September 9, 2012
STAYING SHARP
FC Dallas plays Mexico’s Leon to a 3-3 draw

FRISCO, Texas – FC Dallas played Liga MX side Club Leon to a 3-3 draw in a Sunday night exhibition match at FC Dallas Stadium. Leon prevailed 4-3 in the penalty kick tiebreaker.

FC Dallas started the match on the attack when David Ferreira stole the ball off a Leon defender in the ninth minute. Ferreira combined with Jackson and James Marcelin before the ball was sent out wide to right back Hernan Pertuz. The defender sent a quality cross into the area, where Jackson won a header, but directed it straight at Leon goalkeeper Christian Martinez, who made an easy save.

Club Leon fired right back and took a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute, via a corner kick. Edgar Pacheco sent the ball to the near post for defender Juan Carlos Pineda, who outmaneuvered his marker to redirect a shot past FC Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz.

Dallas leveled the score in the 24th minute. The offensive spark came from Homegrown Player Bryan Leyva, who accepted a pass on the left flank and chipped a cross into the area for Marcelin. The 6-2 Haitian got a piece of the ball, redirecting a pass by a Leon defender to center back George John. The quick series of touches crossed up Martinez and allowed John to send the ball into the back of the net with a simple touch off his right knee to bring the score to 1-1.

Marcelin, Pertuz and Jackson combined to test Martinez once again in the final seconds of the first half. Marcelin swung the ball out wide for Pertuz, who sent a cross into the center of the six-yard box. Jackson arrived late, but managed to slip between two Leon defenders to direct a shot on goal. Martinez dove to keep the Brazilian off the scoresheet.

During the halftime break, FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman brought on Ricardo Villar for Leyva on the left flank and Bobby Warshaw in favor of Daniel Hernandez in the defensive midfield. Club Leon brought on a completely new lineup. Both sides came out of the break looking to score goals.

FC Dallas took its first lead of the match in the 49th minute, when Jackson was played in alone on goal against Club Leon goalkeeper Edgar Hernandez. Jackson sidestepped the charging goalkeeper and continued to the left side of goal before pulling up and firing a shot at the near post. Club Leon defender Ignacio Gonzalez successfully backed up his goalkeeper, blocking Jackson’s shot off the goal line and up into the air. Fortunately for Dallas, the rebound fell directly back to Jackson, who sent a quality side-volley into the far side netting for the 2-1 lead.

Leon marched right back down the field and evened the score, 2-2, in the 53rd minute. The goal came from Sebastian Maz, who was played in on goal by teammate Edwin Hernandez. Hernandez got the ball to Maz with a well-placed chip over Dallas’ back line from 30 yards out. Seitz attempted to beat Maz to the ball, but the Uruguayan forward skillfully lobbed a shot over Seitz’s head just as the goalkeeper was arriving.

Club Leon took its second lead of the match in the 63rd minute, when Carlos Pena took a pass from Eisner Loboa in the center of the area, turned past his defender and struck a shot that deflected off FC Dallas defender Matt Hedges and into the goal.

FC Dallas brought the match level once again in the 83rd minute. Villar swung a corner kick into the center of the area for Matias Jara, who headed a shot towards the far post. There, Warshaw stepped in front of Hernandez to knock a dribbler over the line to knot the score, 3-3.

Following regulation, both clubs sent five shooters to the spot for the penalty kick shootout. Both goalkeepers came up with a save in the first round before Dallas’ Jair Benitez and Leon’s Luis Montes netted goals in the second round. Leon’s Hernandez stopped Scott Sealy in the third round while Jose Juan Vazquez scored to give the Mexican side a 2-1 advantage. Bruno Guarda and Ignacio Gonzalez tallied goals in the fourth round before Dallas’ Warshaw leveled the score 3-3 to apply a bit of pressure to Leon’s last kicker, Maz. Fortunately for Leon, Maz was able to finish off the final shot, low to the left post, to give Leon the 4-3 victory.