MLS FC Dallas

Dallas' streak ends with loss to Crew

Published on August 15, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Dallas News Release


COLUMBUS -- Chad Marshall scored early and Eddie Gaven late as the Columbus Crew defeated FC Dallas 2-0 to run their winning streak to five games. Even without Guillermo Barros Schelotto in the starting lineup, the Crew continued to shine on restarts to take a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute on Marshall's fourth goal of the season.

Gaven, who entered in the 75th minute, iced the match in the 87th with an unimpeded dribble from the center circle before slotting the ball home with his left foot from 17 yards.

Columbus remained in first place in the Eastern Conference with a 10-3-9 record. It is 6-0-2 since a 2-1 loss at FC Dallas on June 20 and 10-1-7 in the past 18 matches. The Crew have now beaten all three teams they lost to earlier this season. Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA are the others.

The Crew also extended their home unbeaten streak record to 20 games (14-0-6) in the regular season, plus two more wins in last season's playoffs, since losing to San Jose on June 8, 2008.

FC Dallas (6-10-5) saw their two-game winning streak ended.

William Hesmer had his third consecutive shutout and preserved the 1-0 advantage in the 72nd minute when he knocked a close-range header from Jeff Cunningham over the bar.

Cunningham, who had 62 goals in seven seasons with the Crew after being drafted in 1998, has 113 career goals to rank third in MLS history, one behind Chivas USA's Ante Razov for second. He had FCD's first serious threat in the 17th minute when he shielded defender Eric Brunner at the top of the penalty area only to see his shot off the dribble go over the crossbar.

Each team had five shots in the first half but Marshall's was the only one on goal.

After Alejandro Moreno drew a corner kick following a long outlet from Gino Padula, Robbie Rogers sent a lofty ball from the left side to the edge of the 6-yard box where Marshall went over Atiba Harris to head the ball past goalkeeper Dario Sala.

It was the Crew's third set-piece goal in the past three games and their fastest goal this season.

FC Dallas tried to spring the speedy Cunningham at the onset of the second half but he was offside three times in the first 20 minutes.

FCD midfielder Pablo Ricchetti and Crew midfielder Brian Carroll served one-game suspensions for yellow card accumulation. Former Crew defender Daniel Torres (28 matches from 2001-03) started in place of Ricchetti.

Carroll's absence -- he was replaced by Adam Moffat in his first start since April 25 -- was not the only change for Crew coach Robert Warzycha despite the winning streak. He benched Gaven in favor of Emmanuel Ekpo on the right side of the midfield and went with Moreno instead of Jason Garey to pair up top with Steven Lenhart.

Schelotto, the league MVP last season was available for the first time in five matches after recovering from a right hamstring strain. He entered in the 90th minute to a standing ovation in place of Emmanuel Ekpo.

While Schelotto returned, the Crew were without captain and U.S. defender Frankie Hejduk (right quadriceps strain) for a third consecutive match.

Schelotto had missed four games with a hamstring injury but the Crew won them all while scoring 10 goals. The Crew were 6-0-1 without him in the lineup the past two seasons.

Meanwhile, Cunningham had led the way for FCD since forward Kenny Cooper, whose penalty kick in the 87th minute was the winner in the last meeting, transferred to 1860 Munich in the 2.Bundesliga.

Cunningham scored eight of his nine goals in the previous five games and had five in two, including four against Kansas City on Aug. 1. His three-game goal-scoring streak was stopped.

The Crew's next league match is Aug. 30 at New York but open their first foray into the CONCACAF Champions League on Tuesday by hosting the USL-1 Puerto Rico Islanders. FC Dallas plays at New York next Sunday, Aug. 23.

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Major League Soccer Stories from August 15, 2009


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