MLS FC Dallas

FC Dallas Falls 5-3 to Tauro FC in Panama

Published on September 28, 2011 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Dallas News Release


PANAMA CITY, Panama (Wednesday, Sept. 28) - In a game that saw three red cards and two penalty kicks, FC Dallas fell 5-3 to Tauro FC here Wednesday night in CONCACAF Champions League group play.

Tauro FC got on the board in the 12th minute when Juan Barrera collected the ball just inside the half and dribbled to his right. Nearing the top of the box, Barrera sent a through ball to the back post for Tauro FC captain Luis Moreno, who finished to the opposite post with his first touch for a 1-0 lead.

FC Dallas pulled even in the 23rd minute after Marvin Chavez played a ball over the top of the Tauro FC backline for Ruben Luna. Goalkeeper Alvaro Anzola appeared to have the easy save, but Luna stayed with the play and was rewarded with a penalty kick call when Moreno was whistled for obstruction after shoving the young striker in the box. Veteran defender Jair Benitez stepped to the spot and buried the chance for the visitors.

Anzola kept it even late in the first half after Fabian Castillo beat two defenders on the right flank and sent a hard strike to the back post from 20 yards out. Anzola tipped the shot over the crossbar for a Dallas corner before Daniel Cruz's in-swinging service drifted out of bounds.

Moments later Tauro earned a better result from their set piece when Carlos Rodriguez's in-swinging corner kick found Auriel Gallardo at the top of the six-yard box. Gallardo rose above his marker to knock a textbook header off the back post and into the net for the second Tauro FC tally of the night in the 33rd minute.

FC Dallas was forced to play a man down for more than 30 minutes after Benitez was sent off in the 59th minute for dissent. The veteran defender was whistled for a foul after clipping the heels of a Tauro midfielder while chasing down a ball played over the top. Benitez argued the call and was promptly sent off by center official Marco Rodriguez.

Still in shock from the red card, FC Dallas had to fend off an immediate Tauro attack in the 61st minute. Following the Tauro free kick, a half-cleared ball fell to the top of the area and was hammered on net. FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman made a spectacular diving save to his right through traffic, redirecting the ball off the crossbar and out for a corner.

Tauro added a third goal in the 77th minute, going up 3-1 on a goal by second-half sub Marcos Sanchez. Following an FC Dallas corner kick, Sanchez started the counter attack by breaking down the right flank. The forward knocked the ball inside to Victor Medieta, who played a ball over the top of the FC Dallas defense. Sanchez caught up to the ball in the top right corner of the area, beating Hartman with a chip-shot that tucked neatly between the near post and the crossbar.

Sanchez struck again just five minutes later, playing another give-and-go, this time on the floor, with Medieta. Sanchez collected the ball in open space, dribbled around a helpless Hartman and passed a ball into an empty net for a 4-1 lead. FC Dallas pulled a goal back in the 85th minute, when Andrew Jacobson got the ball out wide to Luna. Luna used an inside-out move to beat a defender before lining a shot to the far side netting from the top of the six-yard box. Tauro FC added its fifth goal in the 87th minute. On a play similar to Sanchez's first and second goals, the striker ran at a defender before knocking a one-two pass into the middle for Medieta, who sent the return pass into space. Sanchez caught up to the ball free of his defender and finished with a hard strike to the center of the net for his third goal of the second half.Luna was awarded a penalty kick in stoppage time when he made a cutting run to the near post before being taken down in the area by Carlos Rodriguez, who was shown a straight red card for the challenge as the last defender. The Home Grown player stepped to the kick and delivered a calm strike to the top left corner of the net to bring the final score to 5-3.

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