It wasn’t precisely a victory lap, but FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman had reason to celebrate after his team’s 1-0 win over the New England Revolution. Yes, it was his team’s fourth win in five games, but – crucially – it was a pair of his second-half substitutes that were key in the game’s only goal.
“For us, obviously there’s Blas [Pérez] scoring the game winner,” said Hyndman after the match. “What a great substitute to be able to make, a player of that quality. Then Je-Vaughn Watson came in and helped us a little bit on the flank when Fabián Castillo was getting a little tired.”
OPTA Chalkboard: Dallas create more in win over Revs
Pérez represented his country twice last week, logging 180 grueling minutes as Panama did their best to keep their heads above water in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. Bringing him off the bench is a luxury afforded Hyndman since he can start Kenny Cooper – who scored 18 times last season – from the beginning.
Cooper could have had a goal as well, though his effort was nullified by a quickfire offside flag from the assistant ref.
“I thought we created enough chances to score a goal, but in the second half, they started creating some good chances for themselves,” Hyndman explained. “The frustration [with not finishing] is something that we’ll have to continue to look at on videos and see if we can improve on.”
With Pérez back, there’s a good chance they’ll do just that.
