The month of May hasn't been terribly kind to FC Dallas -- at least, not before Saturday night. But two goals from substitute Dominic Oduro delivered a comeback 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake at Pizza Hut Park, a match that saw both sides finish with just 10 men, and gave Marco Ferruzzi a victory in his first game as head coach.
"It was an emotional game," Ferruzzi said. "The boys did a brilliant job and were spectacular tonight. They showed a lot of heart and effort. I couldn't ask for anything more."
The Hoops took a man advantage in the 38th minute when RSL defender Ian Joy was cautioned for the second time in 20 minutes and was shown the door. However, FCD was unable to capitalize and just before halftime, FCD midfielder Bobby Rhine received a red card of his own for violent conduct toward RSL's Javier Morales and each side was down a man.
RSL took a 1-0 lead in the 69th minute when Fabian Espindola scored his third goal of the year. But in the 83rd, FCD got the first from Oduro, when he converted a header after a great long ball from Drew Moor. The Ghanaian striker then netted the game-winner in the 91st minute, his third goal in two games, to give the Hoops their first win in the month of May.
"He's been training very hard," Ferruzzi said. "Coming off a goal last week, he has a lot of confidence. He did an excellent job tonight. If he keeps working that way, it will hard to keep him off (the field)."
Ferruzzi took over for Steve Morrow, who was dismissed on Tuesday just days after a 5-1 loss to the L.A. Galaxy.
"He's been a great coach and has done a great job this week," Oduro said of Ferruzzi. "He's my inspiration right now. He's motivating us and everything goes to him right now."
Oduro admitted that he has been feeling the flow offensively of late.
"I think I really needed my first goal, which came in that last game," he said. "Like every striker knows, that's what really gets you going. That was great motivation for me and I did what I had to do out there tonight."
After his second goal, the FCD striker took off his shirt, which earned him a quick yellow but it was well worth it.
"It (that goal) was kind of a relief," Oduro said. "Everybody knows what we've been going through. Steve Morrow is a great coach but unfortunately, he's gone. Taking my shirt off was to show the guys that it's not over and that we can do this. We had a bad stretch and all we can do is pick our heads up."
The goal was the second time in less than a year that Oduro had beaten RSL with a goal in second-half stoppage time. He did the same in a 1-0 win at Rice-Eccles Stadium on June 14, 2007.
Ferruzzi felt that playing 10-on-10 actually was to FCD's benefit.
"In some ways, I think it benefited us because the boys came out so committed," he said. "In adversity like that, I knew we were going to be the guys that responded."
The Hoops came into the game winless in their last four matches, with losses in three. Their last win came more than a month ago, a 2-0 victory at Chivas USA.
"I think the important thing is that we focused on what needed to be done," Moor said. "There was a lot that went on but we all stuck with our plan and gave it everything we had for 90 minutes. It feels like a week's work complete right now because it was a rollercoaster ride all week but we all kept our eyes on what needed to be done."
FCD won't get to enjoy the win for long as they have a home match with two-time defending MLS Cup champion Houston on Wednesday. The Hoops will then travel to Colorado to face the Rapids next Saturday.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
