FC Dallas picked up their first shutout of the 2024 season in a 0-0 draw with St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday night.
The draw ended FC Dallas’ four-game losing streak and helped avoid the club earning a club-record five straight losses. Goalkeeper Maarten Paes ended the match with six saves.
FC Dallas saw their first opportunity 13 minutes into the match on a counter attack. Liam Fraser picked off the ball at midfield and then dribbled it forward a bit before playing Eugene Ansah through the St. Louis defense. The Ghanian beat his defender and put in a good shot on goal that forced Roman Burki to make his first save of the night.
After dealing with the possession of St. Louis at the beginning of the second half, Dallas forced Burki into two more big saves. First in the 58th minute on a shot from Sebastian Lletget and then a moment later off a corner kick that saw Omar Gonzalez nearly connect on a header.
Dallas nearly took the lead in the 70th minute on a header from Gonzalez off a set piece from Patrick Delgado. The veteran snuck in behind a St. Louis defender but he was offside on the play to keep the game level.
St. Louis has a golden opportunity in the first minute of extra time as Samuel Adeniran got behind the Dallas defense. He put in a shot past Maarten Paes but his attempt just missed the far post and went out of bounds.
Instant Reaction: Yeah, it isn’t a win but more importantly, it isn’t a loss by FC Dallas. Nico Estevez went back to a 3-4-3 on the road and it paid off, at least defensively. The few chances the attack did have were decent looks but Roman Burki was just a bit better.
Honestly, after the way the last four games went for FC Dallas, this is absolutely one you take and enjoy a bit. Scoreless draws on the road in this league are small wins.
Man of the Match: There are a couple good options here but give it to Maarten Paes and the six saves he had on the night.
What’s next for FC Dallas: The club returns home to battle the Seattle Sounders in a playoff rematch next Saturday.
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