Clicking on all cylinders on Saturday night, FC Dallas made a statement as they won 3-1 against Real Salt Lake at Toyota Stadium and picked up their second straight win.
It was a much-needed victory as Dallas is chasing points before their 115-day away-from-home run that is quickly approaching.
Lineups and Tactics
After seeing some success in their previous game against Red Bull New York, FC Dallas held the fluid 4-4-2 formation that often rotated to a 3-4-3 when Herman Johansson would push forward during their transition to an offensive possession.
There were no changes in the starting XI, nor were there in the reserves either, as head coach Eric Quill opted to stick with a lineup that saw success in their previous matchup. In goal, Michael Collodi earned his 12th start of the season, with a backline that consisted of Nolan Norris, Osaze Urhoghide, Shaq Moore, and Johansson.
Ran Binyamin and Joaquín Valiente both started opposite each other at LM and RM, respectively. Similar to Johansson, Valiante would push forward as well when the possession was moving up the field for the Burn.
Real Salt Lake sported a 3-4-3 formation, with Rafael Cabral earning his 11th start of the season in goal. The front three pairing of Diego Luna (LW), Sergi Solans (ST), and Morgan Guilavogui (RW) spent the majority of the night rotating positions across the field, creating a bit of havoc for the backline of Dallas.
The trio of defenders for the away side consisted of Sam Junqua, Philip Quinton, and DeAndre Yedlin, with Zavier Gozo (RWB) and Juan Sanabria (LWB) opposite each other at wingback. Gozo, the Utah Native, earned his 11th start of the season and was tied for the most assists on the team coming into the game.
Most notably absent from the starting XI was Justen Glad, who was replaced by Quinton at CB. Glad had started all 10 games prior to their matchup against Dallas and led the team in both clearances and aerial duels.
The Game
FC Dallas took an early 1-0 lead just 18 minutes into the game. As Kaick battled for possession, Petar Musa picked up the ball towards the top of the box. Musa then laid it off to Santi Moreno, who took a couple of dribbles and slotted it home for his first goal of the season.
Minutes later, the Burn doubled their lead. In the 24th minute, Ramiro played a ball forward to Musa. The Croatian pushed the ball forward and took a shot from inside the box. The rebound fell out to Kaick, who shot and also managed to score his first goal of the season, giving FC Dallas a 2-0 lead in the process.
“We started really bright,” coach Quill said. “We were on the front foot, organized behind the ball, and scored two great goals. We knew in the second half they were going to push numbers forward and become aggressive trying to find a goal, which they eventually did late.”
Despite numerous opportunities, neither team managed to find the back of the net until nearly the end of the game. However, this time, it would be Real Salt Lake who managed to cut the Dallas lead to 1.
In the 85th minute, after a failed Dallas counter, Guilavogui found Luna in the box after Salt Lake pressed on the transition. Luna set up his shot with a dribble and curled one in from just inside the box. Dallas remained ahead, 2-1.
As the final whistle loomed, Sam Sarver sealed the game with a goal in the 92nd minute. After a Luna corner was headed away by Sebastien Ibeagha, Sarver was off to the races and outran three defenders before dribbling around Cabral and finishing for the final goal of the 3-1 win.
“Sam’s goal to restore the two-goal lead was outstanding,” coach Quill said. “It was an incredible individual play and showed the qualities he has. He’s incredibly fast, and to bring that ball down and go coast to coast the way he did was special.”
As mentioned earlier, there were a number of players who performed well tonight. Petar Musa, with an assist, both Santi Moreno and Sam Sarver with their goals, my Man of the Match was Kaick.
Kaick completed 88% of his 24 passes, had 41 touches, and netted his first goal of the season. The Brazilian finally seems to be coming into his own as he seems to be more cerebral on the ball and is becoming a much-needed everyday starter for the team.
Up next, FC Dallas welcomes the Vancouver Whitecaps to Toyota Stadium on Wednesday, May 13th at 7:30 pm CT. The Whitecaps are currently 8-1-1 on the season.
Superman Sam Sarver.
Not sure if ever saw a player run that distance to score a goal.
Keep on winning FC Dallas