FC Dallas opens season with road win over Galaxy

FC Dallas has to be pleased with taking all three points on the road. Even with the full point haul, Oscar Pareja will have much to critique his team on.

The MLS season kicked off this weekend with a full slate of games. FC Dallas began their season on the road against a new look LA Galaxy.

The Galaxy may not have Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane or Bruce Arena anymore, but they are still one of the most talented teams in MLS. New DP Romain Alessandrini and US international Jermaine Jones were making their Galaxy debut. While on the other side, FCD was trotting out newcomers Cristian Colman and Roland Lamah.

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Dallas came out in a 4-4-2 pairing Maxi Urruti with Colman up top. Kellyn Acosta played the more offensive role in the central midfield leaving most of the defensive duties to Carlos Gruezo. Hernan Grana was the one defensive change from last season.

Game Summary

The opening half saw both teams trying to impose their will on the other. FC Dallas was looking to use their speed on the flanks to stretch the Galaxy defense and create opportunities on the cross. LA seemed intent on building through the center trying to play Dos Santos and Alessandrini in through balls. Both teams enjoyed some times where they were on the front foot, but neither could find that elusive goal.

After a scoreless first half, the second half began with a bang. Urruti opened the scoring a few minutes in with a low shot to the corner from the top of the box. LA looked to have it covered fairly well, but Urruti was able to get the shot off through the legs of the defender. This screened the ball enough to keep the keeper from getting a full look at the shot.

The Galaxy would answer five minutes later when a foul in the box gave them a penalty opportunity. Dos Santos calmly slotted it home and knotted the match at one apiece.

Acosta gave FCD the lead for good in the 69th minute off of a give and go with Lamah. The goal was the icing on the cake for Acosta who showed his potential in his expanded offensive role.

The Galaxy kept the pressure on till the final whistle. They failed to convert on some solid chances late, and the 2-1 score was sealed.

Takeaways

FC Dallas has to be pleased with taking all three points on the road. Even with the full point haul, Oscar Pareja will have much to critique his team on.

Their failure to stem the tide over the final fifteen minutes left FCD absorbing a lot of pressure. They were able to hold on, but that had much to do with an inability to convert chances by the Galaxy. With their passing and skill, FC Dallas is equipped to better hold leads and breakout on their counter. This was not the case on Saturday as they were pinned into their end for much of the closing stages.

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Overall it was a positive result for FC Dallas. Colman was a threat with his runs prior to subbing off. Grana was involved in multiple chances making runs down the wing, and Acosta looked comfortable in his midfield role. The pieces FCD added seem to be fitting in well, hopefully that is a trend that continues.

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