FRISCO, Texas – A huge bright spot in FC Dallas’ 1-1 draw with Philadelphia on Saturday was 20-year-old midfielder Bryan Leyva (above), who wowed the crowd with a couple of no-look passes and did a tremendous job filling in for the injured Fabian Castillo.
“I thought he played very well,” FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman said. “He was composed and was able to make some very good passes. He's a player that, if he can continue to get more playing time, can compete for a starting position on this team.”
Leyva started two games in March before injuring his ankle, and since being used as a sub when the club faced D.C. United – a 4-1 defeat on March 30th – the youngster had gone eight straight matches without seeing any action.
“I haven’t talked to Schellas other than when he walked by and said that I had played well,” Leyva said. “I felt great. It was my first game back since I injured my ankle. It did not give me any trouble.”
It's possible Leyva could get his fourth start of the season against Chicago on Wednesday (7:30 pm CT, Fox Sports Southwest).
Shea does not make cut
FC Dallas were expecting to be without midfielder Brek Shea because of international duties, but on Sunday, Shea was informed that he was left of the U.S. Men’s National Team camp roster.
Shea served the first of his three-game suspension on Saturday and will miss both games this week. If Shea had been called up, he would have had to wait till July to play another game with FCD.
Either way, Shea will get a much needed rest as he continues to rehab an injured toe that has limited his on-field performance in recent weeks.
Panama power
Playing against Philadelphia gave Blas Pérez a chance to play against close friend and fellow Panamanian Gabriel Gomez. The draw was bittersweet for Pérez, who was happy to see Gomez notch his fourth tally of the season, but it was that goal cost FC Dallas a chance to end a six-game winless streak.
“It was great to play against Gomez,” Perez said. “It was very fun. I consider him a brother because we’ve known each other for such a long time. I’m happy that we both got to score a goal tonight, and I’m happy for the Panamanians getting good results and making a name for ourselves over here.”