Walker Zimmerman celebrates his winner with Ryan Hollingshead. Photo credit: Olivia Brestal
There really is no place like Toyota Stadium for FC Dallas. FC Dallas needed a good performance tonight against the Portland Timbers, and they got it, turning around another home game where they gave up a quick early goal and putting to bed a tough run away from home that saw them held goalless for three games.
Portland were definitely up for the game after losing 3-1 in Portland to FC Dallas only a month ago, and payback was swift.
Diego Valeri was able to score three minutes into the match from about 12 yards out after a goal mouth scramble that started with a Darren Mattocks cross into the Dallas box. Manuel Figueroa took a bad first touch trying to control the cross and was challenged by Lucas Melano when he tried to head back to Chris Seitz. Fanendo Adi challenged to keep the ball alive. The ball found its way back to Melano who passed the ball to Valeri for the easy shot.
Valeri had another good attempt from a free kick in the 19th minute but put his swerving shot directly toward Seitz who blocked the shot and collected his own rebound.
The attack for FC Dallas finally got some legs in the 22nd minute when Mauro Diaz played a great through ball into Maximiliano Urruti who was closed down well by Jake Gleeson. Urruti got the shot off but collided hard as Gleeson came to block and both men required some treatment before play continued.
Scoring chances were few and far between, but Dallas had another chance from Kellyn Acosta in the 34th minute with his shot from the corner curling just over the crossbar and rippling the wrong side of the roof of the net.
Tesho Akindele came on for Urruti at the half, and Dallas started looking much more dangerous in the attacking third. Ryan Hollingshead, who played a very impressive game, was pushing up the field. He found himself open near the edge of the area and tried to play the ball through, but it deflected off of Mattocks and back off Hollingshead into a pocket of space that he ran onto to score past Gleeson.
Two minutes later Walker Zimmerman scored a towering header off the post after a beautiful cross from Mauro Diaz.
From that point forward the game was firmly in the hands of FC Dallas and they countered strongly for the remainder of the game and could have scored more had it not been for Gleeson, who stopped Akindele twice one-on-one in the 78th and 90th minute of the match. Hollingshead almost had an assist in the 87th minute but Carlos Gruezo put his shot off the crossbar.
This was a big win for FC Dallas, who have another short turnaround with a game against Seattle Sounders on Saturday.
FC Dallas
Portland
