By Will Martin
When May began so began the injury bug for FC Dallas. After a 1-0 loss to the Red Bulls on a stifling May 4 day came a triple set of 2-1 losses on the road along with a 0-0 draw last week. Aside from having five starters sidelined and healing, the dreaded Red Card would play foe to the Red For 90 against the San Jose Earthquakes (4-4-4) and loss in a 2-1 match where all the scoring occurred in the first half.
Although San Jose obtained their first road win of the season at FC Dallas (5-7-3) it was Blas Perez getting the first goal of the night in the 16th minute after Matt Hedges made a heady goal line save in the 10th minute on San Jose. Unfortunately, an infringement penalty on Adam Moffatt in the 25th minute led to a yellow card.
Two minutes later San Jose would even things up 1-all when one time FCD player Atiba Harris fired a goal past Chris Seitz after being set up beautifully with two set passes from Shea Salinas and Steven Lenhart. In the 35th minute Adam Moffatt got called for a foul on Earthquake defender Yanick Djalo en route to the FC Dallas penalty area.
Once again the dreaded Red Card and having to play one man short the rest of the game. Six Red Cards in 2014 after 15 matches. One shy of matching the all-time number of Red Cards in a season-2008. Four of them have happened in the first half. Which lead to San Jose making the game winning goal in the 45th minute courtesy of a long distance strike by Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi.
As you can probably imagine Oscar Pareja was fit to be tied afterwards when addressing the media. In essence venting while red-faced.
“I’m very upset,” Pareja said bluntly. “There is no excuse for not getting the points tonight, and we take the full responsibility.”
“I would like to talk about many positive things tonight, but I’m going to take this game very personally with myself and my group of players, and stop talking about positive things,” Pareja said. “It’s not good enough. We need to be better.”
The last time FC Dallas won a match it was against Toronto FC April 19th. The team that night was 5-1-0. Since then the FCD have fallen terribly into an 0-6-2 rut with no relief in sight seemingly. Coach Pareja would have none of it on the subject of finishing.
“I’m very upset, especially with myself and us as a team not to provide results with the effort, with the energy, the way we work, but we don’t provide results,” Pareja said. “We feel bad for our fans and the people who support this club. I could talk again about many good things, but no excuses. It has to be better and it is not good enough.”
This week shall be a reunion of sorts with the Colorado Rapids, a team Pareja coached the last two years.
Shots were even at 14, Corner kicks favored FC Dallas 7-2, crosses 23-5 for the FCD, big advantage to the Earthquakes for clearances 38-15.
With the defeat FC Dallas sits in fourth in the Western Conference 11 points behind the first place Seattle Sounders. Between third and eighth place in the West a total of three points separates six teams.
May is now, thankfully, over. Lets hope June turns things around.
Red For 90. As opposed to Red Card in the first 45…
Upcoming Schedule
6/7 vs Colorado Rapids 7:30 p.m.