FRISCO, Texas — Fans at Toyota Stadium were treated to history 1623769983" tabindex="0">on Saturday night in the form of an offensive explosion, as FC Dallas rolled past Real Salt Lake 6-2.
FCD midfielder Roland Lamah scored the game’s first three goals in the first 31 minutes. It was the second-fastest hat trick in MLS history. FCD added two more goals before half-time, becoming the first team in MLS history to score five goals in a first half.
Their six goals also tied a club record for a single game, and Lamah led the way.
“It felt good,” Lamah said of his first professional hat trick. “But the most important thing is three points. Personally, I feel good for the future games. The league is long, and I have to work every game.”
The 29-year-old Lamah entered the game with one goal in 11 starts this year — his first season in MLS after playing professionally in Belgium, France, Spain, England and Hungary. After the win, the team presented him with a ball signed by everyone, to celebrate the hat trick.
“It is a great sign, for sure,” FCD head coach Oscar Pareja said. “Roland was very clinical, very precise in those finishes, being in the right spots. It’s something that was coming in the prior games. He put himself in great positions to score, but he wasn’t able to score. 1623769984" tabindex="0">Tonight, everybody was patient with the players coming, and seeing him score three goals gives us a lot of help for what is coming in the future.”
Eight minutes into the game, midfielder Michael Barrios took a deep ball in the right corner and slid the pass across, giving Lamah an easy goal on the left side. Lamah’s second goal came in the 22nd minute. Defender Atiba Harris sent a deep ball down the right side, and forward Maximiliano Urruti sent it to the middle to a wide-open Lamah at the top of the box. He took his time and buried it on the left side.
The hat trick was capped in the 31st minute. An RSL turnover led to an FCD pass to a breaking Lamah up the middle, and his shot from the top of the box made it through the save attempt for a 3-0 lead.
“Just keep going, keep working, and I can help the team like today,” Lamah said.
FCD had only scored two goals in the previous four games — which included two draws and a loss — but Pareja had remained positive, saying FCD had generated plenty of chances. They just weren’t finishing. 1623769985" tabindex="0">On Saturday, led by Lamah, they did.
“The players found the right timing, they were in the right spots like the last games,” he said, “but 1623769986" tabindex="0">tonight, we put the ball in the back of the net.”
