a late replacement for Dario Sala -- inside the near post for his third goal in four starts.
• Here's Clavijo's team (3-4-1-2): Preston Burpo - Ugo Ihemelu, Rafael Gomes, Facundo Erpen - Jacob Peterson (Jordan Harvey 78), Nick LaBrocca, Pablo Mastroeni, Colin Clark (Terry Cooke 64) - Christian Gomez - Conor Casey (Omar Cummings 46), Tom McManus. Substitutes Not Used: Mehdi Ballouchy, Herculez Gomez, Stephen Keel, Chris Sharpe
• Here's Ferruzzi's team (3-4-1-2): Ray Burse - Drew Moor, Duilio Davino, Aaron Pitchkolan - Bobby Rhine, Pablo Ricchetti, Marcelo Saragosa, Blake Wagner (Brek Shea 77) - Juan Toja (Ricardinho 83) - Kenny Cooper, Dominic Oduro (Arturo Alvarez 71). Substitutes Not Used: Eric Avila, Andrew Daniels, Michael Dello-Russo, Mike Graczyk
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas returns to action after nearly two weeks off, their last match a last-gasp 1-1 draw with the Kansas City Wizards on July 4 at Pizza Hut Park. FCD sits in sixth place in the Western Conference with 18 points from 16 matches, two behind the Colorado Rapids and Houston Dynamo and five in front of the San Jose Earthquakes.
LAST MATCH
• FC Dallas had won just once in six league games, though Schellas Hyndman had won for the first time as FCD head coach in a U.S. Open Cup match at midweek. The Wizards had put an end to their seven-game winless streak the week before thanks to a late own goal.
• Heading into the game, a Wizards player had not scored in 410 minutes. That number reached 448 minutes before Scott Sealy put the visitors ahead in the 39th minute, taking a pass from Claudio Lopez at the top of the area, then on the turn lashing a low shot inside the left-hand post past FCD 'keeper Dario Sala.
• Three times this season, FC Dallas had seen their opponents score dramatic late goals to secure a late draw. But a minute into stoppage time, the Hoops got one of their own. Rookie Eric Avila sent in a great cross from the left flank, over the massed Wizards back line, and Abe Thompson nodded it perfectly with his head into the right side of the net, the first goal allowed by the Wizards in 292 minutes of play.
• FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman made two changes to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo. Blake Wagner came in on the left for Aaron Pitchkolan as Hyndman started with three in the back for the first time, and Dominic Oduro started in place of Arturo Alvarez up top.
• Here's Hyndman's team (3-4-1-2): Dario Sala - Drew Moor, Duilio Davino, Adrian Serioux (Dax McCarty 72) - Andre Rocha (Eric Avila 46), Pablo Ricchetti, Marcelo Saragosa, Blake Wagner - Juan Toja - Kenny Cooper, Dominic Oduro (Abe Thompson 46). Substitutes Not Used: Ray Burse, Michael Dello-Russo, Aaron Pitchkolan, Brek Shea
• "This is a great result," Hyndman said. "Don't get me wrong. The exciting thing is that I think there is room for improvement. That's my objective as a coach. I'm happy as I can be with one point because I don't think we played so well. But I'm disappointed that we're not playing to our capability."
TEAM NEWS
• Since the beginning of June, the Hoops have scored more than one goal in a game just once in eight outings - the 2-1 win against Miami FC of the USL First Division in their third-round U.S. Open Cup tie.
• "What we have is a little bit of confusion on what we're trying to do and our style," Hyndman said. "What is our style? We like to keep the ball in the middle of the field and don't have anybody running forward to change the point of attack. So, when we do knock the ball forward, it's to the strikers, who are marked. It's something that we tried to address last week is that after you play the ball, run forward. I think we find that in some of our players and some don't. It's hard to read each other. I don't think we're playing very well as a team."
• While conceding his team will have to play in a 3-5-2 scheme, Hyndman has not been pleased with the wide play he's gotten.
• "Width is one of the principles of attack and you need to have it," Hyndman said. "We had width but it's not where we want it to be. We have flank players who want to play around the center line. I can't tell you how many conversations we've had about them getting into the attacking third. It's just really uncomfortable for these guys. It just comes to the point of doing what we ask you to do or we have to find people."
• But part of the decision to stay with three in the back comes from a lack of having fullbacks who can join the attack. "I think if we're ever going to go into a 4-4-2, we will need a right back and left back that are pure defenders that can get forward with speed and so forth," he said. "But we're talking about next year now."
• Hyndman also said Juan Toja fits the role of attacking midfielder and that he does not consider finding someone for that spot to be a priority.
• "I think right now, Juan Toja is playing that position very well and don't think that we've seen the best out of Juan," Hyndman said. "Let's just continue to develop the structure that gives him the freedom to do more of the things that we want him to do. Everybody would love a world class No. 10 player but if you look at who is out there in the league, Juan is up there."
• After five games in 13 days concluded with the Open Cup loss to Charleston on July 8, FCD has now gone more than a week without a game. In between, Hyndman gave his charges a four-day holiday.
• "I think (the break) was very good for us," midfielder Dax McCarty said. "We just had a ton of games in a short time. We learned a lot about ourselves and where we need to get better. It did us some good. We feel refreshed and refocused on our goal, which is to make the playoffs."
COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids ended a five-game losing streak on the road, getting a quick answer equalizer for a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday afternoon at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Rapids are tied for fourth place in the Western Conference with 20 points from 16 games, level with the Houston Dynamo, two points behind the second-place tie between Chivas USA and the LA Galaxy.
LAST MATCH
• The Earthquakes were back home for the first time in nearly a month and playing their first game in Santa Clara in nearly two, on a five-game winless streak. The Rapids had put an end to a four-game winless run in emphatic fashion the week before with a 4-0 win against New York.
• It took the Quakes until nearly the midway point of the second half to break through. Ronnie O'Brien served an in-swinging free kick from the right flank and Ryan Johnson flung himself forward to send a diving header past Bouna Coundoul for his team-best third goal on the season.
• But it took the Rapids just eight minutes to pull level. Terry Cooke put in a cross from the right and Rapids forward Conor Casey got up over San Jose defender Jason Hernandez to head in his second goal on the season.
• The goal didn't come without some controversy, as San Jose manager Frank Yallop vociferously protested Hernandez was fouled on the play, and ended up being sent off by referee Hilario Grajeda.
• Rapids head coach Fernando Clavijo made no changes to the team that rolled to a 4-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls on July 4 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park
• Here's Clavijo's team (3-1-4-2):Bouna Coundoul - Ugo Ihemelu, Pablo Mastroeni, Facundo Erpen - Nick LaBrocca - Terry Cooke, Mehdi Ballouchy, Christian Gomez (John DiRaimondo 69), Colin Clark - Conor Casey (Jose Burciaga Jr. 94+), Tom McManus (Omar Cummings 57). Substitutes Not Used: Preston Burpo, Herculez Gomez, Kosuke Kimura, Jacob Peterson
TEAM NEWS
• While the Rapids gained their first point on the road since a 1-0 win at New England on April 12, Clavijo felt his team could have come home with all three.
• "We thought we did enough; I thought we lost two points today," said Clavijo. "But we know how this league is. Every game is difficult whether you are playing at home or on the road."
• For the second consecutive game, Clavijo used the same players and formation, and the result was that the Rapids' trio of central midfielders took the game to the home side in the first half. That includes Mehdi Ballouchy playing a bit more forward, while leaving Nick LaBrocca as the only holding midfielder, with Christian Gomez still in the playmaking role.
• "I think the three-man midfield is good for us," said Ballouchy. "I think all of us can keep the ball and pass the ball. The ability we have in the midfield is great, and the variety of forwards we have ... we have target guys and guys who can run in behind. I think we have a good team, it's just a matter of getting everyone on the same page, and gelling a little bit more."
• Other changes have been back-to-back starts for Terry Cooke wide on the right and maintaining the strike partnership of Conor Casey and Tom McManus.
• "I think it's helped that we've had the same formation and the same guys on the field the last couple of weeks," said Casey. "We've been able to get in a better rhythm, I think the formation suits us, and I think we're slowly getting comfortable in that formation."
• The insertion of Cooke on the right and the continued work of Colin Clark on the left has allowed the Rapids to return to a staple of their attacking philosophy the last few years - scoring goals from crosses. Three of the last five Colorado goals, over the last two games, have come on crosses.
• "We needed to get more crosses in throughout the game," Clavijo said. "We finally got one in on the goal. Terry Cooke put a great ball in and Conor (Casey) had a very good finish."
