FC Dallas didn’t just win on Saturday night in the nation’s capital, they controlled the match from start to finish.
In a 4-0 road victory over D.C. United, Dallas delivered one of their most complete performances of the season. They paired clinical finishing with a much-needed defensive response after giving up six goals in the previous two games. This match was a clear reset for the club. They were organized in the back, dangerous in transition, and absolutely ruthless in front of the goal.
Let’s dive into some of the key aspects of this shutout win.
Road performance for the ages
Let’s get to the fun stat from this one, curiosity of the club’s media/PR team. This victory was the second-largest road win in club history. The club’s only larger road win came on Aug. 16, 2014, when Dallas won 5-0 at the San Jose Earthquakes.
Just as we saw two weeks ago against Houston, Dallas came out with strong energy, good momentum and a classy touch from Logan Farrington before his fourth goal of the season.
At the end of things, it could have easily been a five or six goal outing. After five games of just Petar Musa and Farrington finding the back of the net for Dallas, we can now add some other names to the mix on the season. For me, that was a big sign of progression out of this group. Yes, Musa and Farrington continued to score, but so did some other players.
Seeing how this group closed out this game is also a big point of emphasis. No slip ups. No foot off the gas pedal. Just a full push from start to finish.
“The five subs really came on and changed the game for the better, which is what we asked for them to do. And it's a beautiful performance. Some great spells of football that I just think we're growing and I love where we're heading, but I'm proud of the complete team, defending set pieces, attacking set pieces, transitions, everything was honest with us tonight, and they deserve this four goal win." - Manager Eric Quill
Take note of the momentum bar there in the middle of that graphic, aside from three-ish spots, FC Dallas dominated this game from start to finish.