but it bounced first off defender Drew Moor, then Andre Rocha. It fell to Javier Morales, who had only to roll it into the unguarded goal from close range.
• The Hoops pulled level 11 minutes after the halftime interval. Andre Rocha sent a long ball down the right flank for Kenny Cooper, and after the big striker controlled the pass and cut in toward goal, he hammered a drive that flew over Nick Rimando at the near post and off the underside of the crossbar for his fifth goal on the campaign.
• But Real went back ahead in the 73rd minute. Andy Williams sent a perfectly weighted chip over the FCD back three that came down just inside the area. Kyle Beckerman had raced past the defense and poked the floating ball first-time through Dario Sala's legs for the eventual game-winner.
• Here's Morrow's team (3-4-3): Dario Sala - Drew Moor, Duilio Davino, Adrian Serioux (Aaron Pitchkolan 71) - Andre Rocha (Dominic Oduro 84), Pablo Ricchetti, Marcelo Saragosa (Ricardinho 77), Juan Toja - Kenny Cooper, Abe Thompson, Arturo Alvarez. Substitutes Not Used: Mike Grazcyk, Dax McCarty, Bobby Rhine, Anthony Wallace
• Here's Kreis's team (3-4-1-2): Nick Rimando - Jamison Olave (Andy Williams 40), Matias Mantilla, Nat Borchers - Tony Beltran, Kyle Beckerman, Dema Kovalenko, Chris Wingert - Javier Morales (Kenny Cutler 57) - Fabian Espindola (Robbie Findley 80), Kenny Deuchar. Substitutes Not Used: David Horst, Dustin Kirby, Yura Movsisyan, Chris Seitz
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas went down to defeat for the third time in four games as the Los Angeles Galaxy scored four goals in a 15-minute burst in the first half as Edson Buddle hit for a hat trick in a 5-1 win Sunday afternoon at Pizza Hut Park. FC Dallas now has nine points from eight matches, sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference, a point behind the Houston Dynamo and yet just three points out of first place.
LAST MATCH
• FC Dallas were returning home trying to the brakes on a three-game losing skid in which they had scored just one goal, while the Galaxy had just one win in their last five games, and were sitting atop the league in both goals scored and goals allowed.
• FC Dallas saw a goal ruled out for a foul early on, but then the floodgates opened -- for the visitors. In the 25th minute, a terrific ball from Brandon McDonald from the center circle freed Chris Klein all alone down the right flank, and he finished with aplomb for the opener.
• Edson Buddle started his goal-scoring bonanza six minutes later. Taking the ball outside the area, he raced forward, powered through a trio of FCD defenders and lashed a left-footed shot home.
• The score was 3-0 in the 34th minute when Duilio Davino deflected a Landon Donovan cross from the left side into his own goal, then five minutes later, Davino popped up a corner kick clearance in the goal area and Buddle came in to poke it home from close range.
• FC Dallas pulled a goal back after the break when Kenny Cooper stood up his defender on the left and popped in a cross from Dominic Oduro to head home for his first goal on the campaign. But 10 minutes after FCD were left a man down when Adrian Serioux was sent off for a hard tackle on David Beckham, Buddle completed his hat trick when he headed home a classic Beckham outswinging early cross from the right flank.
• In what would be his final match in charge, Steve Morrow made one change to the team that lost 2-1 to Real Salt Lake the week before. Anthony Wallace came back into the team, this time on the left of midfield, as Marcelo Saragosa went to the substitutes' bench.
• Here's Morrow's team (3-4-3): Dario Sala - Drew Moor, Duilio Davino, Adrian Serioux - Andre Rocha, Pablo Ricchetti, Juan Toja, Anthony Wallace (Bobby Rhine 46) - Kenny Cooper, Abe Thompson (Dominic Oduro 46), Arturo Alvarez (Ricardinho 79). Substitutes Not Used: Eric Avila, Mike Graczyk, Aaron Pitchkolan, Marcelo Saragosa
• "It was an embarrassing performance. We're all ashamed of ourselves in the locker room and, ultimately, I'll take responsibility for that as a coach," Morrow said.
TEAM NEWS
• The Tuesday following the match, Morrow was relieved of his duties by FC Dallas president and general manager Michael Hitchcock. Marco Ferruzzi will assume the coaching reins on an interim basis until a full-time replacement is found.
• "This is obviously a difficult decision for me since it was my choice to give Steve this opportunity," Hitchcock said. "We have great fans who I believe deserve more from our team for their support. We have set very high standards, expectations and goals for this team and organization. I feel that the team wasn't heading in the direction we had planned and believe it was in the best interest of the club to make a change in leadership at this time."
• After surrendering just five goals in their first five matches of the season, the FCD defense has become a bit porous in the last two weeks, allowing seven goals in losses to RSL and the Galaxy over the last two weeks.
• "All 11 of us were responsible for the goals," midfielder Pablo Ricchetti said. "It's not about one player because as a team, we all played badly and didn't reach the level we wanted to."
• It was the first time the Hoops allowed four or more goals in a game this season, something they did three times last season. The last time the Hoops surrendered five goals in a league match came on Oct. 14, 2006, when they dropped their regular season finale to the Galaxy 5-2 at The Home Depot Center.
• "We were running too much and playing too little," Ricchetti said. "We just need to hold possession but we can't do that right now. We need to get better as a team. We played pretty badly as a team and I think it's the worst I've seen us play since we've been here."
• Two weeks after making his first MLS start, on the left side of the back three, Anthony Wallace was given the start on the left side of the midfield. That moved Juan Toja back into the center, in a bid to have him find the form he exhibited a season ago.
• "He certainly got more involved in the game," Morrow said of Toja. "There is a gradual process of Juan getting back to his form and that will come as the season goes on. It's a long season and we all need to be peaking at the right time. I'm sure as the games go on, he'll continue to get better."
• With Serioux suspended for the RSL match, Wallace could return to his spot in the back three. That place could also go to Aaron Pitchkolan.
• FCD is looking to avoid going winless in the month of May, something that has happened only twice before in club history, most recently in 2004. That was when the Hoops were 0-4-1 in May, a record that happened for the first time four years earlier.
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake continued to struggle on the road, losing for the fourth time in four games away from Rice-Eccles Stadium in a 2-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids on MLS Primetime Thursday last week. RSL has eight points from eight matches and sits tied for fifth place in the Western Conference with Chivas USA, a point behind FC Dallas yet just four off the pace of division-leading Colorado.
LAST MATCH
• The Rapids came into the first Rocky Mountain Cup meeting of the season with three losses in their last four games, while Real Salt Lake had put an end to a three-game winless streak the previous weekend.
• A quiet match burst to life after the break. Herculez Gomez turned and ran from the center circle, knocking the ball out to Colin Clark on the left flank. He drove in a low cross for Omar Cummings, who it turned it home first-time inside the near post for the 65th-minute opener.
• The Rapids finished off the match seven minutes from the end. Matias Mantilla slapped the ball down as Herculez Gomez tried to pop it past him in the area, and Christian Gomez struck the resulting penalty hard into the left of the goal, giving Nick Rimando no chance for his second goal on the season.
• RSL head coach Jason Kreis made two changes to the team that defeated FC Dallas 2-1 at home the previous weekend. Kenny Cutler made his first start of the season and Andy Williams also returned to the midfield, in place of Jamison Olave and the injured Javier Morales.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Tony Beltran, Nat Borchers, Matias Mantilla, Chris Wingert (Dustin Kirby 87) - Dema Kovalenko, Kenny Cutler (Robbie Findley 69), Kyle Beckerman - Andy Williams (Matias Cordoba 84) - Kenny Deuchar, Fabian Espindola. Substitutes Not Used: David Horst, Tino Nunez, Jamison Olave, Chris Seitz
• "I think there was a bit of sharpness that was lacking tonight. The play was a little bit loose all over the place," Kreis said. "I think both teams could say the same thing. Maybe it is a little bit of fatigue. We have played a few games now in a couple of weeks so that may have played a part."
TEAM NEWS
• After seeing a 3-4-3 from FC Dallas at home a week before, a match RSL won 2-1, they saw a 3-5-2 from Colorado - something the Rapids had not played with at all during the season before the victory.
• "This is the second team we have played with a 3-5-2. I don't think that it gave us a whole lot of problems in the first half. The players may have been a little confused about what was going on. I think the players made a bigger deal out of it then it was," Kreis said. "When you have a player like Christian (Gomez), you have to keep on idea of where he is at all times. Kenny (Cutler) was charged with the responsibility for keeping on eye on where Christian was."
• "It was just two average teams and it got to a point where the first team to score was going to win the game," said Kyle Beckerman. " ... It was kind of a stalemate, and then it kind of continued, but they we sharp and we were sloppy. The 3-5-2 caught us off guard. It isn't really X's and O's on defense, there is some gray area and that kind of confused us for some reason."
• Both of the Rapids goals came in the second half, which seemed to be played mostly in and around Real's penalty area. "I'm a little bit disappointed that we didn't come out in the second half with a better mentality," said Kreis. "Typically we've seen the team this year in Salt Lake that responds well to halftime and picks up their play and tonight that wasn't the case at all."
• Real have now lost all four of their road games, and have allowed 10 goals away from Rice-Eccles Stadium, while scoring only two. It's a record matched only by D.C. United, who entering the week had also lost all four of their away games, scoring a single goal while conceding 11.
• "I think there was real casual play in the back," said goalkeeper Nick Rimando. "On the road we can't get beat to the ball and we can't give up penalty kicks. We've been doing that on the road too much and it has to stop. We are the away team. We have to dig in and match their intensity and be sharp, especially in the back. Sharp is exactly what we weren't today."
• With a victory, RSL could have found itself atop the Western Conference for the first time in club history.
• "To be completely honest I don't think we deserve to be the best team in this conference; we're not ready for that yet," Kreis said. "That's my opinion after looking at the game tonight: we're not ready. Hopefully that opportunity will come again. I told the guys that you get limited opportunities in life and certainly in your career in professional sports so it is disappointing that we let this one slip by. Hopefully we will be ready for the next one."
