FC Dallas 1, Colorado Rapids 1

by PegNews wire

Running high off an improved last couple games (compared to their dismal start to the 2009 season), FC Dallas was just minutes from nabbing their second victory in five days on Wednesday night. Playing at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Colorado, the Rapids, however, managed a late goal to tie the match up.

FC Dallas scored in the 37th minute when Kenny Cooper, with his back to the defense, sent a ball to David Ferreira who chipped the ball over Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens. With stellar defensive efforts prior to and after the goal, FCD held their lone goal lead until the 84th minute when Omar Cummings ran onto a leading pass from Mehdi Ballouchy for the game tying effort.

GAME 15 – June 24, 2009

FC DALLAS 1, COLORADO RAPIDS 1

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, CO

Scoring:

DAL -- David Ferreira 2 (Kenny Cooper 1, Jeff Cunningham 2) 37

COL -- Omar Cummings 6 (Mehdi Ballouchy 5) 84

FC DALLAS: Ray Burse, Drew Moor, Pablo Ricchetti, Kyle Davies, Anthony Wallace, Dax McCarty, Jeff Cunningham (Brek Shea 46), David Ferreira, Andre Rocha (Eric Avila 71), Dave van den Bergh, Kenny Cooper.

Subs Not Used: Josh Lambo, Michael Dello-Russo, Blake Wagner, George John, Bruno Guarda,

Shots – 8; Shots on Goal – 5; Total Saves – 4; Fouls – 7; Offsides – 0; Corner Kicks – 2

COLORADO: Matt Pickens, Ugo Ihemelu, Cory Gibbs, Scott Palguta, Jordan Harvey, Nick LaBrocca (Jacob Peterson 62), Mehdi Ballouchy, Pablo Mastroeni, Colin Clark, Omar Cummings, Pat Noonan (Terry Cooke 71).

Subs Not Used: Preston Burpo, Greg Dalby, Kosuke Kimura, Ross Schunk, Rob Valentino.

Shots – 19; Shots on Goal – 5; Total Saves – 4; Fouls – 4; Offsides – 4; Corner Kicks – 8

Misconduct Summary:

None.

NOTES:

· FC Dallas (3-7-5, 14 pts.) and the Colorado Rapids (5-2-6, 21 pts.) played to a 1-1 draw tonight at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Dallas is now 1-4-2 on the road this season.

· It was the second game in five days for FCD after defeating the Columbus Crew at home on Saturday, June 20.

· FCD is now unbeaten in six out of the last seven games.

· Dallas is 23-16-8 all-time versus the Rapids and 7-11-5 in Colorado. Additionally, the team is 1-2 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the Rapids home since 2007.

· Midfielder David Ferreira gave FCD a halftime lead after scoring in the 37th minute, his second goal of the season.

· Kenny Cooper assisted on the play. It was his first of the year to go with his team-leading seven goals. Cooper has now recorded either a goal or an assist in four of the last five matches.

· Jeff Cunningham was credited with a secondary assist after starting the scoring play with his pass to Cooper. It was Cunningham’s second assist of the season.

· For the third straight game second-year forward/midfielder Brek Shea entered the match at halftime, tonight replacing Cunningham.

· Eric Avila was the only other substitute used tonight, entering the match in the 71st minute for Andre Rocha.

· This was the first of three matches against Colorado this season. FCD returns to DSG Park on July 11 and will close out the series at Pizza Hut Park on October 17.

· Dallas has now scored 79 goals against the Rapids in 47 regular season meetings. This is the most the team has scored against a single opponent in its 14-year history.

· Cooper tonight extended his league record of consecutive starts by a forward to 47, dating back to the 2007 season.

· Jeff Cunningham entered the match as a second-half substitute. It was his 302nd career regular season appearance, surpassing New England’s Jay Heaps for sole possession of ninth on the all-time MLS list. It was also Cunningham’s 201st career start.

· Four FCD players have now started all 15 regular season games: Cooper, Ferreira, Dave van den Bergh and Drew Moor. Ferreira and Moor have played every minute of the season so far.

· Rookie forward Peri Marosevic missed tonight’s game while with the U.S. Under-20 National Team for a camp in Cairo, where the team will play two friendlies against Egypt on June 27 and 29. Marosevic is expected to return to Dallas on June 30.

· Five Dallas players sat out the game with injuries: goalkeeper Dario Sala (left knee), midfielder Alvaro Sanchez (right ankle), and defenders Steve Purdy (right knee), Daniel Torres (right hamstring) and midfielder Marcelo Saragosa (right hip).

· Dallas will have 10 days to prepare for its next match, a Fourth of July contest against the New York Red Bulls at Pizza Hut Park (8 p.m. CT live on KFWD-52). The largest fireworks show in the Metroplex will take place immediately after the game, followed by a live performance from local band Lone Star Attitude.

· FC Dallas Head Coach Schellas Hyndman on the game: “I thought we scored a good goal in the first half and we were able to hold on for quite a while. Obviously, Colorado is a very quick team. They’re very technical, they work awfully hard and they put us under a tremendous amount of pressure. Give Colorado a lot of credit for fighting all the way down to the end.”

Notes and Statistics provided by FC Dallas Communications

Posted by Erin