FC Dallas Loses Another Late Lead in Draw
Published 5/29/2008 8:38:09 AM by staff from dallas
Wednesday night's game with Houston was eerily similar to the match in Houston on April 6 that finished 3-3. In that game, FC Dallas blew a pair of leads and was forced to settle for just a point. It was a similar story tonight. The Hoops took a 1-0 lead to the locker room thanks to a 35th minute goal by Kenny Cooper, but Houston tied it off Corey Ashe's first MLS goal in the 59th. In the 69th, Drew Moor's header put FC Dallas ahead again, only to see that lead evaporate as well when Dwayne De Rosario connected in the 93rd minute to tie the match at 2-2. "It happened tonight," Dallas interim head coach Marco Ferruzzi said. "It takes focus all the way through 90 minutes and the extra time. We're still building our mental fitness and toughness to get through those final minutes but we'll get there." Ferruzzi wasn't all doom and gloom following this result. "I think we had a lot of positive moments," he said. "We put them under a lot of pressure. The goals were very good and we had good possession. I think there are a lot of positives to take from this." Both teams finished the night with just 10 players. Houston's Eddie Robinson was ejected in the 80th minute after a confrontation with FC Dallas' Marcelo Saragosa, who earned a yellow for his role in the shoving match between the two. The Hoops' Andre Rocha also earned a red for his role in the scrum. Other than Cooper's goal, another positive was the great performance of Juan Toja, a 2007 MLS All-Star who returned to the lineup after coming off the bench for Saturday's 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake, the first time in his career that he had not started for FCD. "I am always trying to play 100 percent and play for me, my teammates and FC Dallas," Toja said. "Sometimes I play well and sometimes I play badly. But today, I played well and think my teammates did too. We were unlucky in the last few minutes but we have to be smart and strong. That's it." When asked if Ferruzzi benching him had a positive impact on him, Toja offered a succinct reply. "Yes, I think so," he said. Ferruzzi also took notice of how well his Colombian midfielder played. "I think so (that this was his best showing of the year)," he said. "We're starting to see Toja again. We know what kind of player he is, a very dynamic player. Once he gets going, he's an exceptional guy. When he's playing, he's happy. When he's playing his game and knows that, he's happy. Tonight was very good for Juan." FCD goalkeeper Dario Sala felt that, overall, tonight's performance was a positive one. "I think we had a great game tonight," Sala said. "All our lines were working really hard. I think we did a great job for most of the game. Houston is a great team and are always dangerous. They proved that in the last minute of the game." Sala added that when Houston moved De Rosario up top alongside Brian Ching in the second half that it did create additional problems for the Hoops. "They're always a problem for any defense because they connect very well and understand each other very well," he said. "Brian is making perfect runs for DeRosario's balls and that caused the first goal, a great run by Ching. The second goal was unlucky for us because the first cross deflected but I think the foul was clear. I think Brian pushed Drew Moor a little bit. It was unlucky and left a bad taste in our mouth, the same that we had in the last game against them." The Hoops return to action on Sunday when they travel to Dick's Sporting Goods Park to face the Colorado Rapids. Kickoff is set for 2:00pm.
Label: FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Drew Moor, Corey Ashe, Kenny Cooper
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