MLS FC Dallas

FC Dallas Finish Level at Home Against Atlanta United FC

Published on September 2, 2023 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Dallas News Release


FRISCO, Texas - FC Dallas (9-10-7, 34 points) shared the points with Atlanta United FC (11-8-9, 42 points) after a 2-2 draw thanks to goals from Paul Arriola and Bernard Kamungo at Toyota Stadium Saturday night.

GOAL 500 AT TOYOTA STADIUM

Midfielder Paul Arriola scored the 500th FC Dallas goal at Toyota Stadium tonight. The goal came in the fourth minute against Atlanta United. The 400th goal scored by Ryan Hollingshead on August 31, 2019 in the 3-1 win vs. FC Cincinnati.

IT ONLY TOOK FOUR MINUTES

Arriola scored his first goal of the season in the fourth minute of the match after Jesús Ferreira stole the ball before going out of bounds finding Arriola in the danger zone and Arriola tapped the ball into the back of the net at 3:29 - the fastest goal for FC Dallas this season. Prior to tonight, Arriola's last goal was 328 days ago on October 9, 2022 in FC Dallas' 2-1 win against Sporting Kansas City. Ferreira added his third assist of the year and leads Dallas with 13 goal contributions in 2023.

STEPPING UP WHEN IT COUNTS

Bernard Kamungo's story only gets better. The Tanzanian wonderkid scored the 2-2 equalizer after breaking through the Atlanta United defensive line and the out of line goalkeeper. Kamungo was subbed out soon after following a shoulder injury he suffered on the goal. José Martínez provided the assist on the play for his second of the season.

SHOWING OFF FOR THE HOME CROWD

Asier Illarramendi and Liam Frasier both featured in the starting line up for the first time for FC Dallas. The midfielder duo helped secure a crucial point in the very competitive western conference standings.

MAKING TOYOTA STADIUM A FORTRESS

Dallas have won 12 points from losing positions this season, no team in MLS has recovered more. FC Dallas has won 12 of its last 18 regular-season home matches (D3 L3), including winning three of the last four. Dallas has kept a clean sheet in all three of those wins and has allowed more than one goal only once in its last 21 home league matches dating back to the start of July 2022.

UP NEXT

FC Dallas hosts Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Toyota Stadium. The match kicks off at 7:30PM CT on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, the FC Dallas app, Talk Radio 1190AM and Zona MX 99.1.

Lineups

FC Dallas - Jimmy Maurer; Geovane Jesus, José Martínez, Marco Farfan, Sebastien Ibeagha; Paul Arriola (Dante Sealy - 86'), Asier Illarramendi, Liam Fraser (Paxton Pomykal - 79'), Bernard Kamungo (Eugene Ansah - 65'); Jesús Ferreira, Alan Velasco (Sebastian Lletget - 86').

Substitutes not used - Antonio Carrera, Facundo Quignon, Jesús Jiménez, Nkosi Tafari, Sam Junqua.

Atlanta United FC - Brad Guzan; Caleb Wiley, Luis Abram, Miles Robinson, Brooks Lennon; Amar Sejdic (Tristan Muyumba - 46'), Santiago Sosa (Matheus Rossetto - 74'); Saba Lobjanidze (Xande Silva - 62'), Thiago Almada, Tyler Wolff (Edwin Mosquera - 86'); Giorgos Giakoumakis (Miguel Berry - 62').

Substitutes not used - Quentin Westberg, Ronald Hernández, Derrick Etienne Jr., Juan José Purata.

Scoring Summary:

DAL: Paul Arriola (Jesús Ferreira) - 4'

ATL: Giorgos Giakoumakis (Thiago Almada) - 44'

ATL: Saba Lobjanidze (Santiago Sosa) - 58'

DAL: Bernard Kamungo (José Martínez) - 62'

Misconduct Summary:

ATL: Santiago Sosa (caution) - 7'

ATL: Giorgos Giakoumakis (caution) - 21'

DAL: Alan Velasco (caution) - 53'

DAL: Sebastien Ibeagha (caution) - 69'

Weather: Sunny, 90ºF

Attendance: 17,441

FC DALLAS POSTGAME QUOTES

Head Coach Nico Estévez

Thoughts on tonight's game...

"If you look at what we created today in expected goals, the difference between the goals we should've scored and the ones we actually scored is a lot. Atlanta has a lot of quality players and we knew we needed to attack and score goals, which meant that we needed to have energy and put in a lot of effort. We had great moments pressing high and forcing them to make mistakes then attack, but we had some issues in the low block and so we made adjustments at half time. We weren't able to take control of the game with our possession tonight. We didn't do a good job keeping and moving the ball around, then in the final third we rushed too much. Our play needs to be calmer and more composed so that we can make the right decisions, because the spaces to attack were there. We rushed so much that we made mistakes on clear passes, which we need to improve on. If we want to be a team that fights to win and get in the playoffs the difference is going to be in those moments."

On Jesús Ferreira's impact...

"We all know how important Jesús is to this team and to the league as a whole. He's a player that you can count on to understand how to defend and press, helping the team be more aggressive. He also knows how to play offensively with his movements, getting the ball in pockets of space which makes it very difficult to mark him. It was really important to have him back on the field tonight."

On Alan Velasco's call-up to the Argentina national team...

"This call-up is something that's really important for both Alan and the club. It's great and we're really happy to have a player at FC Dallas that got called up to the Argentina national team who were the recent World Cup champions. We're really proud of Alan and the work he's doing to become a better player and we know that he has a bright future ahead."

Forward Paul Arriola

On the quick start to the match...

"It was the start that we wanted, we have been talking about coming out a little flat footed recently and we really wanted to get after them. Playing at home tonight and understanding that there's not very many games left this season, we really got to push. We gotta get our energy up and keep our attacking speed. And we did a really good job of that, we got rewarded with a goal early on. And to be fair, we could have went up to 2-0 or 3-0, and the game would be a little bit different but obviously they stayed in it. They were able to get one back and then the second half was up to either team to take three points."

On what scoring a goal meant for him tonight...

"Yeah, it means the world. Obviously it hasn't been the year on the field that I wanted at all, honestly. There really has been mixed emotions off the field as well. Losing my mother-in-law about a week and a half and then announcing that we're going to have a baby girl, it's been a whirlwind of emotions. And on the field, I just kind of keep going, I go for them. I go for my wife who's my biggest supporter, who has always been there for me, and continues to be there for me. She was here tonight and it's just constantly trying to figure out how I can be the best human being, how can I how can I be the best husband and soon to be father. And at the same time, I just come come out here and play for the love of the game and try to give as much as I can. I felt like I really did that tonight. I felt like I ran the most I did all season. Fortunately, I was able to get a goal but you know, I'm still disappointed that we didn't get three points."

Midfielder Liam Fraser

Thoughts on the back-and-forth game...

"We're disappointed, it's a game that we felt we could've gotten three points. We take this as a game where we lost two. For us, it's a game we have to win and it's ultimately really disappointing for us."

On his first start and playing in front of the fans...

"It was amazing. I wish we could've given them three points and a better performance offensively. For me personally, I'm super happy to be here and be contributing and hopefully that's the first of a lot of games here."

On the bye week during international break...

"We'll get a few days rest, a few days to reset and collect our thoughts before getting back to the process. We'll do what we were doing the past two weeks, training hard and pushing again for the last stretch of the season."

Forward Bernard Kamungo

On the team's result tonight...

"It was not the result we wanted to be honest. We really wanted to get the three points. As you can see, the team gave it their all to get the three points tonight but it didn't happen. That won't stop us and we will move forward onto the next game to get three points in the next game."

On his goal scoring expectations this season...

"I am just trying to help the team out to be honest. I am not really looking at how many goals I am getting personally. I want to look at these stats as a team. "

On heading into the international break...

"For me, I need that time to recover so I can get back on the field as soon as I can. It's great having this week off, it helps us get ready for the next game."

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