FC Dallas kept its momentum rolling on Saturday night with a 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake at Toyota Stadium.
Dallas did its damage early, getting first-half goals from Santiago Moreno and Kaick to take control of the match despite seeing much less of the ball than the visitors. Petar Musa added his second assist of the season on Moreno’s goal, while Dallas made the most of its chances in a game where efficiency mattered far more than possession.
RSL pulled one back late in the second half through Diego Luna, but Dallas stayed organized and limited the visitors to just two hosts on target all night. Then in stoppage time, Sam Sarver put the game to bed with his second goal of the season on a long 65-yard run after a clearance off an RSL corner kick.
Key Moments
18’ - GOAL!! Santiago Moreno opens up his FC Dallas account on a counter attack that Kaick started around midfield. The Brazilian laid the ball off to Petar Musa, who then played Moreno through around top of the penalty box. Moreno shrugged off a defender before releasing a shot that beat the RSL keeper at the near post.
24’ - GOAL!! After a quick transition after a RSL turned the ball over in the Dallas defensive end. FC Dallas had a four-vs-two advantage with Ran Binyamin playing Musa along the right side of the field. Musa dribbled the ball into the penalty area and ripped a shot that forced Rafael Cabral to make a diving save. Kaick quickly gobbled up the rebound for his first goal.
34’ - Big save! - After a RSL corner kick that Dallas cleared out of the penalty area. Noel Caliskan took a shot from distance that forced Michael Collodi to make a leaping save to push the ball over the goal.
85’ - Goal RSL - After a Dallas turnover in the RSL defensive end, RSL drove the ball forward on the counter attack. Morgan Guilavogui collected the ball along the right side of the field. After a couple of dribbles he crossed the ball to Diego Luna on the left side of the penalty area. The US national team player took a couple of touches before hitting a shot that beat Collodi at the far post.
90+3 - GOOOOALL! Sam Sarver with a 65 yard run.
Instant Reaction
Who cares if FC Dallas only had 28 or 30% of the possession on the night. The fact that Dallas found a way to be efficient in front of the net with the chances that they did have, while also being ruthless in defense...yeah, this is a game you take and enjoy. Back-to-back wins right now also give you a little bit of momentum before taking on the two top teams in the league next week (Vancouver and San Jose).
About the Subs
Eric Quill went to his bench for the first time in the 67th minute, when he brought Chris Cappis on for Santiago Moreno. Eight minutes later, he took Petar Musa and Joaquin Valiente off and brought in Sam Sarver and Logan Farrington. The final sub came with three minutes to go, when Sebastien Ibeagha came on for Ran Binyamin.
Man of the Match
Kaick had himself another solid performance tonight. Not only did he get a goal (his first of the year), but he was getting after balls left and right with several defensive contributions.
Where does this fit into the season
The win puts Dallas even on points with RSL with 19 points. RSL will stay in 6th place due to the extra win they have on Dallas at the moment. But there is now a little bit more daylight in the standings before Dallas begins the long road trip.
What’s next for FC Dallas
FC Dallas will be back at home next Wednesday night when they host the Vancouver Whitecaps in their final home game until early September.
