FRISCO - FC Dallas acquired goalkeeper Dan Kennedy knowing he has an MLS All-Star pedigree. Tonight they saw that on display in the 0-0 draw against the New York Red Bulls.
Kennedy made three official saves in the match but did much more than what showed up on the stat sheet, commanding his box and coming out to claim multiple opposition crosses with sure hands.
“He gave us today the comfort when the ball was crossing we knew that he was there,” said head coach Oscar Pareja. “He had the personality to come out and that for us is huge especially in MLS where a lot of goals are scored from crosses and people are dangerous in the box. He came at the right times and that personality helped the boys and we feel safe tonight there totally.”
The entire FC Dallas defense did a fantastic job shutting down reigning MLS Player of the Week and Golden Boot winner Bradley Wright-Phillips while earning the team’s first shutout since March 28th against Seattle.
“A lot of times my job is to let the other players on the field do their job and I don’t want to interfere with that,” said Kennedy. “But certainly if I can get it and slow the game down and relieve a little bit of pressure I like to do that as well.”
Kennedy is 2-0-2 in four matches for FC Dallas in goal and when you combine that with the ever-solid Chris Seitz, FCD can rest easy as they head on their longest road trip in team history knowing the situation between the pipes is arguably the best in Major League Soccer.
“[Dan] gives us confidence to the whole defense,” said Kennedy. “He comes out when he needs to come out and he just has a lot of experience and isn’t scared to come out which helps the team going forward.”