FC Dallas got an early lead via Santiago Mosquera's first goal of the season — all they needed to put away a D.C. United side reduced to 10 men by match's end, 2-0, at Toyota Stadium on Thursday evening. The win snapped a five-match unbeaten streak for the visitors.
FC Dallas got on the scoreboard less than six minutes in — Ryan Hollingshead crossed in a ball that Mosquera muscled past a defender to reach, kneeing it in for his first goal of the season. The home team continued to threaten throughout the first half, and appeared to get a further advantage — namely, going a man up — in the 30th minute.
Wayne Rooney caught Michael Barrios with a foot to the thigh to stop his run down the right sideline; the referee initially hit Rooney with a red card, but following a Video Review, the red was changed to yellow. Rooney would then nearly equalize on a 42nd-minute header, which Jesse Gonzalez was able to save to keep his clean sheet going into halftime.
D.C. United attempted a second-half spark, subbing on Luciano Acosta (in the 57th minute) for the 16-year-old Griffin Yow, who made his first MLS start. FC Dallas also made its own impact sub shortly after, bringing in Dominique Badji for Jesus Ferreira.
The Badji move worked out much better — Badji scored a goal five minutes after his introduction, tapping in a Mosquera shot palmed into his path by a diving Bill Hamid. Acosta, meanwhile, was given a red card 15 minutes into his time on the field for stepping on Pomykal when the two had an awkward collision running down the sideline.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: So maybe no one's going to catch LAFC for the No. 1 seed in the west, but FCD's win got them to third in the standings, and they look like they'll challenge for at least one hosting round come playoff time. D.C., meanwhile, still sits 2nd in the East; this might end up being just a blip in their season — but it's certainly not a good road loss, especially losing Acosta and nearly losing Rooney.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: The Badji goal sealed the match and seemed to snuff out any momentum that D.C. United was gathering. Though it won't officially go down as a Mosquera assist, it highlighted the hustle he brought to the game.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: This is clearly Mosquera's based on the early goal and the work he put in to create the second, though Gonzalez and Pomykal both made important contributions to a solid overall team performance.
Next Up
- DAL: Saturday, July 13 at Minnesota United FC (8 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+, DAZN in Canada)
- DC: Friday, July 12 vs. New England Revolution (7 pm ET | ESPN, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
