FRISCO - FC Dallas didn’t break their six-game winless streak on Saturday night, but their 2-2 draw with the New York Red Bulls feels closer to a win than any other game during the stretch because of how it was earned.
After starting the match generating chances and controlling possession of the game, midfielder Jacori Hayes in just his second MLS start was shown a second yellow in the 37th minute. Dallas would play a man down for the remaining 53 minutes plus stoppage time, twice fighting back from a goal down to earn a point at home.
“I’m honored to coach these guys,” Oscar Pareja said after the match. “What I saw on the field today was remarkable against a very good team. They were committed to all the situations the game brought to them. It was a great performance. Individually, I saw a very high pace today. Collectively, I thought they pushed themselves to the limit and they deserved to win that game more than ever.”
In their two other draws in the current stretch, FCD left the field with the bitter taste of a loss in their mouth. Against Colorado, a 0-0 affair was frustrating given their 28 shots and a goal reversed on video review. Last week, a 3-3 draw against Houston felt anything but after holding a two-goal lead into the 70th minute. Saturday night’s performance, though, is a building block for a team that has not had a lot of positives to take away in the last two months.
“We have to be strong. It doesn’t show in the points, but today, we demonstrated we are willing to fight,” forward Maxi Urruti said. “This team has shown incredible effort game after game. Today, we played with ten players for most of the match.”
“We have to wake up with the point again,” Pareja said about the frustrations. “This has been an extremely frustrating year because we can't get the three points when we need it. We will keep pushing and keep building off this performance. It was brilliant.”
