FC Dallas left the field Sunday afternoon as the better team. There was no doubting the 2-0 scoreline was justified, although the score could have been more lopsided if not for Union goalkeeper Andre Blake. Lets take a look at where things broke down for the Union.
Wing play:
Dallas simply dominated the wings. Keegan Rosenberry had a lot on his plate with Fabian Castillo bearing down the right flank. He actually did a decent job defending in his MLS debut, considering he was going against one of the fastest and trickiest wingers in the league. Despite his best efforts, Castillo broke through several times and grabbed the first Dallas goal.
Michael Barrios proved an equal threat on the left side, and gave Fabinho a difficult time. Both Barrios and Castillo made a habit of getting around the fullbacks, and slotting crosses from just outside the 6 yard box. The biggest surprise was that it took until the 79′ for Dallas to score on this type of cut back.
Both wingers remained wide, stretching the field for Dallas, and forcing the Union fullbacks to decide if they should step wide, creating space in the middle, or allow the Dallas wingers to receive the ball with time and space. Width from the wingers ended up creating space inside, allowing Dallas fullbacks and the crafty Mauro Diaz to find openings in the channels on the underlap. The channel is the area between the outside back and the center back. Right back Attiba Harris repeatedly got the ball and drove at the Union backline, between Anderson and Fabinho. With Fabinho occupying Barrios, Union left winger Chris Pontius had no choice but to retreat from his advanced position, and help defensively. This left Sapong alone to hold off pairs of Dallas defenders and midfielders.
Dallas had the tactical advantage on the wings. Pace, skill and overload in numbers challenged the Union fullbacks for the full 90 minutes.
Communication Breakdown:
3 of 4 Union defenders made their MLS debut Sunday. The inexperience resulted in a lack of cohesion. Even the Veteran Fabinho struggled at times. Had it not been for Blake’s heroics, the scoreline could have been worse for the Union. The biggest problem came from players running the channels. The width created by Barrios and Castillo pulled the Union fullbacks wide. Diaz, Maximiliano Urruti and the Dallas fullbacks found too much space in the channels and ended up proving a handful for Philadelphia.
Running the channels isn’t an unheard of tactic, and should have been addressed by the Union defenders. In several situations, we saw Fabinho dragged wide, and midfielder Brian Carroll sprinting to fill the gaps that a center back should occupy.
Tribbet appears to be telling Anderson to fill the gap. Luckily for the Union nothing comes of this, but good teams will always exploit this opening.
For the first goal, Diaz plays Castillo through. Rosenberry, who was marking him, should have made an effort to pull him offsides, or at least be tighter to his center back so that he could block a passing lane. 
Communication could be strengthened, and the gap filled. Instead, Diaz easily slots Castillo in on goal.
Lack of opportunities:
Dallas’ defensive acumen deserves credit. The midfield two of Dallas shielded the center backs, which prevented passes into striker CJ Sapong. Ilsinho then attempted to create opportunities off the dribble, but he was defended well and forced backwards on most occasions.
The bright spot offensively for the Union was combination in front of the Dallas box. The final pass was the only thing missing, and often the play fell apart in the crucial moments.
The Union also looked dangerous on set pieces. Ilsinho’s delivery was usually dangerous, but Philly failed to connect on any of their few chances.
While there were bright spots, the Union found it difficult to break the Dallas pressure. Turnovers in the middle and defensive thirds hurt the Union, and spurred Dallas counters. With 1 shot on net the Union need to work on the final pass which eluded them until that last few minutes when Le Toux forced a great leaping save out of Gonzalez. Even had the attempt gone in, only a fantastic last few minutes could have force a tie.
MOTM:
Maruo Diaz. By popping up in space between the Union lines, the tricky attacker gave the Union defenders something to think about, as the front three for Dallas were streaking upfield once Diaz found space. Communication also failed the Union here. Anderson and Tribbet should have informed Nogueira and Carroll of Diaz’s positioning. The midfielders are not entirely blameless either, and should have known to mark the danger man for Dallas.
Diaz assisted both Dallas goals.
Conclussion:
Dallas looked like title contenders, and I enjoyed watching them. They should be proud of the result. The Union should look to learn from Dallas and improve next game. Turnovers are a problem, something that carried over from preseason. However the Union can fix their short comings, and since the season is long, I think we will see a much more defensively-sound Union as the season goes on.
When the Union could made a pass in front of the Dallas box, they often created half chances. With some time and practice, these will turn to full chances and goals.
Hopefully the Union can take a few lessons from the game and the players new to the Union can build some lasting chemistry.
