FC Dallas head coach Nico Estevez will have to wait another year to see his club advance past the Round of 32 in the US Open Cup after losing 2-0 on Wednesday night to Nashville SC.
Nashville got second half goals from Fafa Picault and Alex Muyl to help advance to the Round of 16 where they will play USL-Championship side Birmingham Legion.
Neither side did much in the opening 45 minutes with the two sides combining for two shots total. Nashville made three changes after the halftime break and opened up the scoring with Picault in the 63rd minute. The former FC Dallas winger picked up a loose pass from Elliot Panicco and drove through the Dallas defense before cutting back and placing a curling shot into the bottom corner past Jimmy Maurer.
Muyl doubled the lead with a spectacular goal in the 76th minute. The midfielder curled a shot through traffic past Maurer.
Instant reaction: We knew when the lineup came out that this was going to be a rough one. Estevez had to go with a very defensive-minded group thanks to injuries and suspensions. The first half may have been one of the hardest halves of soccer to watch this season from FC Dallas. Hell, I think it was probably hard for Nashville fans too.
But here is the silver lining, as much as you want to see your club win this tournament, losing early in the competition means you won’t have as many extra games on the schedule to deal with. So there is that.
Man of the Match: Yeah, pass.
What’s next for FC Dallas: The club returns home to Texas as they’ll battle rivals Austin FC this weekend at Q2 Stadium.
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