If Sunday was the final match for FC Dallas under interim head coach Marco Ferruzzi, the Hoops sent their interim boss out on top with a 1-0 win against the Chicago Fire at Pizza Hut Park. FCD got a goal from Kenny Cooper, his seventh of the year in the 17th minute, and that was all they needed to dispatch their Brimstone Cup rivals.
"We're pleased with the result," Ferruzzi said. "It's been a long time coming. The team performed exceptionally today with a great work rate in difficult chances. We had a lot of chances to score and kept on plugging away."
Cooper and strike partner Dominic Oduro had 15 of the Hoops' 20 shots on the afternoon and Ferruzzi liked what he saw from that duo.
"They had a lot of great opportunities," Ferruzzi said. "They created them by hard work, some intelligent runs, good timing of runs and some great passes that came out of the midfield and the back line as well."
Oduro said their success all started on the training ground.
"We were working on staying close and creating space for ourselves," he said. "I think that really worked well for both of us. It clearly showed on the field. It was just a matter of finishing the work, which we will go back and work on."
With FCD expected to name a permanent replacement for Steve Morrow later this week, after he was removed as head coach on May 20, the Ghanaian forward felt the win was a proper sendoff for Ferruzzi.
"He's been a great inspiration to this team," Oduro said. "Even when the chips were down, he picked us up and deserves it. I think that was a great win for him. He deserves it."
FCD defender Drew Moor also liked how the Hoops performed in what could have been Ferruzzi's final match at the helm.
"Marco has done a great job and that was a very Marco-type win there, grinding it out for 90 minutes in the heat," he said. "We created some very dangerous chances and it could have been four or five (goals). But we'll take the three points and look to build on that. That was a very good three points today."
One key to the Hoops' success was limiting the chances of the Fire's Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who had just one shot all afternoon.
"The boys did a tremendous job defensively," Ferruzzi said. "We kept Blanco at bay, which was important for us. In the second half, with a one-goal lead, we still wanted to push it but were able to keep possession, which was what really killed off the game."
For Moor, the key to keeping the Mexican international in check was great communication from the FCD backline all day long.
"You constantly have to communicate," he said. "I don't think I have ever talked that much during a game to let guys like Marcelo (Saragosa), Pablo (Ricchetti) and Andre (Rocha) know where he was. When he's on the ball, you have to get in his face. You can't give him time to pick out his passes like he wants to do. I think we did a very good job of that today. I think we limited his opportunities and I credit the midfielders and the defense for that."
For Ferruzzi, the key was the stewardship of Ricchetti in the center of the park.
"He (Ricchetti) helped shape the midfield from behind," Ferruzzi said. "In some ways, he a bit of a stopper for us by helping us build out of the back. Mostly, he kept guys organized in the front. I thought he did well today."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
