Despite being down two starters in Osaze Urhoghide and Petar Musa, FC Dallas defeated the Portland Timbers 2-1 at Toyota Stadium. With this win, Dallas has picked up 16 points in their last 7 games and continues to make their way up the Western Conference table.
Lineups and Tactics
The Burn held a 3-4-3 formation with Daniel returning as the team’s starting goalkeeper after suffering an injury against San Diego FC on July 25th. The backline saw one change as Nolan Norris (LCB) was inserted for Urhoghide due to yellow card accumulation.
Ran Binyamin (LWB) and Bernard Kamungo (RWB) remained as the team’s wingbacks, while Santi Moreno (CAM) replaced Christian Cappis in the starting XI. Alongside Moreno, Joaquín Valiente earned his 17th start at CAM.
Kaick and Ramiro were paired together at CM, while Logan Farrington started as the team’s lone striker. Most notably absent from the starting lineup was Musa, who’s still ramping up his minutes from the shoulder injury he sustained against Sporting KC.
The Timbers held a 4-3-3 formation, with James Pantemis in goal for his 25th start of the season. The backline was quite new, as Ian Smith (LB) earned his 2nd start, Joel Waterman (CB) earned his 1st start, and Ronald Hernández (CB) earned his 1st start of the season.
Diego Chará, who’s entering his 16th season with the Timbers, started at CDM. Cole Bassett and Joao Ortiz started alongside Chará in the midfield as dual CM’s. Most notably absent in the midfield was David Da Costa, who sustained an injury in Portland’s last game against St. Louis City SC.
Up top, Omir Fernandez started as the team’s lone striker, while Kristoffer Velde and Antony started at LW and RW, respectively. Velde came into the game with the most assists for the Timbers, with 9 on the season.
The Game
Despite a quiet first half, Dallas managed to find the net before the whistle blew. In the 45th minute, Dallas worked the ball around before Moore lobbed a pass over the back line to Farrington. The striker curled in his 9th goal of the season and gave Dallas a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
“I noticed their defense was stepping up high and I wanted to get that run in behind,” Farrington said. “I didn’t have a great first chance, but as a striker all you need is one chance. Shaq Moore played a great ball in behind, and all I had to do was place it low, and it went in.”
It took nearly another 45 minutes for either team to score again, but Dallas managed to double their lead in the 87th minute. Musa picked up a loose ball in the box; his initial shot was saved, but he followed that shot up with a cross to Valiente, who put home his 2nd goal of the season.
Portland wasn’t done just yet, though. In the 93rd minute, Kamal Miller’s pass to Gage Guerra deflected off his chest; Ariel Lassiter picked it up alone in the box, tapped it in, and made it 2-1. Despite the goal, Dallas walked away with three points and the win.
“Everybody’s contribution has mattered to the results,” Head Coach Eric Quill said. “When you have a variety of guys and the collective group contributing like that, they’re bought in. Everybody has a stake in the game, and they’re having fun. It’s fun when everybody’s contribution is helping propel the club.”
One reason Dallas played so well against Portland was in large part because of their defense. My Man of the Match, Shaq Moore, was the Swiss Army knife for that defense. Not only did he net an assist, but he also added 9 defensive contributions and completed 84% of his 31 passes.
Up next, FC Dallas welcomes Austin FC to Toyota Stadium on Saturday, September 19th at 7:30 pm CT. The Timbers are currently 6-10-8 on the season.
“We want home-field advantage in the playoffs because that gives you a statistical advantage to move on,” coach Quill said. “We want to play in front of our fans, so that’s the goal, to be in those spots. I want to chase first. That’s how I’m wired, and we have plenty of time to do it.”
Instant Reaction – 3 Things
Buzz: Valiente’s 2nd goal, that’s what I get for listening to commentators.