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FRISCO, Texas – By this time last year, both games of the 2010 Texas Derby had already been played and El Capitan had been comfortably resting within the confines of Pizza Hut Park for three weeks. After a season-opening 1-1 draw between Houston and Dallas at PHP, FCD won back El Capitan by earning their first win at Robertson Stadium since the younger Texas team joined Major League Soccer in 2006.
Visit the FC Dallas rivalry page to find out more about the history of the Texas Derby
With this year’s showdown only a few days away, FCDallas.com looks back on last year’s heated matchups.
Leg One: 3...2...1...DRAW (March 27, 2010)
The 2010 season opened with the Dynamo in possession of El Capitan as they trekked north to face their Lone Star State rivals. FC Dallas had ended the 2009 season on an upward trend and hoped to pick up where they left off with a Texas Derby home opener.
WATCH:FC Dallas ties Houston in 2010 home opener
The teams exchanged shots in the first half, with Houston landing the first blow in the 36th minute courtesy of defender Mike Chabala. The tally was set up by former FC Dallas forward Dominic Oduro, who fed Chabala a short pass before he sent the shot past FCD ‘keeper Dario Sala for his first career MLS goal.
Dallas countered two minutes later when Atiba Harris received a ball into the attacking third from future MLS MVP David Ferreira. Harris cut to his right to lose his defender with his first touch and let loose a shot from 20 yards out that beat a diving Pat Onstad and tied the game up for FCD.
Dallas thought they claimed the lead in the 63rd minute after veteran striker Jeff Cunningham beat Onstad with a bouncing volley, but Cunningham was ruled offside and the goal was disallowed. The match ended in a 1-1 draw that gave the Dynamo the away goal advantage ahead of the second leg.
Leg Two: Went and took it (May 5, 2010)
The return leg was played five weeks later on Cinco de Mayo at Robertson Stadium, where Dallas had previously been winless in seven tries since the Dynamo started playing there in 2006. The match would prove to be a pivotal moment in the historic 2010 campaign for FC Dallas.
WATCH:FC Dallas earns first win at Robertson Stadium
It also marked the first regular-season start for Kevin Hartman in an FC Dallas kit – a role he would not relinquish until a knee injury sidelined him four months later.
The match had the makings of a scoreless stalemate until the 73rd minute, when left back Jair Benitez was issued a straight red for a challenge on a header to give Houston the man advantage for the remaining 17 minutes.
Despite being down a man, FC Dallas capitalized on a set piece in the 79th minute when midfielder Dax McCarty sent a free kick to the far post from about 30 yards out. Brek Shea sent the ball back across the goal to Ihemelu, who nodded home the game-winner.
WATCH:Ihemelu scores header off FCD set piece
The victory was FC Dallas’ first of 2010, first shutout of the year, and first-ever win at Robertson Stadium in five years of competition with the Dynamo. It also meant the team had earned back El Capitan after losing the cannon to the Dynamo the previous season.
Since the Dynamo aren’t allowed to fire El Capitan in Robertson Stadium due to noise restrictions, the clubs agreed to return the cannon to Pizza Hut Park immediately, where it has since been fired after every FC Dallas home victory.
Although the Texas Derby officially gets underway this Saturday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Houston (TV: FOX Sports Southwest), the two sides have already met twice in the young 2011 season. And despite the nature of the preseason, these matches were anything but friendly – setting the stage for what promises to be a heated edition of this year’s Texas Derby.
2011 Preseason: Warning shots
After a historic 2010 MLS Cup run, FC Dallas opened the 2011 preseason against a rebuilding Houston Dynamo in Corpus Christi in an exhibition match dubbed the South Texas Shootout. The so-called “shootout” turned out to be a lopsided affair, as Houston scored on three set pieces and a penalty kick to defeat Dallas 4-0.
The flames of the Texas rivalry would also be stoked as a result of this match by the fine and suspension handed out following the match to FC Dallas left back Jair Benitez for allegedly spitting at Houston midfielder Geoff Cameron during the first half. Benitez was not issued a caution in the exhibition, and because there was no video of the incident, league officials conducted interviews with both parties involved and the coaches of both teams before handing down the disciplinary action. The suspension was served in the first game of the regular season, a 1-1 home draw vs. the Chicago Fire.
The teams would meet again just a few weeks later in the final of the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic in Orlando – a match far more fitting for the “shootout” moniker. The clubs exchanged goals in regulation from respective Academy products Ruben Luna and Francisco Navas Cobo before deciding the preseason tournament in a penalty kick shootout.
WATCH:Highlights from Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic final
FCD backup ‘keeper and offseason acquisition Chris Seitz saved Houston’s opening penalty kick from Lovel Palmer, and Brek Shea netted the fifth and decisive kick for FC Dallas to even the Texas teams’ preseason series at one win apiece.
Rivalry heating up
Both clubs have exchanged jabs off the field in the weeks leading up to the first leg of the 2011 Texas Derby in Houston this Saturday, proving that the rivalry extends beyond the playing field and into the hearts of fans and the front office.
READ:Texas Derby heats up between Dallas and Houston
When the two teams meet this weekend, it will mark the 20th time the in-state rivals have clashed in a competitive match. Houston holds a slight edge in the possession of El Capitan, with three Texas Derby wins to FCD’s two (9-4-6 overall in meetings between the two sides).
However, FC Dallas holds the more recent advantage, with not only last season’s Texas Derby win, but a playoff berth and their first MLS Cup appearance in 2010 (Houston did not make the playoffs). So far this season, FC Dallas is 6-3-3 and with 21 points is in second in the Western Conference.
Houston, who switched to the Eastern Conference to start the 2011 season, is a meager 3-4-5 and has only 14 points and three losses in their last five games. However, in the notoriously weaker Eastern Conference, that record is actually good enough for third in the standings; in the Western Conference, Houston would be in seventh and outside the playoff picture.
Regardless of current records, you can guarantee Saturday night will be a heated battle. Stay tuned to FCDallas.com to follow FC Dallas along every step of their Texas Derby road trip, including our insider’s blog, behind-the-scenes videos and exclusive Facebook photo galleries.
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