Editor's Note: This game was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 28, but due to circumstances extenuating from severe weather on Saturday, the game has been postponed to Sunday, June 29 at 2 pm ET. All tickets from Saturday's game will be honored on Sunday.
COLUMBUS CREW vs FC DALLAS
COLUMBUS CREW STADIUM, Columbus, Ohio
June 29, 2014 (WEEK 16, MLS Game #143)
2 pm ET (TWCSN-OH; KTXA-CBS)
The Columbus Crew and FC Dallas resume their league activity following the World Cup break as the clubs meet in an interconference matchup Saturday evening at Crew Stadium. The Crew have reached draws in back-to-back matches, last a scoreless result at home with D.C. United. FC Dallas return to league play following a last-gasp 2-2 draw at the Portland Timbers in their last MLS contest.
REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. SAR (bench): Adam Garner; JAR (opposite): Corey Parker; 4th: Chris Penso
MLS Career: 164 games; FC/gm: 23.6; Y/gm: 2.9; R: 33; pens: 48
SUSPENDED: DAL: Moises Hernandez (through June 29); Blas Perez (through June 29); Fabian Castillo (through July 27)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CLB: Wil Trapp … DAL: Fabian Castillo
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CLB: Bernardo Anor, Tony Tchani … DAL: Matt Hedges, Michel, Blas Perez, Je-Vaughn Watson, Victor Ulloa
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: CLB: Waylon Francis, Giancarlo Gonzalez (CRC)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (42 meetings): Crew 18 wins (1 shootout), 60 goals … FC Dallas 16 wins (1 shootout), 58 goals … Ties 8
AT COLUMBUS (22 meetings): Crew 12 wins (0 shootout), 36 goals… FC Dallas 4 wins (0 shootout), 22 goals… Ties 6
LAST YEAR (MLS):
9/29: DAL 2,CLB 4 (Perez 21; Diaz 54 – Higuain 9; Arrieta 17; Oduro 44; Anor 86)
- This is the only league meeting between the teams this season.
- The teams met once a season ago, with the Crew taking a 4-2 win at Toyota Stadium, their first win in Frisco since 2008.
- 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
- Coaches record: Oscar Pareja vs. CLB: P2 W2 L0 T0 … Gregg Berhalter vs. DAL: first game
COLUMBUS CREW
The Columbus Crew played to their second consecutive draw last time out, reaching a scoreless result with D.C. United at Crew Stadium on June 7. The Crew are in a tie for fifth place in the Eastern Conference, with 18 points from 15 matches.
LAST MATCH
- United had a golden opportunity to win the game at the death, when Crew defender Bernardo Anor was deemed to have handled the ball in the area by referee Hilario Grajeda. Fabian Espindola stepped up to take the ensuing penalty -- but chipped his effort right into the hands of a stationary Steve Clark between the posts.
- The penalty stop was one of three saves Clark made on the evening. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid was called upon to make two saves.
- Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter made four changes to the team that came back for a late 1-1 draw with Real Salt Lake at Crew Stadium. Tyson Wahl came into the back four for Josh Williams, Ben Speas and Ethan Finlay started in midfield for Federico Higuain and Justin Meram, and Jairo Arrieta came in up top in place of Dominic Oduro.
- COLUMBUS CREW (4-2-3-1): Steve Clark - Michael Parkhurst, Tyson Wahl, Eric Gehrig, Bernardo Anor - Agustin Viana, Tony Tchani - Hector Jimenez, Ben Speas (Adam Bedell 77), Ethan Finlay - Jairo Arrieta (Justin Meram 56).
TEAM NEWS
- The Crew saw their current winless run reach three games – with just one victory in their last 12 matches – following the draw with D.C. United in the final match before the World Cup break.
- “I think we didn’t get into our game, but nonetheless the guys really fought through it. And we still had enough chances to get a result,” said Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter. “We are still happy with the point, especially considering that this is our third game in the week. I think it is a great point for us.”
- Steve Clark secured the draw with a penalty kick save, his first in MLS and the first by a Crew goalkeeper since the 2012 season.
- “We had pretty good intel from our goalkeeper trainer, Pat (Onstad). He has done a great job all year, so I felt like I knew he was going to go there,” Clark said. “And, I had my cue, so I just waited him out. I didn’t care if he was going to score; I was going to wait up the middle.”
- Said Berhalter: “It took a lot of guts by him. Pat has been working with him and telling him where the shooter goes. He gave him two options. When a goalie stands still it can go bad quickly, but he did it and he had the courage to do it. He came up with a great save.”
- After making his first 12 starts this season, Michael Parkhurst moved to right back for the United game, with Tyson Wahl and Eric Gehrig the center back pairing.
- Following the trade of Dominic Oduro to Toronto FC, Jairo Arrieta returned to the starting lineup as the lone out-and-out striker.
- Ben Speas made his first start of the season, filling the central midfield playmaking role after Federico Higuain was forced off in the midweek match with Real Salt Lake before halftime with a hamstring injury.
- “I think he’s done well,” Berhalter said. “We asked him to come in and play a pivotal role in our group, and he’s been interpreting it in a good way. There are things he can learn and work on in terms of consistency and sometimes the final product, but I’ve been pleased with it.”
- Said Speas: “I’m happy to be out there with the guys. I was just being patient and knew my time would come. I’m glad to be out there. It’s unfortunate with [Higuain] and hopefully he’ll heal back up soon, but it’s going great.”
- In exchange for Oduro, the Crew obtained Alvaro Rey from Toronto, who will be expected to fill a wide midfield role for the Black-and-Gold.
- “At that position, we do have some depth, but it's good to also keep them performing,” said Berhalter. “That’s a position that we make changes in often in terms of substitutes. We had a conversation this morning about how we play, what our focus is. We showed him some material about what we emphasize, our movements and things like that. It's going to take a while. I think it will take about a month to get him fully into it.”
- Following the league match, the Crew were bounced out of the U.S. Open Cup, following a 4-2 extra-time loss to the Chicago Fire in the fifth round at Toyota Park. Jairo Arrieta and Bernardo Anor scored second-half goals for the Crew.
- Here’s the Columbus team: Steve Clark; Chad Barson, Eric Gehrig, Tyson Wahl, Ben Sweat; Tony Tchani (Wil Trapp 71’), Kevan George, Ben Speas, Bernardo Anor; Hector Jimenez (Michael Parkhurst 72’), Justin Meram (Jairo Arrieta 46’)
- In the fourth round, the Crew defeated Indy Eleven of the NASL 2-1 in extra time. Jairo Arrieta converted a penalty kick in the 114th minute for the match-winner; Bernardo Anor had scored after just 4 minutes to give the Crew an early lead.
- Here’s the Crew side: Steve Clark; Josh Williams, Eric Gehrig, Michael Parkhurst, Bernardo Anor (Chad Barson 66’); Hector Jimenez (Justin Meram 102’, Daniel Paladini (ejected 110’), Tony Tchani, Ethan Finlay; Ben Speas (Jairo Arrieta 72’), Adam Bedell (ejected 34’)
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas weren’t able to hold out for a second consecutive victory, the Portland Timbers again hitting for a late goal to leave the teams in a 2-2 draw on June 11 at Providence Park. FC Dallas sit in a tie for third place in the Western Conference with 22 points from 17 games.
LAST MATCH
- FC Dallas took the lead in the 27th minute. Fabian Castillo chested down a perfectly placed chip by Blas Pérez while charging down the right flank, then tucked the ball neatly past a diving Donovan Ricketts.
- Dallas added on in the 39th minute when rookie Tesho Akindele made a run down the right and sent a pass back through the middle of the area which was first dummied by Castillo before Pérez sent a blast past Ricketts top-shelf.
- The Timbers began their comeback in the 79th minute when Dallas defender Je-Vaughn Watson took down Fanendo Adi in the box and referee Alan Kelly pointed to the spot, with the penalty converted easily by Will Johnson.
- FCD were put under further pressure in the 87th minute when Moises Hernandez was shown a red card for a dangerous challenge on second-half substitute Danny O’Rourke, and then Pérez was sent off in stoppage time for stomping Pa Modou Kah to put the visitors two men down.
- The dramatic equalizer came before the final whistle after a rebound from a Maximiliano Urruti shot fell right to Kah in front of goal, and he calmly finished into an open goal from close range.
- FCD head coach Oscar Pareja made four changes to the team that came back for a 3-2 win against the Colorado Rapids at Toyota Stadium. Je-Vaughn Watson, Stephen Keel, Moises Hernandez and Adam Moffat all came into the team, in place of Walker Zimmerman, Matt Hedges, Jair Benitez and Peter Luccin.
- FC DALLAS (4-4-2): Raul Fernandez - Je-Vaughn Watson, Zach Loyd, Stephen Keel, Moises Hernandez (ejected 87) - Fabian Castillo (Ryan Hollingshead 90), Adam Moffat, Victor Ulloa, Andres Escobar (Andrew Jacobson 74) - Tesho Akindele (Nicholas Walker 87), Blas Perez (ejected 92+).
TEAM NEWS
- FC Dallas have won just once in the last 10 games after they were hauled back into a late 2-2 draw by Portland. FCD are also winless now in their last six league away games.
- “We are disappointed. We [had] the three points and coming out with a point doesn’t make us happy. At the same time we have to have pride in the players, they gave it all and had great opportunities going forward,” FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja said. “People enjoy how our team played and that’s important. We [will focus] on that. We take the point because we have to, but everybody saw that it was not fair.”
- FC Dallas are 3-4-1 after scoring the opening goal, the poorest record in MLS this season after opening the scoring. No other team in MLS has more than 2 losses after netting first.
- “It was a normal reaction in the second half. Portland threw many bodies up front. We were organized, but we knew that we would have some chances going forward. That is a normal reaction from a team that is losing,” Pareja said. “We played a great half, the first one. In the second one, we tried to control the game. That was what the game came up with. A team in the second half trying to push, trying to send some numbers up. We were leading the game and the plan was working.”
- Fabian Castillo scored for a second consecutive match, now with five goals for the season in league play, along with two goals in the U.S. Open Cup. Castillo’s single-season career-high in four MLS seasons is six goals, set in 2012.
- “We have to be patient with a player that is young but has a lot of potential,” Pareja said. “I see him working non-stop, and I can’t tell you how much these guys have been improving.”
- Blas Perez scored his second goal in the last three games, also with an assist in that time, the first goals he had been a part of since April 26.
- After shifting into a central defense in an emergency situation in the win vs. Colorado, Zach Loyd partnered Stephen Keel at center back against Portland.
- “It has been a while, but [Stephen] Keel did a great job talking to me and getting me through it,” Loyd said. “Center back is kind of my second position. If guys go down, I know how to play it.”
- Since the league match, FC Dallas have advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. In the fifth round. FCD defeated Texas rival Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium 3-2 in extra time, behind a 98th-minute goal from Tesho Akindele.
- Here’s the FCD team: Chris Seitz; Je-Vaughn Watson, Stephen Keel, Zach Loyd, Moises Hernandez; Victor Ulloa, Adam Moffat (Andrew Jacobson 67), Andres Escobar (Jair Benitez 97), Fabian Castillo; Tesho Akindele, Blas Perez (Peter Luccin 83)
- In the fourth round, FCD got past the NASL’s San Antonio Scorpions 2-0, behind second-half goals from Fabian Castillo and Andres Escobar.
- Here’s the FCD team: Chris Seitz, Moises Hernandez, Stephen Keel, Zach Loyd, Je-Vaughn Watson, Fabian Castillo (Jair Benitez 86), Victor Ulloa, Adam Moffat, Andres Escobar, Tesho Akindele (Andrew Jacobson 46), Blas Perez (David Texeira 78).
