Philadelphia Union v FC Dallas (2-2) - Dallas Throws Away Two Points in Adu’s Debut

Union formation after 22nd minute

Philadelphia's Strategy
    Peter Nowak gave Freddy Adu the start even though he had only been with the club for one training session. The Union started out in a 4-4-1-1 with Adu as the playmaker. In midfield was LeToux, Paunovic, Carroll and Mapp, while McInerney began as the lone striker.
    However, Nowak scrapped this formation a mere twenty minutes into the match. After having a word with Adu five minutes earlier, Nowak called his players to the touchline when a Dallas player was down. He switched his sides shape to a 4-4-2, with LeToux and McInerney up top and Adu and Mapp on the wings.

Dallas Strategy
    Schellas Hyndman tweeked his tactics, changing from a 4-5-1 to a 4-2-3-1. Villar played in front of Hernandez and Guarda and had the freedom to move from touchline to touchline to try and interchange with Shea and Chavez and to support Maicon Santos. The movement from Villar and Santos kept the center backs concerned with the middle of the pitch. This isolated the fullbacks on Shea and Chavez, and the two wingers gave them fits all night.

     For large stretches of the match, Dallas passed the ball around swiftly and with great precision. This kept the Union on their heels and Dallas had room to switch the ball across the pitch to Shea or Chavez. When they lost the ball, Dallas pressured the first Union player who had possession. This pressure bothered the Union and prevented them from settling into the match.

Gaffe Gifts Dallas Lead
    Dallas threw a seemingly harmless ball long from the right side that looked to be an easy one for Carlos Valdes to clear in the 16th minute. Inexplicably, the Colombian center back hesitated and then whiffed on his clearance attempt. The ball was collected by a hard charging Maicon Santos who floated it over Mondragon and into the back of the net. After such a strong start to the season, Valdes has hit a rough patch of form recently, having a similar howler against Colorado.
    Dallas was in control of the run of play throughout the first half and looked comfortable up a goal. However, Ugo Ihemelu was in a gift giving mood and presented the Union a penalty in the 33rd minute. McInerney chipped a ball down the right touchline perfectly for Mapp who had room to run into the box. Ihemelu was able to recover though and close Mapp down. But, the experienced midfielder baited Ihemelu to make a challenge and brought him down, with referee Geoff Gamble pointing to the spot. It was a clear penalty and a foolish one to concede as Mapp was not in a dangerous area. Sebastian LeToux stepped up and sent to penalty into the lower left hand corner, leveling the match, and tallying his first goal since April 20 (stat via @thegoalkeeper).
    Minutes before halftime Dallas was able to reclaim the lead on a swift counter attack. Santos played a lovely ball to Chavez whose pace had gotten him room and he was able to shoot from inside the box. His effort was partially stopped by Mondragon but the ball deflected off the right post. Brek Shea was at the doorstep after a superb hustling effort to bury the rebound and give Dallas the 2-1 lead at the break.

Adu’s Performance

     Considering Adu just joined the side, it was no surprise the Unionb attack looked out of sorts. He said after the match, "But I've got to get on the same page obviously." He played the first 20 minutes in the playmaker role and was ineffective. However, this was not completely his fault as he received little service. The Union were playing direct with too many long balls instead of controlling possession.

     Upon moving to left wing, Adu remained ineffective for the rest of the first half. His best spell came in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Freddy saw plenty of the ball on the left side and was able to get in crosses. He played a through ball to Paunovic in the 56^th minute which was put into the back of the net, but the midfielder was carelessly offside. He exited in the 62^nd minute for Danny Mwanga and his return to the MLS was fairly successful, considering the circumstances.

Frantic Finish as the Union Equalize                          

     Down a goal, Nowak went to the bench and brought on Roger Torres in the 73^rd and Keon Daniel in the 79^th minute to try and rescue a draw. Dallas was looking comfortable and appeared more likely to add a third then the Union was scoring a second. Villar had two clear cut chances in the 78^th and 79^th minute but was unable to finish either of them.

     The dynamics of the match changed in the 81^st minute. After picking up a yellow in the first half for unnecessarily shouldering LeToux, George John made his second mistake by slide tackling Mwanga on the edge of the 18. The challenge was needless as Mwanga was swarmed by Dallas defenders and Geoff Gamble had to book John for the second time.

     A third critical mistake was made by Dallas three minutes later. Farfan found space past Jackson on the left side and carried the ball into the box. Jackson took down the left back and the referee awarded another penalty. LeToux stepped up and put his second penalty of the night in the same spot as the first.

     Philadelphia nearly stole the win in the 90^th minute. Roger Torres delicately chipped a ball over the top for Mwanga whose shot from seven yards was well saved by Hartman. Hartman then made a great save on the ensuing corner as Keon Daniel’s header was deflected but Hartman adjusted his body to make the save. The veteran keeper did well to preserve the draw and in the process earned his 373^rd start of his MLS career, which set the record for most starts in league history.

Outlook for New Look Union
     Peter Nowak now has a decision on what tactical shape he will set his side out in and what positions his players will take up.

     I would like to see the Union start Adu, Mwanga, LeToux as a front three with Carroll, Mapp and Torres in midfield. This would no doubt be an attacking and unrealistic lineup but a 4-3-3 with all six attacking players comfortable in possession would be a joy to watch.
    Most likely, Nowak will use the 4-4-2 he employed from the 22nd minute on. Mapp and Adu would play wide with LeToux and McInerney up top.
     Interestingly, on Sunday Mondragon tweeted, “What a dream come true will be to have my "brother" @JUANPABLOANGEL to play for the Philadelphia Union, he will fit perfectly in our team!” Then quickly responded with, “Its just a personal wish, just saying, you never know!!! DOOP!!!”

     To me, the second tweet seems like the Union PR Department got ahold of Mr. Mondragon and told him to fix his message. The possible addition of Angel, on DP money, would be foolish. I know he will feel at home playing with fellow Colombians Mondragon, Torres and Valdes, but Angel has looked washed up for LA, which is why they are acquiring Robbie Keane.

Dallas Outlook
    The Hoops will be devastated not only for dropping two points, but if the possible knock to Daniel Hernandez turns out to be serious. The club's depth will be severely tested with midweek Champions League matches and weekend MLS fixtures. Schellas Hyndman will have to make changes and rest players while also picking up results in both competitions. In an interview with World Football Daily, the manager said he had a plan for how many minutes each player would play in August to try and keep everyone fresh for the remainder of the season.

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FC Dallas Loses The Aerial Battle At LA Galaxy 3-1

FC Dallas’ Setup:

     Dallas set up in a 4-5-1 with newly acquired Maicon Santos up top. Santos was up against Gonzalez most of the night and just could not get by him in 1 on 1 situations. Vilar and Guarda patrolled the middle behind Santos and in front of Hernandez, who played the holding midfield spot.  Hernandez played an excellent match, showing a lot of aggression and won numerous balls for FCD. Chavez played wide left and scored a wonder goal early to give FCD their only lead. His speed was troubling to LA all evening. Shea played wide left and cut inside frequently as usual but did not see enough of the ball to be very effective. He was effective when he did get the ball however, and played in some dangerous crosses. FCD’s back four remain unchanged from their previous game.

LA’s Setup:

     LA set up in a 4-4-2 but did not start Angel and instead played Mike Magee up top alongside Cristman. This shows that coach Bruce Arena is losing faith in Angel, and one wonders if LA should have worked harder to keep Eddson Buddle. Donovan played on the left, Franklin moved up a spot to right mid from his usual right back, and Beckham wandered around the pitch as usual but particularly looked to get to the right wing when LA had possession so he could swing in balls into the box. Juninho played in the hole in front of Gonzalez and Berhalter. De La Garza was moved out to right back and Dunivant played left back.

LA Dominates despite going behind early:

     Chavez had a strike in the 9^th minute for FCD that gave them a 1-0 lead. After the goal FCD became much too passive, and let LA dominate possession. A big part of LA’s strategy was to advance the ball up the field before letting Beckham cross balls into the box, along with letting Donovan build up a head of steam running through the midfield to try and set up his teammates. This worked throughout the game as Beckham played in an inordinate number of balls that FCD dealt with fairly well. However, it was the set pieces that LA earned that gave them the upper hand in the match. LA did a good job of drawing fouls in dangerous areas to set up these Beckham’s trademark set pieces. In fact, all three LA goals were off of Beckham set pieces, with one being a corner.

     The first LA goal was due to a total miscommunication between Hartman and John that ended with the two colliding and Gonzalez heading in the loose ball to tie the game. The second came off another Beckham set piece. The ball was deflected out to the top of the box to an unmarked Juninho who one-timed one past Hartman to make the score 2-1 in favor of LA. The third and final goal came off of a Beckham corner that was headed in by Mike Magee, who broke free from his man, Vilar.

     FCD started to get some offense going in the second half by getting the ball to Santos in dangerous positions but he was unable to shake Gonzalez, and often he was alone up top ahead of his teammates and had no one to play the ball back to. Vilar and Guarda did not come back deep enough for the ball which led to too many balls being blasted long by the Dallas back four that did not trouble LA at all. They were also ineffective in getting Shea the ball where he could create some offense. It was clear he got frustrated with his lack of impact on the match.

Conclusion:

     FCD, in my opinion, would be better off playing Chavez at striker over Santos and moving Jackson back into the team on the right once he is eligible again. It will give them more speed and Chavez has been finishing well the past few weeks. Shea needs to find the ball more, and whether it was his teammates not looking for him enough or him just not getting himself open, he needed to create more offense than he did for FCD to win Saturday night.

     LA coach Bruce Arena clearly has not been impressed with the form of Angel, and started winger Mike Magee up top in his place. As we have said before on this blog, LA will not be able to win the title until they find a consistent threat at striker.

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FC Dallas at New York Red Bulls: 2-2: Henry’s Strike Keeps Red Bulls from Walking Away Empty-Handed:

New York’s Setup:

      Hans Backe employed somewhat of a 4-4-2 but with Henry playing a little deeper than a traditional second striker in a 4-4-2. Henry would drop deeper often to receive the ball and played many threatening balls to Agudelo, whom he joined up top, and Dane Richards who patrolled the right flank. Henry displayed an excellent balance between setting up his teammates, while also making sure that he looked to get his own shots off as well. Agudelo looked as on form as at any point this season. He got off quite a few shots, covered a tremendous amount of ground tracking back frequently to assist the defense, and also showed an improved ability to hold up the ball and play it back for his teammates, which is something he needs to continue to improve on.

      Richards, who played wide right, put on quite a performance. He used his blazing speed to continuously test the Dallas back four, and even though he didn’t score; he notched an assist, struck a rocket off of the post in the second half, and had numerous other dangerous balls to Henry and Agudelo. The only negative was his second yellow card in the 80’ minute that led to his sending off. Otherwise it was a wonderful performance from Richards, and New York will need that effort more consistently from him for the remainder of the season to push for the MLS Cup.

      Lindpere and McCarty played in the center of midfield with McCarty playing in the hole and Lindpere playing mostly in left central midfield. Ballouchy played on the left and frequently dropped more central. Ream and Marquez were back together at center back and even though they struggled a bit in the second half, they played some excellent balls out of the back that sprung some of New York’s best attacks. Miller and Solli proved useful in that regard as well, as they both got deep into Dallas territory to help New York keep possession in the final third and set up their teammates.

Dallas Setup:

     Schellas Hyndman set up in his usual 4-5-1. Chavez played alone up top and put in his best performance of the season, netting two goals. He did much better being patient and looking for his teammates instead of attempting to take on multiple defenders like he had been doing previously. He also made many dangerous runs behind the defense, and was unusually patient to keep from being called offside. Brek Shea, who played mostly wide left, as usual drifted into the middle frequently, and showed glimpses of his form this season. I’m sure Dallas fans would have liked to see more from him. New York did a commendable job preventing him from dribbling through their back four, and much of that credit has to go to Solli, who troubled Shea all night. Even when Shea switched to the right at times, he was unable to get off any of his accustomed thunderbolt shots.

      Dallas played Villar just behind Chavez, and Hernandez and Alexander behind him in the center of midfield with Hernandez playing a little deeper than Alexander. Avila played wide right and put on a particularly unimpressive performance and was promptly substituted at half time for Guarda (more on his effort later). The Dallas back four played very well, especially John, who may be expecting a call up for the US Men’s National Team soon.

A Tale of Two Halves:

     The first half was entirely dominated by New York. They were aggressive early, particularly Henry, Agudelo, and Richards. They linked up well and were in dangerous positions but often times seemed to over pass and not get off a shot. Dallas was much too passive, never putting adequate pressure on New York when they had the ball, and failed to maintain possession themselves. Avila on the right particularly struggled to make an impact, and their central midfielders far too often made poor passes that gave away possession. They attempted to get Shea into the game but with their poor distribution were unable to.

     New York finally made a break through in the 39’ minute when Henry made a phenomenal effort two times to keep possession, played a ball to Agudelo who flicked on Richards. Richards played a low cross into the box back for Agudelo whose effort was deflected in past Hartman. It was a deserved goal for the Red Bulls as they had been the far better team in the first half.

     To start the second half, Schellas Hyndman brought on Guarda for Avila. Guarda sat behind Chavez and Hernandez moved out wide right. He was the difference in the match for Dallas, as he showed a lot of off the ball movement that troubled New York, and this led to him playing an integral role in both of their goals. In the 51’ minute he made a nice run past Lindpere down the left channel, received a pass from Villar, and then he laid it off back to Villar who had made a run into the box. When Villar received the pass Marquez stepped up to him, which left Chavez unmarked, and he nicely stayed onside, received the pass from Villar, and netted the game-tying goal for Dallas. It was Guarda that sparked that attack with his initial run past Lindpere that left the New York defense scrambling to rotate unsuccessfully.

     After the goal Dallas mounted dangerous attack after dangerous attack and looked certain to score at least one more goal. Their second goal came in the 78’ minute off of a set piece. Hernandez played a side ways pass to Benitez just across midfield who then blasted a ball into the box. John flicked the ball across the box to Chavez, who was unmarked because Solli was caught ball watching, and he netted his second goal of the match.

     After taking the lead Dallas looked to be in control, especially after Richards was sent off in the 80’ minute. But Dallas became much too defensive after they went a man up and let New York dominate the possession. Henry netted the game tying goal, and his MLS leading 11^th, when he controlled a pass from McCarty in the 85’ minute at the top of the box on the left, faked a right footed shot, turned back to his left foot and hammered the equalizer. It was a sweet finish for the New York captain, MLS All-Star, and potential league MVP.

Conclusion:

     The key for Dallas was the substitution of Guarda into the match to start the second half. They also applied much more ball pressure in the second half, which faltered New York’s attacks and let them dominate the second half. New York needed a better performance from Lindpere, who did not play up to his usual standards. It was also highly questionable that Backe did not use any subs even though it was an extremely hot evening. After the match he said he didn’t feel his substitutes were good enough. If that is really the case New York better hope they stay injury free for the remainder of the season. It was a deserved point for each side, as New York outplayed Dallas in the first half and Dallas outplayed New York more the majority of the second half. With that being said, Dallas probably felt like they let two points slip away, especially after going a man up with the lead.

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Toronto FC v FC Dallas (0-1) – FCD Grind Out Road Win v New Look TFC

Toronto came into the match having scored the second fewest goals and conceded the most in MLS. However, they have been decent at home picking up 14 of 18 goals. Dallas has failed to score in the past two MLS matches.
Toronto's Strategy
    Off the back of two designated player signings and several trades, the side was almost unrecognizable. Aron Winter started with his preferred 4-3-3 setup. Andy Iro was brought in from Columbus and paired with Harden at central defense. Torsten Frings made his debut in midfield protecting the back four. Sturgis and Yourassowsky played in the center of midfield. Jaoa Plata and Ryan Johnson were on the wings with new Dutch striker Danny Koevermans playing as the central forward.
Dallas' Strategy
    Schellas Hyndman went with a similar 4-5-1 that he has utilized lately. One tactical change was pushing Brek Shea up the pitch as a left forward instead of his usual left wing. Also, Jackson moved from right wing to right back. Dallas used a right side trio of Avila, Villar and Jackson and they combined well to outnumber the left side of defense (Borman and Johnson).
First Half Tactics
    Toronto began the match looking like a new team. They were incapable of stringing passes and the back four could not get the ball to the midfield. Instead, they resorted to ineffective long balls.  The only few good moves started with Frings getting the ball and finding Ryan Johnson on the left. The Reds rare forays forward usually ended with a poor cross.
    Dallas started the match looking dangerous to score. Brek Shea was the lynchpin of the attack. Shea received much more service than his previous two outings; mainly receiving long passes from deep in midfield by Hernandez and short support balls from Alexander and Benitez. Viator was struggling to stay close to Shea and the overlapping of Benitez added a second element. This style occurred on the right with Jackson overlapping. This strategy was creating space out wide but Dallas had few chances because they had nobody in the box to latch onto the end of a cross.
Goal Worthy of Winning any Match
    Three minutes after halftime, Brek Shea provided a moment worth the price of admission. He poked the ball away in the center circle and Hernandez sent it straight back to him. The homegrown Texan blazed a trail down midfield and skipped past Frings and Sturgis. About 25 yards from goal he released a left foot rocket the caromed off the left post and bounced in. Toronto FC fans awed at the effort but will be disappointed with the midfield not closing down and the defense not stepping up to challenge Shea.
Goal Opens up Play
    Certainly, the match was dying for a goal and Shea's strike opened up the second half. Four minutes later Plata scored an goal, from an offside position. Then, Winter brought on Maicon Santos and Nick Solsma to liven the attack.
    The attacking substitutions helped, but also opened Toronto up to the counter. Dallas will be thankful that they kept a clean sheet because they missed some great chances towards the end of the match. Shea had a shot well saved by Frei and Jackson chipped the keeper and hit the crossbar. The substitute Guarda sent a volley from the penalty spit wide after a giveaway by Harden. Guarda pulled a shot from the right wide but Chavez deflected the effort but he was in an offside position.
    Toronto turned up the pressure though towards the end of the match sending in long balls and dangerous crosses. The Reds best chance came in the 87th minute from Maicon Santos. He blew an open header over the bar from five yards after a terrific cross by Soolsma. A minute later Iro swung a ball to Koevermans who was offside but still could not put it away.
Conclusion
     Looking at the chalkboards on mlssoccer.com, Dallas’ midfield was able to provide service to the forwards, while Toronto could not. While Frings had some effective long balls to Johnson, he misplaced almost as many passes as he completed. Also, Yourassowky and Sturgis were nonexistent in the match. The two combined to complete 18 passes, a stat that must change if Toronto is to score goals.

     Additionally, this match exhibits that MLS as a whole lacks finishers. The two sides combined for 31 shots with more than half of them coming inside the box and only resulted in one goal. This profligacy in front of goal may explain why there are so many ties in the MLS this season. Dallas did not finish off the match with a second goal and Toronto had chances to equalize; a script we have seen throughout the regular season.

     Dallas will be happy with a road win. However, FCD fans will be mystified and frustrated with their sides inability to finish chances and score goals.

     For Toronto, they have played over 300 consecutive MLS minutes without scoring a goal. Aron Winter has a tough task to mold together a brand new side and get them playing well. The playoffs might be a long shot for them but maybe management made all these moves to prepare a unit for next season.

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DC United at FC Dallas: (0-0) - Dallas Heat Shows No Home Field Advantage

The extreme heat and humidity in Saturday night’s contest was extremely evident on the faces of the players of both teams. FC Dallas was coming off a disappointing effort on the road at Real Salt Lake that we profiled earlier this week. DC United was going into their third game with their new acquisition, MLS All-Star Dwayne DeRosario. They were coming off an impressive road win at New York that we also profiled earlier this week.

DC United Setup:

     Coach Ben Olsen employed the same strategy that he has employed since acquiring DeRosario. The only difference Saturday night from the first two games was that DeRosario played the playmaker role behind Davies and Ngwenya instead of Wolff. DeRosario seemed to be extremely exhausted by the heat and had a surprisingly miniscule impact on the match. He did not see very much of the ball at all. 

    Simms was once again heavily involved in collecting the ball from the defense and trying to distribute forward, but with Dallas applying some high pressure he was not very effective in doing so. Kitchen at right back did not get forward as much as he had in the previous two games and it showed in DC’s lack of attack and service into the Dallas box.

FC Dallas Setup:

     FC Dallas set up in a 4-5-1 again but looked to attack much more than they did on the road at the Rio Tinto. Brek Shea was prominently featured mostly on the left wing, but he did switch sides with Jackson several times. He was extremely aggressive in attack, often cutting inside and looking to lay the ball off for a quick one two after a run behind the defense. Other than Shea the FC Dallas was disappointing to say the least, with the absence of their injured playmaker David Ferreira never being more evident, as they lacked that final dangerous ball to create a quality scoring opportunity.

     Chavez played up top with Villar in behind him and neither created many chances. Chavez is blessed with top end speed, but unfortunately for Dallas he seems unsure of how to use it properly for the teams benefit. He demonstrated this by being offside on the majority of his off ball runs, resulting in him not being able to use his speed to test the DC back line.

Extreme Heat a Debilitating Factor on the Match:

     Both sides seemed to be lacking energy at times and one could only deduce it was due to the heat. Dallas dominated the match but failed to create enough quality scoring opportunities. They played far too many long balls, especially from their back four. When they did have the ball in the final third they were too impatient with it, never really troubling the United defense, settling for long shots outside the box far too often.

     In the second half there were two opportunities for Dallas with numbers, and both times they were too selfish and squandered their chance. The first chance saw Chavez being a bit too greedy while the other with Shea doing much of the same, even though the aggressiveness from Shea was much more warranted than the same from Chavez.

     DC failed to make any sort of real imprint on the match and were far too willing to sit back with little to no pressure on the ball. They did not get the ball to their playmaker DeRosario often enough and it showed as they failed to create any dangerous scoring opportunities. Also their two center backs in particular were devastatingly wasteful with possession, often turning the ball over right back to Dallas without their midfield ever getting the opportunity to have the ball. Because of this Najar, DeRosario, Davies and Ngwenya were never able to have enough possession to make a meaningful impact.     

Conclusion:

     FC Dallas were clearly the better side but seemed to get in their own way more than DC did. They were too impatient in the final third, and this was due to them being too selfish. They also are in need of a better striker, as Chavez has the speed to get in behind the defense but due to his lack of patience is offside far too often and lacks the finishing touch that Dallas needs to push for the Western Conference crown.

     DC had to feel great to earn a point on the road. They clearly did not play their best match, and they will need much more from Najar, DeRosario and Davies going forward if they are to continue to make their push towards the playoffs.

  

Real Salt Lake v Dallas (2-0) - Real Domination in Battle out West

 The Rio Tinto hosted a clash of two of the three best in the Western Conference on Saturday night. Dallas came in winners of three in a row while Real had not been beaten in five.
Salt Lake's Strategy
   Jason Kreis started with his usual 4-4-2 diamond formation. The only surprise was Luis Gil starting as Alvaro Saborio's strike partner instead of Fabian Espindola. The two changes were in the back where Wingert replaced Russell and Schuler replaced the suspended Nat Borchers.
Dallas' Strategy
    Schellas Hyndman played a very defensive 4-5-1, almost playing for a nil-nil away result. Daniel Hernandez was rested, presumably for the US Open Cup Quarterfinal match v Real on Tuesday. In stepped the rookie and rarely used Bobby Warshaw into the holding midfield position. Two of the hottest wingers in MLS, Jackson and Brek Shea, played on the right and left respectively but each grew frustrated by the second half because of Dallas' inability to possess the ball and attack.
Dallas Sit Back and Real Dominate
    The match kicked off and was intense from the get go. In the 5th minute, Benitez swiped the legs from Saborio and a scuffle ensued.
    Shea attempted to get behind Beltran by making diagonal runs behind the back line but Dallas was unable to provide a suitable pass. Salt Lake executed their game plan of closing down the wide players, Shea and Jackson. Shea was frustrated, seen flailing his arms when the ball did not break for him. This culminated in the 70^th minute when he picked up a cynical yellow card and after was berating the official.

     Not only did Real dominate possession, but they were so quick to pressure the ball if they gave the ball back to Dallas. This pressure made Dallas uncomfortable and often resulted into a backward pass or a long ball to escape the pressure. With Dallas unable to cope with the pressure, Real had a possession advantage of 74% in the 22^nd minute and a 66% in the 71^st minute. Dallas was also unable to counter attack due to the deep defensive positions of their midfield. They dropped off deep allowing Real’s defenders to pass the ball around the halfway line. This deep position along with a lack of composure on the ball nixed any possibility of catching Real on the break.
    Luis Gil, the speedy 17 year old, found the most room behind Dallas' defense. Kreis used Gil to run behind the defense, especially in the left and right channels, while Saborio stayed up top occupying a defender. Gil created a couple of half chances but needs to show composure in front of goal and in his final ball. Saborio has the uncanny ability of winning every high or long ball. He can turn his back to goal and hold off a defender to receive a pass and hold up play. Salt Lake's midfield three of Grabavoy, Williams and Johnson were given the freedom to switch positions and move all over the pitch. However, they always find their way back to their diamond shape to defend.

Best Moments from the Match

     All the advantage in possession paid off two minutes after halftime. Saborio won a free kick on the edge of the area. Andy Williams stepped up and curled a shot over the wall. The shot should have been comfortable for Hartman to catch beat he lost concentration and let the ball slip through his hands. This gaffe rivaled Robert Green’s v US last summer and gave Salt Lake the much deserved 1-nil lead.

     Hartman was able to shake off the mistake five minutes later as Gil played a nifty one-two with Williams but was denied by the keeper.

     In the 85^th minute, Dallas had their only opportunity to equalize. Johnson and Wingert were defending on the left but fell asleep ball watching. Shea took advantage of their mistake and made a diagonal run into the penalty area. He received an inch perfect pass and his first touch set him up to score. However, he elected to square the ball to Jackson for an easier finish but Jackson slipped and could not get much power on the shot. The ball dribbled toward goal and Wingert was able to clear it off the line.

     Real added an insurance goal in the 93^rd minute off of a gift from Dallas. Warshaw made a blind back pass toward goal and Johnson intercepted. He gave the ball to the super sub Espindola who calmly clinched three points for the home side.

Conclusions
    Dallas were very disappointing. They added little to the game and came to the Rio Tinto with no desire to attack Real.
    On the other hand, Salt Lake should be commended. They always set out to play soccer and keep the ball on the ground to play a pass and move possession system. However, Real lack the final pass, since Javier Morales has been injured, and thus struggled to create chances on the night. Their winning goal was a gift from Kevin Hartman, but the soccer gods must have been smiling on the home side since they deserved a goal after all their attacking intent had failed to pay off.

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