Three takeaways from FC Dallas’ 4-0 victory over the LA Galaxy.
It was a memorable night at Toyota Stadium as Ricardo Pepi became the youngest player in Major League Soccer history to record a hat trick. The three goals from the FC Dallas striker paved the way to a 4-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy. Having only won one match in their last five league fixtures, it was a much-needed win for the home side. Here are three takeaways from the Dallas victory.
Pepi continues to shine
So far this season Pepi has been one of the top U20 players in MLS. No other player younger than 20 has scored as many goals as Pepi. He once again showed why he is among the most promising young talents currently playing in the league.
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Pepi’s first career hat trick for FC Dallas was simply superb as he displayed tremendous composure to take advantage of the opportunities that came his way. This will certainly be one of the matches that will show potentially interested clubs in Europe’s top leagues that Pepi has what it takes to join a club playing in a top division.
Losing streak ended
After losing three consecutive matches, this was a welcome result for FC Dallas. During this losing streak, they managed to score only one goal and had been held scoreless in their last two fixtures. The Galaxy was among those who had defeated Dallas as they won 3-1 just 17 days prior to their meeting on Saturday night. To defeat one of the Western Conference’s top clubs by four goals was the perfect response to the recent losing streak. For Dallas, this win could kick start a more consistent pattern of picking up points and working towards a top-seven place in the conference.
First clean sheet since Matchday One
This was the first clean sheet FC Dallas have registered since Matchday One when they held the Colorado Rapids to a scoreless draw. Entering this match, Dallas was tied for the fewest clean sheets in MLS but they were able to move out of the last spot into a group with multiple teams at two clean sheets apiece. With Sporting Kansas City and the Seattle Sounders on the horizon, the Dallas backline will hopefully be able to build off this performance to have strong showings against these high-powered offensive clubs.