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May 16, 2009
ROCHA GOAL EARNS TIE FOR FCD
FCD lifts game in second half to preserve tie
By Phil Stephens
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Brek Shea helped the FCD offense come alive in the second half. The extra energy helped keep Seattle from the goal and preserved a 1-1 first place tie.
Photo by Michael Stephens |
FRISCO, TX--It’s not always what you deserve, but what you get that counts. For the first half, Dallas deserved a two or three goal deficit to the visiting Seattle Sounders. What they got was a 1-1 tie, courtesy of a stoppage time goal by Andre Rocha. Then Dallas earned the point in the second half with better defense and more offensive pressure.
Dallas was active at the beginning, but Seattle quickly showed its pedigree with a goal by Jhon Hurtado in the 18th minute. Marcelo Saragosa couldn’t cover the lanky Hurtado early in the box and the Sounders’ defender cranked a chip over Dallas goalie Ray Burse, who came up to pressure Hurtado. It was almost a side scissor that floated up and into the net. It was a bit of a youthful mistake by Burse, falling into a case of on-the-job-training.
Seattle continued to pressure but had lousy finishing. In the fifth minute the skillful Fredy Montero picked up a quick cross to the box and fired a point blank shot that Drew Moor stopped off the line with his foot.
Nate Jaqua had a point blank shot off the side of his foot, but it went just left of the posting the 37th minute. He missed again just before time after he outdueled Saragosa on the loft. Again his shot was wide.
Earlier, in the 37th minute, midfielder Brad Evans dueled FCD’s Daniel Torres hip to hip down the middle and pulled apart for just enough room to try a long chip with Burse off his line. The ball bounced slowly into the right post and out.
Dallas managed a few chances, totaling seven shots to nine for Seattle. In the 22nd minute, Kenny Cooper had an opportunity on a free kick from 23 yards, but skied the ball badly. Cooper went wide on a hard shot in the 34th minute. But the Red and White stripes shocked Seattle in stoppage time when Saragosa countered down the left side and hit Rocha wide right in the box. The Brazilian stretched his right leg out wide and hit the ball at a tough angle and to the left side, getting past Kasey Keller to equalize the game.
It was a big lift for Dallas to get the late equalizer just before intermission. The team had to deal with some untimely injuries in the first half, sending in Brek Shea in the 24th minute after Jeff Cunningham had a problem with his left hip and went out. Just four minutes later, rookie defender George John pulled up lame in the back and went down rubbing his right hamstring.
He slammed his fist on the turf, knowing his night was finished. He was replaced by Daniel Torres. At the end of the half, Steve Purdy went out with a problem in his right leg and was replaced by Bruno Guarda.
Dallas switched to a 3-5-2 for the second half, sending holding mid Pablo Richetti to the back line. The Dallas attack found the “on” button and this time, it was FCD suffering from some unfinished chances.
“It was really difficult for us in the first half,” Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman said. “Seattle came to our stadium and moved the ball quite well. I think our midfield lost the ball 22 times.”
Because of the injuries, Hyndman moved personnel around and decided on a 3-5-2 for the second half. It was the second straight game the team was forced to make such a change.
“It was a good thing we practiced with playing in a 3-5-2 this week, “Hyndman said, “Because we needed it in this game. We got more opportunities and the defense was better.”
One of the key moves was Richetti on the backline. His veteran presence stabilized the back and Shea’s energy and confidence was contagious. Shea definitely added some activity and was denied a goal when he fired a hard header straight to Sounders’ goalie Keller in the 69th minute. Early in the second half, Shea took a pass from Seattle’s Hurtado, swooped in toward a goal and fired a shot that forced a Keller save. Moor had a snap header plucked off by Keller after a corner from Bergh in the 65th minute. In stoppage, Shea took on a deep pass from the back and drew an offside flag. The home crowd didn’t like it when his goal was waved off.
Hyndman pointed to the near future and noted the team has a great opportunity with six games, including tonight’s game with Seattle, of the next nine at home.
The tie inched Dallas up to a tie for last place in the Western Conference with San Jose. The Earthquakes (1-5-2) was idle this weekend and has five points, as does Dallas now at 1-6-2.
Dallas hosts Los Angeles next Saturday, May 23, while Seattle visits Colorado the same day.
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