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FC Dallas halted a two-match skid with a thorough domination of a weakened Minnesota United FC. The long rain delay, was the only real obstacle FCD faced all night, in a 2-0 home win.
For rating purposes, 6 is the rating given for an average MLS performance.
Man of the Match
Maynor Figueroa (8.7) - Maynor started in place of Reto Ziegler (suspended), and elicited groans from FCD fans wishing to see one of the young centerback get the start. Maynor responded by having his best performance of the season.
Maynor had the type of game that highlights his value to the team as a spot starter, who can excell against the right opponents, and a Loon attack missing it's most dangerous attackers (Darwin Quintero, Ethan Finley), was just that.
Maynor was simply dominant on the defensive end:
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Seven interceptions, three clearances, three tackles, four recoveries, three aerials won, one block, and six out of seven duels won. There is no doubt that the Loons targeted Maynor as a potential weakness, and he was more than up to the task.
Maynor's contribution didn't end there, as he hustled for the game winning goal:
#FCDallas take the 1-0 lead against #MNUFC through Maynor Figueroa, with the goal standing after a long Video Review.#FCDvMIN #DALvMIN #MLS pic.twitter.com/AhpiLHPWqo
— Jason Foster (@JogaBonito_USA) August 19, 2018
Besides the VAR reviewed goal, Maynor made his presence felt on offense:
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Maynor had one goal on two shot attempts, 93% passing accuracy, completed four out of five long balls, and drew one foul. As you can see from the passing chart, Maynor would surge forward in attack, just as if he was the left back in the attack.
Starters
Jimmy Maurer (6.5), Matt Hedges (6.9), Reggie Cannon (7.6), Marquinhos Pedroso (6.9) - Maynor wasn't alone in being dominant on defense, as the entire backline combined to hold the Loons to just one shot on goal. Maurer was never really challenged, on his way to a clean sheet. Pedroso continues to show he is an excellent mid-season signing. Reggie Cannon continued to state his case for a National team call up, while Hedges is making a case for a return call up himself.
Victor Ulloa( 7.0), Carlos Gruezo (7.2) - FCD simply bossed the midfield to the tune of 59% possession. Vic and Gruezo played a huge part in this dominance, as they combined for 220 touches, 202 pass attempts, incredible passing accuracy of 90.9% for Gruezo, and 95.2% for Ulloa.
Michael Barrios (7.1) - Barrios can drive fans nuts with his missed opportunities in front of the net, but that wasn’t the case this weekend:
OMG
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 19, 2018
Michael Barrios curls one far post that beats Shuttleworth! #DALvMIN https://t.co/hqpqFMANgi
This goal is just his fourth goal of the season, and is perhaps a sign that Barrios has fully regained is scoring touch.
Pablo Aranguiz (7.0) - By now, you have heard all of the praise being heaped on Pablo following his performance against the Loons. Praise enough to land him on the MLS Team of the Week, in his very first start:
The best from Week 25. // @Audi pic.twitter.com/uJqnhRaZYy
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 20, 2018
I’m not going to add too much to something that has already been said about FCD’s new 310, other than the excitement he adds to the team, gives fans hope that he will be a difference maker come playoffs time.
Maximiliano Urruti (6.7), Dominique Badji (6.5) - Maxi and Badji both kinda disappeared for stretches of the match. Badji looked a little lost at times, but that can be forgiven, since he is still very new to the team. Maxi on the other hand, he’s been missing the mark for several games now, and FCD needs him to regain his grove soon.
Bench
Santiago Mosquera (6.5) - Santi looked good in limited action off the bench, and should make FCD far more dangerous once he’s fully back.
Roland Lamah (6.2), - Lamah came in late to close out the game.
Paxton Pomykal (6.0) - Pax received some token minutes late in the match, but it would be nice to see him enter the match a little earlier.
Coach
Oscar Pareja (7.0) - Other than integrating some new and returning players against a weakened opponent, there really wasn’t too much asked of Pareja.