ST PAUL, Minn — Welcome back to Keeping Score: Your complete FC Dallas match day experience.
Minnesota United FC got the best of FC Dallas in the season opener back in late February with a 1-0 win in Toyota Stadium. Minnesota United started the year on a hot streak, going unbeaten through their first five matches. But they entered Sunday's match on a three-game losing streak.
FC Dallas, on the other hand, were winners of two of their last three matches headed into St. Paul.
Here's how the match played out:
FC Dallas struggled to create chances on the offensive end in the first half. Minnesota United outshot FC Dallas 9-2 overall and 3-0 on frame. FC Dallas' expected goals only amounted to 0.1 in the first half.
Early on in the second half, FC Dallas had much better success generating promising scoring chances by playing vertical balls over the top along the right side. Arguably one of the best looks on goal for either team came courtesy of Robin Lod. The Minnesota United midfielder weaved through traffic and put a shot just wide of the goal in the 72nd minute.
With the tie, FC Dallas leaves Minnesota with a point in the standings to bring the club to 15 on the year, which puts them fourth in the Western Conference.
FC fit check
Not many fits to check on this road trip. But a fun pregame moment with Jesus Ferreira and Paul Arriola.
Frisco Foodie Fun
Nothing to try this week. I made turkey burgers and sweet potato fries for dinner though!
#DTID Man of the Match
Maarten Paes.
The goalkeeper made every save he needed to, including a crucial one in stoppage time.
What they said
Head Coach Nico Estévez
Reaction to the result and performance…
“It’s really important coming off a loss and having two games away in a row like we had and not conceding to get a point and something positive. It’s difficult in this league to play away. The two halves were pretty different. In the first half we had good control of buildup, but we didn’t create many chances and we lacked when we were playing deeper. The crosses that we had, some of them should’ve been on the ground and we could’ve executed better. In the second half, the game opened a little bit with more fatigue and the opponent opened more and we found spaces to counterattack. Defensively, we had some moments where we were very compact and solid and in other moments it was difficult to stop the opponent’s attack and it’s a good learning moment for us in terms of preventing some of the chances Minnesota created today. In the first half, I think it was more from our mistakes and giving up the ball in the wrong spaces. In the second half it was more in transition moments which we prevented well.”
On creating chances in the final third…
“In the second half we won the ball in areas with numbers forward and allowed us to be more dangerous. In the first half, we had a more difficult time winning the ball in their half and we were forced in the second half by adjusting some of our pressure. It helped us to force them to make mistakes and win the ball. Sometimes the best action in the first half came from buildup but I think we rushed too much when we arrived in the final third. We might have to be a little bit more patient to draw them out more and move them more to attack the penalty box.”
On Geovane Jesus’ adaptation to MLS…
“Geovane is adapting very well. He’s doing a good job on different sides, on the sports side but also on the personal side. He’s learning English and getting more comfortable with the language, he has his family here and they’re enjoying Dallas. On the field he’s understanding very quickly what we’re looking for him. Still think he has to keep learning but he’s doing an amazing job on that. His attitude and willingness to understand things is great. His physicality helps him adapt to this league and he’s very dangerous on passing and crossing. He was on the bench today because only 11 players can play, and we thought that it was a good moment to play Ema (Twumasi). We know the quality of Minnesota’s wingers and we selected players to help us avoid those situations. At the end of the game, having Geovane fresh could make an impact on the defensive side.”
Goalkeeper Maarten Paes
On earning his second shutout of the season…
“It felt good to get a clean sheet tonight, especially after last week’s performance. It was a tough away game because Minnesota played with a lot of intensity. Luckily, we were able to shut the door on them and didn’t allow any goals in. We could’ve scored, but it wasn’t our best performance overall. Sometimes you have to be happy to earn a point on the road considering all the factors that come into play.”
On preparing to host St. Louis CITY SC…
“Getting the clean sheet tonight is important for the defenders. I feel like this helps us boost our confidence. Playing against a low block we were able to keep them outside of our 18. We were able to defend properly in set pieces today, and that is something that Minnesota is strong at. Next week is a new challenge, and we are already looking forward to it.”
Injury update
Alan Velasco was listed as questionable with a right knee sprain. He's missed three matches in a row now.
What's next/8 ball prediction
FC Dallas returns home to Texas as the welcome the league's new kids on the block: the red hot St. Louis CITY FC. TV information: Apple TV+ – MLS Season Pass – 7:30 p.m. CST.
"8 ball" bold prediction tracker:
FC Dallas will have three players score 12-plus goals this season: Jesus Ferreira, Paul Arriola and Alan Velasco.
- Ferreira: 5/12
- Arriola: 0/12
- Velasco: 2/12
I need some big output from Arriola and Velasco soon. This prediction is looking less likely by the match, but it's still early!
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