FCD AGAIN IMPRESSIVE FROM THE START:
For the second consecutive season FC Dallas is off to a 3-0-1 start through its first four games of the season. The team currently sits atop the Western Conference with 10 points, four clear of the second place Houston Dynamo. The only other time that the Hoops opened a season with 10 points from their opening four games. Prior to 2004, Dallas' best start to a season was nine points through the first four games of the 2000 season.
FCD STILL STREAKING: FC Dallas saw a pair of team record unbeaten streaks continue with the 2-1 win over the Wizards on Sunday. Colin Clarke's side has now gone eight straight regular season games at Pizza Hut Park without suffering a defeat, going 6-0-2 during that run which dates back to September 18, 2005. The team has also now gone seven consecutive regular season matches, dating back to October 5, 2005, without suffering a loss, a run that began with a 2-1 win over Columbus. Ramon Nunez scored the game-winning goal in second half stoppage time of that game, which was the last time that the Hoops' had scored in stoppage time before Aaron Pitchkolan's last minute winner on Sunday.
GETTING IT DONE WHILE DOWN: On Sunday, FC Dallas was able to score a game-winning goal in a regular season game despite playing with just ten men. Defender Chris Gbandi was sent off in the 68th minute against the Wizards, leaving the Hoops down a man while trying to protect their 1-0 advantage. They were able to hold onto their lead until the second minute of stoppage time when Alex Zotinca leveled the score for K.C. However, just two minutes later Pitchkolan stepped up to grab the winner and send the Pizza Hut Park crowd home happy.
The last time that Dallas was able to score the game-winner while down a man was on August 7, 2004 against Colorado, which was also the last time that Dallas scored while down a man. On that day, Eddie Johnson scored an injury time penalty kick to give Dallas, who was playing with just nine men thanks to red cards for Brad Davis and Simo Valakari, a 1-0 victory over the Rapids.
PITCH WINNER A FINALIST: For the third consecutive week, FC Dallas sees one of its goals nominated for the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week award as Aaron Pitchkolan's injury time strike was selected as one of five finalists for the award. Late in second half stoppage time, and less than two minutes after Kansas City had scored the equalizer, Pitchkolan dispossessed Jose Burciaga Jr., and fired a low right-footed shot past Bo Oshoinyi at the near post to give the Hoops a dramatic 2-1 victory.
All of the nominees for the Goal of the Week can be seen here: http://www.mlsnet.com/sierra/sierra_mist.html
HAPPY RETURNS FOR RUIZ: Carlos Ruiz will be looking to rekindle memories of his last trip to the nation's capital to take on D.C. United last May. The last time that Ruiz traveled to RFK Stadium with his FC Dallas teammates, the Guatemalan international scored a pair of goals to give his team a 2-0 victory. One of those goals, the game-winner, came on a perfectly executed bicycle kick that was named the Sierra Mist MLS Goal of the Decade in March.
Ruiz has always had success against D.C., scoring seven goals in eight career regular season matches against the four-time MLS Cup champions, including three in his last two games at RFK Stadium. The Hoops' current assist leader in 2006 also scored late in second half stoppage time of the two side's U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal in Maryland last season to send the game to extra time before converting his spot kick in the ensuing penalty kick shootout which Dallas went on to win.
MULROONEY BACK IN ACTION: Even with the thrilling 2-1 win over Kansas City on Sunday, the most welcoming sight for many FC Dallas fans on the day may have come in the Reserve Division match that followed. With the score 2-0 in favor of the Wizards at the half, coaches Marco Ferruzzi and Oscar Pareja tried to give their side a boost with the introduction of midfielder Richard Mulrooney for his first game experience since tearing his ACL on May 14, 2005 in San Jose.
The veteran midfielder, who is in his eighth MLS season and second with FC Dallas, made it through the entire second half without incident and showed no signs of the injury, moving him one-step closer to a return to the first team.
MCCARTY ON TARGET: FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty scored a late penalty kick to give the U.S. Under-20 National Team a 2-2 draw with Arsenal in its first game in Ezeiza, Argentina on Saturday. Preston Zimmerman had scored early in the second half to tie the score at 1-1, only for the home side to go back in front in the 66th minute. However, McCarty was able to equalize once again for the U.S., placing a penalty kick past the Argentine 'keeper to give the game its final 2-2 scoreline.
McCarty's FC Dallas teammate Blake Wagner also featured in the match, playing all 90 minutes at left back. You can follow the duo during their final week in South America with their first hand updates of what is going on inside the U.S. camp, including the final two games against River Plate and the reigning world champion Argentina Under-20 National Team, only at www.fcdallas.net.
FC DALLAS WEEKLY LIVE FROM DAVE AND BUSTER'S IN FRISCO: FC Dallas Weekly is back at Dave and Buster's inside the Stonebriar Mall in Frisco this Thursday night, starting at 7 p.m. Defender Drew Moor, fresh off his first start of the 2006 season, will stop by to chat with Ray Canevari about last weekend's win over K.C., and how that sets the team up going into this weekend's battle against D.C. United, the only other unbeaten team in MLS. FC Dallas Head Coach Colin Clarke will also stop by for his weekly Coach's Corner, as will Dallas morning News soccer writer Steve Davis and a host of other soccer insiders.
TIGRES CLOSES IN CLAUSURA PLAYOFFS: Tigres UANL, the Mexican First Division partner club of FC Dallas, has put itself in a good position to qualify for the Clausura playoffs with an impressive 1-1 draw with Pumas in Mexico City. The Monterrey-based club is now in a five-way tie for seventh place in the overall standings with just one match remaining. Tigres currently holds the best goal differential of the five teams that are tied for seventh place, meaning that a win at home against Atlante on Saturday should put them through to the postseason, which features Mexico's top eight teams.
Additionally, on either side of the regular season finale against Atlante, Tigres will face Libertad, the current third-place team in Paraguay, in a two-leg, home-and-away series in the Copa Libertadores. The first leg will be played in Monterrey on Thursday while the return leg will be seven days later in Paraguay on Thursday, May 4. A win in this series will put Tigres' in the competition's quarterfinal round for the first time ever.
