FC Dallas throttles Aribe Unido in CCL Quarterfinals

FC Dallas kicked off the quarterfinals of the CCL against Panamanian champions Arabe Unido Thursday evening in Frisco. The performance was a convincing display that put FCD one foot into the next round.

The 4-0 score line should give FC Dallas plenty of confidence heading into the second leg. The home team was on the front foot all night, and showed anyone watching why they are considered among the top teams in MLS.

FCD fans have been waiting to catch a glimpse of designated player signing Cristian Colman, and he did not disappoint. The Panamanian forward scored the first goal of the night with a clinical finish in the 30th minute.

Colman was denied a brace by a solid save from the Unido goalkeeper, who had to go full stretch to palm away a low drive. The skill and finishing ability that made Colman a wanted man this winter, was on full display Thursday night.

Another winter addition, Roland Lamah looked comfortable in his midfield role as well. Lamah had a goal disallowed on a close offside call. He also had another drive turned away by a great effort from the keeper. Lamah’s experience and pace showed throughout the game as he was a factor throughout.

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Another good sign for Dallas was the effectiveness of Maximilian Urruti on the field with Colman at the same time. Urruti was the player who was thought to be most affected by the signing of Colman.

The coaching staff has been working on finding a way to use both players effectively together, and Thursday’s game showed the two are forming a good understanding already. Urruti was effective in distributing and providing pressure on the Unido backline.

Kellyn Acosta scored a brace in this game. His first came with a 55th minute strike off of a feed from Lamah. The second was created by a nice bit of holding skill by Tesho Akindele wo froze three defenders before delivering the pass to Acosta for the finish. Acosta was more noticeable in the attacking third this game. If he continues to develop this part of his game, the 21 year old will be on his way to becoming one of MLS’s best box-to-box midfielders.

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Michael Barrios finished the scoring in extra time, as another quick passing play resulted in his opportunity. For FC Dallas this was the perfect start to what is going to be a busy season full of expectation.

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