PUEBLA, Mexico - After almost two weeks since their last competitive match, FC Dallas played an abbreviated friendly against Liga MX-side Club Puebla's reserves on Friday night. Maxi Urruti scored in the opening two minutes and Walker Hume scored in the final two minutes for the only goals of the hour-long game.
Dallas started almost their full regular lineup from the opening few games of 2017, with Carlos Cermeño taking the place of Carlos Gruezo in the 4-4-2 formation. It was a constant rotation, however, as 21 of the 24 players on the week-long trip saw action in just 60 minutes of play.
It didn't take long for the visitors to strike as Hernan Grana made his way through much of the Puebla defense and sent a cross into the box that Urruti easily tapped home in the 2nd minute to maintain his red-hot form in March.
Grana and Michael Barrios continued to showcase their growing chemistry down the right side of the field with several chances created in the opening 20 minutes before the first of 10 substitutions for Oscar Pareja's side, as Barrios was replaced by Anibal Chala.
"It's great. I can see them develop more of that chemistry," the head coach said of the duo. "It's growing more and more due to the frequency and the games and the minutes that we keep adding. It's really noticeable that they're engaged with each other right now."
FCD controlled much of the match, and had their best chance to double the lead in the 40th minute when Javier Morales, fresh off the bench, found Chala streaking down the left wing in behind the Puebla defender. Chala sent a low cross in for Tesho Akindele, also fresh off the bench, just inside the six-yard box, but the cross was just inches out of the Canadian international's reach.
Akindele would again get a look at goal in the 44th minute, as Homegrown defender Reggie Cannon made an overlapping run on the right side, cut to the middle and fired a left-footed blast from the top, right corner of the penalty area. His shot was stopped by the diving Puebla goalkeeper, but fell right to Akindele, who's rebound attempt was cleared off the line.
Another rookie Homegrown, Jesus Ferreria, showcased some fancy footwork of his own in the 57th minute as he cut not once, but twice to the middle from the left flank, losing two Puebla defenders in the process, but then lost possession at the top of the 18 before he was able to get a shot off.
In the dying minutes of the match, 2017 SuperDraft pick Walker Hume rose over the crowd in front off a Morales corner kick and headed a ball into the net to give Dallas a late 2-0 lead in the 58th minute.
"The objective was just to get a training session in a simulation for the game and just get the unit together," Pareja said. "It's better when they face a different opposition and they have different rival, different faces - in that regard it's better than playing amongst ourselves."
FC Dallas will return to training on Saturday and Sunday in Puebla before heading to Pachuca on Monday morning ahead of Tuesday's CCL Semifinal Leg Two.
Starting XI: Chris Seitz; Maynor Figueroa, Matt Hedges, Walker Zimmerman, Hernan Grana; Roland Lamah, Carlos Cermeño, Kellyn Acosta, Michael Barrios; Cristian Colman, Maxi Urruti.
Substitutes:
- Anibal Chala for Barrios - 21'
- Aaron Guillen for Figueroa - 29'
- Javier Morales for Acosta - 30'
- Reggie Cannon for Grana - 35'
- Paxton Pomykal for Lamah - 37'
- Tesho Akindele for Urruti - 38'
- Atiba Harris for Hedges - 39'
- Walker Hume for Zimmerman - 41'
- Ryan Hollingshead for Colman - 43'
- Jesus Ferreira for Cermeño - 44'