Not to get too Dickensian and poetic about Wednesday night, but the game was really a tale of two halves. Technically, Dallas should have taken more than a one goal lead in the first half. Technically, Salt Lake should have been on their back foot after the pummeling they took during the first 45 minutes. Alas, none of this happened. But technically, Salt Lake is still winless in Dallas (and Texas for that matter), so there is your silver lining.
More storylines pervaded the buildup to this match than in past meetings. Blas Perez was suspended, as were Jamison Olave and Alvaro Saborio. Dallas came into the game with a depleted bench (that sadly became more depleted). Jackson (sadly not Germaine Jackson) appeared on the bench for the first time since his recall from Cruzeiro. Even with the depleted bench, Dallas had a home match, one against a winless enemy at that rate, and faced a side with two key starters missing. Leading into the match much tilted, aside from Blas’s absence, in FCD’s favor.
Despite the buildup, FCD found itself frustrated in the first 45 minutes after shelling RSL. Nine shots over the course of the first half and Dallas couldn’t crack the RSL defense, and outnumbered Salt Lake in shots nine to two. Yet, Dallas did attack with inspiration and effect, as the pace of Castillo and Brek Shea time and time again allowed Dallas to find itself in good positions to serve and shoot. Bobby Warshaw and Daniel Hernandez looked unbothered despite being outnumbered by the Salt Lake midfield. Attacks varied between looped balls over the top, to patient midfield buildups, to quick combination play with the forwards and wingers. The first half was still promising, and the penalty (albeit very, very questionable) gave Dallas a much-needed reward for its relentless attack. Frustration from the first 40 minutes seemed to disappear after the penalty.
Gaining the lead just before half, one would hope Dallas would have flown high into the second half with much needed confidence and a bit of breathing room. Salt Lake, instead, latched onto this chance and came out more determined to equalize than Dallas was to distance itself further. Beckerman, Morales, and Gil were constant thorns in the side of the Dallas midfield, which was dominated throughout the second half.
The 4-4-2 arrangement that had been so potent in attack during the first 45 opened up the center of midfield during the second 45, especially by the 60th minute. Warshaw and Hernandez were simply crowded out and outnumbered. A switch to the 4-1-4-1 may have been a better option for Hyndman to stabilize the midfield. However, as the formation went unchanged RSL began to turn on the attack. Bonfigli’s goal in the 72nd minute was a quick attack straight up the middle and a product of 15 minutes of Salt Lake midfield supremacy. Hernandez and Warshaw were caught out of position, forcing Ihemelu to step, and the quick through ball looped to two oncoming Salt Lake attackers was too much for George John to handle. It was the fair result for Salt Lake after they had dominated the midfield in the second half, not to mention being hard done by the penalty call in the first half.
Jackson’s return in the 66th minute for Carlos Rodriguez injected much needed creativity and skill into Dallas’ attack. It was a bittersweet moment; Rodriguez just had his elbow knocked out of socket by Morales. Nonetheless Jackson’s return was a welcome surprise.
Hyndman bunkered, however. The substitution of Hernan Pertuz (80th minute) to replace Warshaw (who is definitely a DCM, not an ACM) was an admission that Salt Lake had won the midfield and that more of a defensive presence (even though the combination of Hernandez and Warshaw IS very defensive) would be required to stop the rot.
By this time Dallas became desperate, and began playing more direct, even more so than at the beginning of the half. Castillo and Sealy (subbed for homegrown talent Jonathan Top in the 68th) lacked good service and ability to handle the few that came into them. Most of these balls were knocked from the defense by Benitez (who had an outstanding game), John, and Loyd, bridging the midfield. The buildups that so patterned the Dallas attack in the first half were a bygone memory at this point, and the team looked a little beleaguered and frustrated, but without much of a notion of urgency.
What can the team take away from this match? It wasn’t a loss, that’s for sure. But this is now the second lead given away at home, third lead overall, totaling a significant seven points lost from winning positions. It needs to be said that despite managing three wins this season Dallas is still unable to stabilize the match and impress their game on the opposition after taking the lead. Salt Lake’s comeback and dominance in the second half was the epitome of this weakness. FCD did show promise in the first half, however, and looked like a team that was hungry to get the first goal and set the tone of the match.
Even more promising, however, is the debut of academy players this season. Against RSL Justin Top became the latest debutant (Bryan Leyva being the first vs. Portland). If FCD can manage a way to hold leads, or get itself sizeable ones, using these promising talents and local boys will benefit the club hugely down the stretch. Their incorporation into more matches will make the inevitable departure of Shea (it will eventually happen) and Hernandez much more manageable. All in all, positives can be taken from the performance of Benitez, the persistent attack in the first half, and the debut of homegrown talent in Frisco Wednesday night.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
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