FC Dallas put an early end to their meeting with the New England Revolution on Saturday night at Pizza Hut Park. Getting four goals in the opening 19 minutes -- an MLS record for four goals in that short a span to open the game -- the Hoops finished off the match in a hurry.
"We passed it great, created chances, and we could have embarrassed them at the end -- it could have been more," said FC Dallas head coach Colin Clarke. "I knew they weren't ever going to stop, but 4-nil after whatever it was, after 18 or 19 minutes, is a long way to come back."
The Hoops had defeated the Revolution just twice in 12 tries since 2001. Kenny Cooper started the goal-scoring onslaught in the fourth minute followed shortly after by Carlos Ruiz in the seventh and 16th minutes with Ramon Nunez potting the final goal in the 19th minute.
"They've been a bit of a bogey team for this club over the years," said Clarke. "It was nice to get this one -- it was a big game for us."
Ruiz became just the second player in Dallas history to score in four consecutive games with his two goals, joining Jason Kreis as the only players to accomplish such a feat.
"I think this game for us is good because we played like a team," said Ruiz. "We scored four goals in the first half and we played good soccer in the second half, so it was good for us."
The Hoops possessed the ball well from the outset and had their best game of the young season, giving the team the exact same record it had a year ago after nine games (5-1-3, 18 points).
With such a large lead, FC Dallas could have easily slipped into autopilot and cruised through to the final whistle. Bypassing the easy route, the Hoops kept up the intensity and controlled the game from whistle to whistle.
"It can be, they did a good job of it," said Clarke on the challenge of staying alert with such a lead. "They had a couple good things in the first half, could have got one or two.
"But the message at halftime was we've got to be professional, we've got to do the right thing and try to act like its nil-nil and go out and battle them. Human nature is a funny thing -- you know we sat back and they threw extra bodies forward, but I'm delighted to have the win."
With most of the midfielders healthy, Clarke was able to roll out a four-man midfield with a slightly different look. Simo Valakari and Mulrooney played in the middle with O'Brien and Nunez on the wings, and it proved to be a lethal combination for Dallas.
"I've been known as a defensive midfielder in this league and Simo even more than me," said Mulrooney. "If we can free up Ronnie and Ramon that lets us sit back and help the defenders even better, because we have enough firepower up top. With Ronnie and Ramon joining them it's a good thing."
O'Brien had played in the middle for much of the season but the move to the wing provided a renewed spirit in the talented Irishmen who -- while not showing up in the final scoreline -- played a solid role in the victory.
New England's 3-4-3 formation left one-on-one matchups for both players who exploited the advantage with their crafty skills on the ball.
"It's just a natural spot for me," said O'Brien. "I always get their ball facing their goal when I'm on the sideline; I have all that space to play in. It's where I've always played and it's where I'm most comfortable."
Scott Joiner is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
