FC Dallas Tops Galaxy
FRISCO, Texas – FC Dallas (4-1-4) got two goals from Roland Lamah and three assists from Mauro Diaz to outscore LA Galaxy, 3-2, in front of 18,355 fans Saturday at Toyota Stadium.
FC Dallas earned a free kick from the right side, 25-yards from goal, in the second minute of the match. Homegrown defender Reggie Cannon won the ball back for FC Dallas in his own half and started a counter attack that led to the foul on FC Dallas forward Maxi Urruti. Mauro Diaz, starting his first match since April 7, opted to take the free kick. FCD’s No. 10 lobbed a pass into the six-yard box but the ball was cleared away by an LA Galaxy defender.
LA’s Romain Alessandrini found some space on the right side of the field and ran at FC Dallas defender Reto Ziegler in the 25th minute. Alessandrini cut inside and fired a left-footed shot that looked destined for the far post but FC Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer was alert and made a diving save to his right side to keep the game scoreless.
FC Dallas forward Maxi Urruti broke the deadlock in the 28th minute, when Santiago Mosquera slipped a pass into the middle to Diaz. Diaz stepped around a defender and knocked a short pass to Urruti, who turned, ran to the right and fired a bouncing shot that snuck just inside the near post to put FCD in front, 1-0.
Roland Lamah gave the home side a 2-0 lead in the 44th minute. Once again it was the Mosquera-to-Diaz combo that set up the goal. Diaz made the cutting pass, splitting two defenders to get the ball to Lamah. One-on-one with LA Galaxy’s David Bingham, Lamah looked left before curling a shot around the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
LA earned a corner kick just after halftime and Alessandrini served a line-drive to the top of the six-yard box. LA’s Ola Kamara beat his man to the pass and hammered a headed shot past Maurer to make it a 2-1 game.
FC Dallas regained a two-goal advantage in the 52nd minute when Diaz walked through the Galaxy’s backline before chipping a perfect cross to Lamah, who was left open at the back post. Lamah headed the ball back into Bingham but, coming post-to-post, the goalkeeper was unable to keep it out of the net and the ball rattled into the side netting to make it, 3-1.
Diaz’s third assist of the match tied a club record for assists in a game, last equaled by Michael Barrios in a 6-2 win against Real Salt Lake on June 3, 2017.
FC Dallas’ Reto Ziegler was shown his second caution of the match in the 73rd minute, leaving FC Dallas a man down for the final 17 minutes.
LA took advantage in the 83rd minute when Ashley Cole came up the left flank, skipped past a slide-tackle attempt by Cannon and centered a pass for Emmanuel Boateng. The second-half substitute took his chance well, knocking a first-touch shot by Maurer to make it, 3-2.
LA Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimović had a chance to pull level with FC Dallas in the 89th minute. Standing over a free kick just outside the box, Ibrahimović walked up and hammered a shot off the outside of the post. The ball rebounded 30 yards from goal and went out of bounds for an FC Dallas throw-in.
