FC DALLAS vs COLUMBUS CREW
TOYOTA STADIUM, Frisco, Texas
Sept. 29, 2013 (WEEK 31, MLS Game #286)
7:30 p.m. CT (TWCSN-TX; FS-OH)
Two teams in desperate need of points to keep their playoff ambitions alive meet at Toyota Stadium when FC Dallas play host to the Columbus Crew on Sunday evening. FC Dallas are five points out of the top five and the Western Conference playoff positions, following their 1-0 loss at New York last weekend. The Crew find themselves just two points behind fifth place and the postseason spots in the Eastern Conference, after their 3-0 home win against Chicago.
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REFEREE: Drew Fischer. AR1 (bench): Bill Dittmar; AR2 (opposite): Jason Cullum; 4th: Fotis Bazakos
MLS Career: 21 games; FC/gm: 25.3; Y/gm: 2.7; R: 2; pens: 6
DISABLED LIST: DAL: Eric Hassli; Ugo Ihemelu (season-ending injury)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: DAL: Jair Benitez … CLB: Jairo Arrieta
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DAL: George John, David Ferreira, Blas Perez, Je-Vaughn Watson, Jackson, Fabian Castillo … CLB: Tyson Wahl, Kevan George, Bernardo Anor, Dominic Oduro, Agustin Viana, Danny O’Rourke, Tony Tchani
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (41 meetings): FC Dallas 16 wins (1 shootout), 56 goals… Crew 17 wins (1 shootout), 56 goals… Ties 8
AT DALLAS (19 meetings): FC Dallas 12 wins (1 shootout), 34 goals… Crew 5 wins (1 shootout), 20 goals… Ties 2
LAST YEAR (MLS)
5/12: CLB 2, DAL 1 (Meram 67; Miranda 72 – Castillo 22)
- The teams are meeting for the only time this season in league play.
- FC Dallas last won at Crew Stadium in 2007. The Crew have won four of the five league meetings since at home with FCD, with one draw, including a 2-1 win on May 12 of last season in the only meeting between the teams.
- The Crew haven’t won in Frisco on their last three visits, since 2008. FCD has won twice, with one draw.
- Coaches record: Schellas Hyndman vs. CLB: P9 W2 L5 T2 … Brian Bliss v DAL: P1 W1 L0 T0
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas suffered their second consecutive loss on their road swing, falling 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls on Sunday afternoon at Red Bull Arena. FCD is in eighth place in the Western Conference with 40 points from 29 matches.
LAST MATCH
- The game's lone goal came in the 76th minute. Jonny Steele put in a cross from the left and as both Erick and Matt Hedges were trying to clear the loose ball, Erick put the ball into the back of his own net.
- Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles was called upon to make three saves in keeping the clean sheet for his club's fourth consecutive victory.
- FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman made one change to the team that saw the Colorado Rapids come back for a 2-1 win at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Fabian Castillo started in midfield in place of Je-Vaughn Watson.
- FC DALLAS (4-2-3-1): Raul Fernandez - Kellyn Acosta, Matt Hedges, George John, Jair Benitez (Michel 88) - Andrew Jacobson, Erick (Kenny Cooper 82) - Jackson (Mauro Diaz 65), David Ferreira, Fabian Castillo - Blas Perez.
TEAM NEWS
- FC Dallas have lost back-to-back games for just the second time this season, following the defeat at New York. FCD has won twice in its last 16 league games, since the start of June.
- “I mean, it was a nothing ball, it was a nothing ball,” FCD manager Schellas Hyndman said. “I think we had probably three guys on a straight that could’ve taken it, except for the guy that did in the middle and he put it right in. It’s unfortunate, the guys feel terrible.”
- FC Dallas was also shut out at the attacking end for the first time since going five consecutive games without scoring, from July 4-Aug. 3.
- “I’m sad because we put together a great effort, we knew this was a very tough match but we came with every intention of getting three points,” midfielder David Ferreira said. “Unfortunately we didn’t get them and now we have to focus on our next match and be aware that we can’t make mistakes to win and try to get a playoff spot.”
- After coming off the substitutes’ bench the week before following his return from international duty with Panama, Blas Perez returned to the starting lineup as the lone striker in the FCD tactical scheme.
- FC Dallas said before the start of September they would have to take 12 points from their final eight matches. Over that spell, they have taken just three so far – but three of the final matches will be in Frisco.
- “We must now face Columbus at home," Ferreira said. "That’s a tough match, [and] we have to win that game. If we want to make the playoffs, we have to win at home.”
COLUMBUS CREW
The Columbus Crew won their second game on the trot, rolling to a 3-0 win against the Chicago Fire on Saturday evening at Crew Stadium. The Crew are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 38 points from 30 matches.
LAST MATCH
- The Crew opened the scoring on the quarter-hour. Federico Higuain came away from a scrum with possession and found Jairo Arrieta, whose lunging toe poke put Dominic Oduro into space. He then struck a low shot toward the far post that got past Chicago goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
- The Fire suffered a major blow in the 29th minute when Arrieta chased down a deflected ball near midfield that flew over the heads of the Chicago defense. Bakary Soumare chased down late, taking out Arrieta's heels just outside the box, and earning a red card from referee Juan Guzman.
- In the 70th minute, the Crew extended their lead to 2-0 thanks to another foul on Arrieta. This time he beat Johnson to a perfect through ball from Tony Tchani and was taken down in the box. Higuain sent Johnson the wrong way on the resulting spot kick.
- Columbus added an insurance goal seven minutes later when Tchani found Bernardo Anor on a diagonal ball into the right side of the area that he slotted under Johnson and into the net.
- Crew interim head coach Brian Bliss made no changes to the team that came back for a 2-1 win against the Montréal Impact at Stade Saputo
- COLUMBUS CREW (4-2-3-1): Matt Lampson - Chad Barson, Tyson Wahl, Chad Marshall, Agustin Viana - Wil Trapp, Tony Tchani - Dominic Oduro (Justin Meram 84), Federico Higuain, Bernardo Anor (Ben Speas 89) - Jairo Arrieta (Ryan Finley 79).
TEAM NEWS
- Oduro scored his 11th goal of the season – his second in as many games, and his first goals since July 27.
- “We're right behind them right now, in terms of making the playoffs, so that put pressure on them, and that's good for us,” Dominic Oduro said. “We're going to go to Dallas [next Sunday] and try to get a result. If we take care of business, hopefully other teams will help us out. As long as there are games, there's always hope. But we're right there.”
- Federico Higuaín also added his 10th goal, his first in six matches. The Crew are the only team in MLS this season with two players with 10 or more goals.
- “When one guy is scoring goals and one guy is not, the other guy wants to be competitive in that situation he wants to score as well and sometimes you start pressing and making decisions with and without the ball that doesn’t lead to a great harmony at times,” Bliss said.
- Matt Lampson recorded his fifth shutout in 10 league starts this season, his second in four games.
- “Ever since we had the coaching change, we have been a good team at home. We look to continue that. We knew this was a huge game,” Lampson said. “It is a six point swing. If we wanted to keep our playoff hopes alive, we had to come out and really get after them. … We showed just how good we can be. That is what happens when you play at home that well. You come away with a big victory.”
- Jairo Arrieta made a second consecutive start and recorded an assist, the first goal he’s been involved in since Aug. 17, when he recorded an assist. His last goal came June 29.
- “We wanted to reward him so we kept him in there longer because he was a part of all those goals, especially the first two, drawing the red card and then drawing the PK,” Bliss said. :”Very active and the back line had to contend with that all night.”
- Tony Tchani recorded an assist, his first of the season and the first Crew goal in league play he’s been involved in since recording an assist last Aug. 25 vs. New England.
- “I think the guys responded well and I think you saw in the second half we had a lot of possession,” Bliss said. “Rightly so with a man up, but they were executing what we asked them to and it led to two goals.”
