binyamin was my Man of the Match. His assist to Johansson was, in large part, the sole reason this game finished as a draw. He also added 6 defensive contributions as well.
Up next, FC Dallas welcomes the Colorado Rapids to Toyota Stadium on Saturday, November 7th at 6:00 pm CT, for the final regular-season game of the year. The Rapids are currently 12-14-7 on the season.
“We’re going to do whatever it takes to win in our next match against the Colorado Rapids,” Urhoghide said. “We’re disappointed that we couldn’t finish at the top of the Western Conference this season, but we’re determined to finish second. We’ll do whatever it takes.”
Instant Reaction – 3 Things
