MONTERREY, Mexico - FC Dallas won the inaugural Rio Grande Plate versus Tigres UANL tonight at the Estadio Universitario in Monterrey, Mexico. The return leg of the home-and-home series ended 2-0 in favor of Tigres, which evened the aggregate goal series at 2-2 since Dallas won the first leg 2-0 at Pizza Hut Park on July 19. FC Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala saved the sixth Tigres penalty and then converted the game-winning kick to give FC Dallas the first Rio Grande Plate.
Tigres wasted little time getting back into the series when they opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game. Tigres forward Walter Gaitan received a ball on the right side of the box and sent in a low cross back across the area where teammate Aldo de Nigris timed his run perfectly to one-time the ball past FCD goalkeeper Jeff Cassar.
The local team was comfortable attacking up the right flank, sending cross after cross that kept Dallas on their heels. The work paid off in the 31st minute, when Emmanuel Cerda sent in a cross from the right corner of the box that fell to an unmarked Jaime Lozano on the far side. Lozano settled and shot past Cassar from 11 yards out for the 2-0 lead.
With the Tigres supporters in full chant, Cerda attacked again on the right only two minutes later. His cross fell to Gaitan on the left side but Cassar covered well and denied the forward a clear chance at the third Tigres goal.
Dallas had their best chance of the first half in the 41st minute. Right back Justin Moore got behind the Tigres defense, and as the keeper came out, Moore lifted a cross to the far side. However Tigres defender Hugo Sanchez was able to flick the ball over the bar just as Kenny Cooper leaped to head the ball. On the ensuing corner kick, Alex Yi got behind a defender but his quick touch was saved off the goal line by Sanchez.
The game took a turn right before the half, as Tigres right-sided player and Mexican World Cup star Mario Mendez appeared to deliver a kick to the midsection of midfielder Marcelo Saragosa. The referee immediately took the red card out and Mendez walked off without comment.
The second half started with each team pushing forward. De Nigris tested Cassar early but was denied with a diving save. Abe Thompson broke into the Tigres' area on the left side ten minutes in but his near post shot was deflected by a sliding Sindey Balderas.
The game was even for the rest of the half, but FCD received bad news in the 68th minute when goalkeeper Jeff Cassar had to leave the game with a leg injury and was replaced by Dario Sala.
Marcelo Saragosa nearly gave FCD their first goal in the 73rd, when his shot from 30 yards was tipped wide by a diving save. Clarence Goodson was on the end of corner kick but again Tigres keeper Edgar Hernandez made a dramatic save to keep FCD off the score sheet.
Tigres came right back on a build up from the left. Jonatan Prado received the ball on the right and quickly sent the ball back across the area, where Enrique Escudero one-timed a shot that was save by Sala.
Sala again kept the Hoops in the series with a diving save at the near post from a free kick by Jesus Palacios at the 80 minute mark.
A few minutes later, Cooper took another free kick from 30 yards out but his shot grazed the top of the crossbar.
Bobby Rhine had the Hoops next chance. Dax McCarty advanced a ball up the middle and sent a ball through to Dominic Oduro, who dropped the ball back to the top of the box. Rhine hit the ball first time but the Tigres keeper again came up with the save. Goodson has the final chance of regulation but his header was again denied by Hernandez.
The game continued to penalty kicks to determine the winner. After Aldo de Nigris' shot hit the crossbar, both teams converted every other shot until FCD's Goodson had his shot saved again by Hernandez.
On the sixth shot, Sala dove to his left to deny Jonaton Prado, and then stepped up and hit his shot to the left side to give the Hoops the Plate.
Scoring:
TIG - Aldo de Nigris 1 (Walter Gaitan)
TIG - Jaime Lozano (Emmanuel Cerda)
Penalty Kicks:
TIG - Aldo de Nigris (cross bar)
DAL - Greg Vanney (goal)
TIG - Hugo Sanchez (goal)
DAL - Chris Gbandi (goal)
TIG - Enrique Escudero (goal)
DAL - Bobby Rhine (goal)
TIG - Jesus Palacios (goal)
DAL - Kenny Cooper (goal)
TIG - Sindey Balderas (goal)
DAL - Clarence Goodson (saved)
TIG - Jonaton Prado (saved)
DAL - Dario Sala (goal)
Misconduct Summary:
DAL - Arturo Alvarez (Yellow Card) 21'
TIG - Mario Mendez (Red Card) 43'
TIG - Jose Rivas (Yellow Card) 44'
TIG - Enrique Escudero (Yellow Card) 47'
DAL - Marcelo Saragosa (Yellow Card) 62'
DAL - Greg Vanney (Yellow Card) 64'
TIG - Luis Angel Garcia (Yellow Card) 82'
Lineups:
FC Dallas: Jeff Cassar (Dario Sala 68'), Justin Moore, Clarence Goodson, Alex Yi (Greg Vanney 46'), Blake Wagner (Chris Gbandi 46'), Marcelo Saragosa (Dax McCarty 75'), Richard Mulrooney (Aaron Pitchkolan 59'), Simo Valakari (Bobby Rhine 75'), Arturo Alvarez, Abe Thomspon (Dominic Oduro 59'), Kenny Cooper
Subs Not Used: Drew Moor.
Tigres UANL: Edgar Hernandez, Omar Briceño (Enrique Escudero 46'), Hugo Sanchez, Mario Mendez, Juan Montano (Jesus Palacios 46'), Jaime Lozano (Jonatan Prado 77'), John Restrepo (Tomas Campo 60'), Emmanuel Cerda (Sindey Balderas 46'), Jose Rivas (Luis Ramirez 81'), Walter Gaitan (Luis Angel Garcia 60'), Aldo de Nigris.
Subs Not Used: Emmanuel Gonzalez, Jose Luis, Mendoza, Jesus Chavez.
