MLS FC Dallas

FC Dallas Earns Hard-Fought Road Point with 1-1 Draw in Philadelphia

Published on September 27, 2023 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Dallas News Release


Chester, PA - FC Dallas (10-10-10, 40 points) played the Philadelphia Union (14-8-8, 50 points) to a 1-1 draw Wednesday night in Chester, PA. Dallas is now 8-2-5 all-time against Philadelphia.

LA JOYITA ALAN VELASCO

Alan Velasco notched his third goal of the season in MLS action, seizing upon a rebound that was left by the Philadelphia defense. It is Velasco's first goal on the road in 2023 after scoring at Toyota Stadium against Sporting Kansas City and the LA Galaxy.

MARVELOUS MAARTEN

Goalkeeper Maarten Paes recorded three saves in his second straight road match to keep the result in hand for Dallas.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES

FC Dallas has now scored a goal in its last nine regular season matches in 2023, a season-high for the club and the longest streak since 2018. Five of those matches have been on the road during this stretch. Dallas has scored in all seven games it has played at Philadelphia.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT

Dallas has won 17 points from a losing position this season which leads all MLS clubs in 2023. Dallas is 4-9-5 when conceding the first goal of the game.

FC DALLAS ON THE ROAD

FC Dallas now stands at 3-7-6 away from Toyota Stadium in 2023. Dallas has two more road matches remaining this season: Saturday at Houston Dynamo FC and on Decision Day, October 21, at the LA Galaxy.

UP NEXT

FC Dallas heads to Houston to take on the Houston Dynamo FC on Saturday, September 30 at Shell Energy Stadium. The match kicks off at 7:30 PM CT on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, the FC Dallas app, Talk Radio 1190AM and KDXX 107.9 FM.

Lineups

FC Dallas - Maarten Paes; Ema Twumasi, Nkosi Tafari, Sebastien Ibeagha, Sam Junqua; Jáder Obrian (Paul Arriola - 68'), Dante Sealy (José Martínez - 79'), Liam Fraser, Paxton Pomykal (Eugene Ansah - 90'+1'; Jesús Jiménez (Jesús Ferreira - 68'), Alan Velasco (Asier Illarramendi - 79).

Substitutes not used - Jimmy Maurer, Marco Farfan, Facundo Quignón, Amet Korça.

Philadelphia Union - Andre Blake; Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Damion Lowe, Olivier Mbaizo (Nathan Harriel - 86'); Jesús Bueno, Jack McGlynn, Alejandro Bedoya (Tai Baribo - 75'), Dániel Gazdag; Mikael Uhre (Chris Donovan - 75'), Quinn Sullivan.

Substitutes not used - Joe Bendik, Matt Real, Jeremy Ranfanello, Joaquín Torres, Olewethu Makhanya.

Scoring Summary:

PHI: Quinn Sullivan (Kai Wagner) - 25'

DAL: Alan Velasco - 36'

Misconduct Summary:

PHI: Olivier Mbaizo (caution) - 20'

PHI: Jesús Bueno (caution) - 24'

DAL: Alan Velasco (caution) - 28'

DAL: Ema Twumasi (caution) - 90'+1'

Weather: Clear, 67ºF

Attendance: 18,515

FC DALLAS POSTGAME QUOTES

Head Coach Nico Estévez

Overall thoughts on the match...

"We're happy with the performance and effort of the team, the personality and authority that we showed playing against one of the finalists of the MLS Cup last year - who's really good at home. We felt like we fell short because of the way we were playing and how we finished the game, how strong we were finishing in their half. But overall, we know it's difficult to play here and I'm really happy with our decisions and game plan for this game. The players executed really well, especially some that weren't playing consistently but still showed up. Like Jesús Jiménez, Dante (Sealy) did a really good job. Sam Junqua, too, did a really great job. Liam (Fraser) just came to the club and had an outstanding performance today. The leadership by Paxton (Pomykal), Sebastien Ibeagha, Nkosi Tafari showed a lot today. Maarten (Paes) stepped up in the right moments. This is the mentality that we're going to fight with every game to get FC Dallas into the playoffs."

On the switch to a 3-5-2 formation...

"Analyzing Philly, they're a team that I know well, at home they like to load the box and try to get crosses very early. They're very direct and vertical so we added a third center back to help us control those moments. Also on the offensive side, we knew that having two pocket players like Alan (Velasco) and Jáder (Obrian) and sometimes Jiménez joining them made it difficult for them to defend. Switching the field, too, was a key and we did a good job of that. We just missed a little bit of conviction and determination in the final third to score on some of the attacks that we had."

On Alan Velasco's performance...

"This was his second game since coming back from Argentina and you could see that (last game) was difficult because of the way that Columbus Crew was set up. But today we talked to him about us wanting him to get on the ball more and he did a good job on that."

Midfielder Alan Velasco

On the goal he scored tonight...

"It was a pass-oriented play. The play started on the left side of the field where I passed the ball to either Liam (Fraser) or Paxton (Pomykal), and they opened the field by passing the ball to Dante (Sealy). Dante would then connect with Paxton who would cross the ball into the box. Luckily, I found the rebound and I did not hesitate to take the shot from afar."

On tonight's result...

"We came to Philadelphia searching for the three points but every point earned helps us get closer to the playoffs. Today was a very good result outside of home, considering Philadelphia rarely drops points at home."

Defender Sebastien Ibeagha

On the importance of earning a point on the road...

"It's a big point for us to be honest, but we wanted three. To be honest we are disappointed with the VAR call that called the goal back. Overall I thought we played great. Philadelphia (Union) is a hard opponent to face and even try to beat at their home. They try to bully guys, and force their ways on us. I thought we did really well to play out of certain situations and control the game in our sort of fashion."

On the long stretch of games so far...

"We want to reach the playoffs and earn the highest spot possible. With how tight the western conference is, we are capable of finishing fourth or third. That is what we are looking at, and we want to maximize the amount of points we can get from this stretch. Having back-to-back games helps us keep the momentum and it's a big thing for us."

Midfielder Liam Fraser

Overall thoughts on the match...

"I feel like we should have gotten three points. We had opportunities to score in the second half and even some in the first half, as well, where I feel like we could have capitalized and won the game. This is a hard place to come and play. So we'll take this point and we'll take the positive from the game and move on to Saturday."

On playing with Paxton Pomykal...

"Playing with Pax, you know, it's seamless. He's the guy that helps everybody on the pitch and makes it easier for everybody else. Playing with him and being able to connect with him is super easy. It's like the connection that we had today and, going forward, is excellent."

Defender Dante Sealy

On how it felt getting back into the starting lineup...

"It was a good feeling being back in the starting lineup but also a bittersweet feeling, we wanted to come here and get three points. But in a hostile environment like Philadelphia, getting a point on the road is also a good thing. We're gonna recover and focus on Houston in a couple of days."

On earning two points in the last two road games...

"Like Coach says, if we can come away with any points on the road, that's a positive. We need to keep going on this streak that we have and stay positive."

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Major League Soccer Stories from September 27, 2023


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