FC Dallas may have not dominated every aspect of the game on Saturday night against Real Salt Lake, but the numbers underneath this match tell a story of how efficient the club when they did have the ball, as well as when they didn’t have it.
This result was one of those classic “you can have the ball, we’ll take the goals” performances. Dallas stayed compact defensively, picked their moments to breakout in transition and absolutely frustrate RSL for 90 minutes. The midfield was active and stingy, which kept the pressure off the backline and Michael Collodi.
Let’s dive into the numbers from this one.
xG Battle/Attacking numbers
The shot map tells the story perfectly. Dallas generated a large 2.22 xG edge on 11 shots, with a majority of their attempts coming in high-danger areas inside the penalty box. RSL, meanwhile, piled up the possession and only produced 0.50 xG despite getting into the attacking third constantly on the night. The visitors finished with 33 touches inside the Dallas penalty area, but only managed three shots inside that area.
In other words, many touches but few actual looks.
Dallas, on the other hand, was far more direct and far more ruthless once they got forward. The Burn created three big chances on the night and converted them, forcing RSL into uncomfortable transition defending all night long. Petar Musa’s movement once again helped stretch the defense vertically (Logan Farrington continued this off the bench), Santiago Moreno found dangerous pockets underneath, and Sam Sarver’s late goal capped off a really lively performance from the young attacker.