LA MANGA, Spain - On a rain-drenched, 25-degree night in Spain, FC Dallas rallied from a 1-0 deficit to score two second half goals and beat Molde of Norway.
FC Dallas Lineup
- Cassar (Garlick 45'), Wagenfuhr (Gbandi 45'), Yi (Abanda 45'), Goodson (Moor 45'), Rhine (Salyer 45'), Mulrooney (Pareja 45'), Valakari (Pitchkolan 45'), O'Brien (Talley 45'), Maurin (Torres 45'), Glen (Woolfolk 45'), Nunez (Alvarez 45')
1 2 F
FC Dallas 0 2 2
Molde 1 0 1
Scoring Summary:
FCD
- Woolfolk (Alvarez) 48', Torres (Pitchkolan, Talley) 57'
MOL
- Rudi (PK) 36'
Head Coach Colin Clarke's men went with two different lineups for both the first and second half, playing in a 4-3-3 system. The pitch was slippery and the air was ice cold as rain poured down for the entire match between the two teams.
Molde struck first after FC Dallas defender Clarence Goodson was called for a penalty in the box during the 36th minute. Goodson protested the call, but the referee awarded Molde midfielder Rudi a penalty kick. Rudi proceeded to place the ball in a perfect spot in the upper left portion of the net to give his team a 1-0 lead.
To start the second half, Clarke made 11 substitutions, which was the plan all along due to the quick turnaround for an exhibition after the long trip to Spain. Just three minutes into the second half, Arturo Alvarez made a nice long run along the right sideline, beating his man and placing a perfect touch pass to Corey Woolfolk. Woolfolk continued with the ball almost to the goal line outside of the right post. After luring the goalkeeper with a nice move, he directed a tough angle shot into the net to tie the match at 1-1.
In the 50th minute, the 5-8 Oscar Pareja and the 6-4 Norwegian Rudi got into a shoving match as Pareja came to his teammate Philip Salyer's defense following a foul. Pareja's intensity sparked the team again as Carey Talley collected a weak clearance and crossed the ball to the left side of the box where Aaron Pitchkolan headed the ball down to Mario Torres. Spinning and rocketing a gorgeous ball past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net, Torres gave FC Dallas a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.
Head Coach Colin Clarke on the scrimmage:
"I think the players applied themselves very well tonight despite the tough conditions we were playing under. Especially in the first half where we had the wind against us, I felt our boys showed well. These Norwegian teams are tough to play against and can help you gauge where your own team is at. I look at tonight as a good, team win and I was impressed with how well we performed and responded to the weather and the travel turn-around."
The team's next scrimmage will be on Wednesday vs. Ciudad Murcia of Spain.
