FC Dallas at Houston Dynamo: Your Running Commentary

The Texas Derby resumes today with the Houston Dynamo playing host to FC Dallas at Robertson Stadium. FC Dallas might have some ugly flashbacks to the last visit to Robertson, which was the 4-1 overtime loss in game two of their Western Conference playoff series last November.

In fact, FC Dallas was 0-3 in Houston last season. The Dynamo has won all five meetings between the teams at Robertson Stadium since the Dynamo was formed in 2006.

If FC Dallas has an advantage, it is that the Dynamo will surely be looking ahead to its mid-week CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal against Deportivo Saprissa. The Hoops will be looking to erase the memories of last week's disappointing 1-1 tie with Chivas USA, a match FC Dallas was winning late before a Duilio Davino miscue helped Chivas USA find an equalizer.

Today's match will be shown nationally on Telefutura at 3 p.m. If you plan on watching the match, and will be online, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the match.

Comments

[blog]

My prediction: Hou 2 - Dal 1 ...but it's been a crazy start to the MLS season already, so who really knows. ;)

[FC Uptown]

No Telefutura in Ohio! Stream??

[clint dempsey]

been searching for an hour +...can't find it

[clint dempsey]

i called comcast in pittsburgh, and they laughed about telefutura.not too much latin flavour in western pa.(since chi-chi's went through the colon)

[Patrick]

I live just north of NYC, in the hudson valley, and i cant get telefutura!!! Whats up with that?

[clint dempsey]

ricky clark still has 1 game togo? or is today the day?

[frank]

WOW clint and fc where the f***k do you guys live? not trying to be a prick, but maybe it's time to spread the wings and get the hell out.

[FC Uptown]

No Telefura in Northern Ohio. Purchased DK and MlsTV.com but that doesnt help me now. Might have to pay again to listen to the radio broadcast. Local Houston coverage will surely shut off soon http://kprcradio.com/main.html

[FC Uptown]

No Telefutura in Northern Ohio. Purchased DK and MlsTV.com but that doesnt help me now. Might have to pay again to listen to the radio broadcast. Local Houston coverage will surely shut off soon http://kprcradio.com/main.html

[Patrick]

I believe today is the day but i am not sure.

[clint dempsey]

plans in the works, no offense taken, i even went the step of attempting to purchase the spanish speeking package on directv,but don't have a dual lnb... guess this one will have to go on without me. as they say when late for the bbq..."keep me abreast" hahaha

[clint dempsey]

speak...the local has not taken over my brain

[AlexS]

Rico is still suspended for this game, it's the last of his 9 game suspension.

Don't know of any streams, but I'll try to give updates on the game anyways.

So far it looks like the Dynamo have the run of play, but the Dynamo lineup has a lot of untested players in it.

------------Onstad-------------
Waibel-Boswell-Robinson-Barrett
----------Mulrooney------------
--Cameron---------------Ashe--
-------------DeRo--------------
-------Caraccio-Ching----------

Can't remember the Dallas lineup, I'll see if I can look it up

[EricJ]

FC Dallas
Starting Lineup

* 44 - Dario Sala (GK)
* 4 - Duilio Davino
* 6 - Pablo Ricchetti
* 8 - Juan Toja
* 11 - Andre Rocha
* 12 - Arturo Alvarez
* 13 - Dax McCarty
* 14 - Drew Moor
* 15 - Adrian Serioux
* 23 - Blake Wagner
* 33 - Kenny Cooper

[AlexS]

FCD lineup:

Sala
Moor-Davino-Serioux-Wagner
Rocha-Richetti-Toja-McCarty
Cooper-Alvarez

13' Boswell gets beat (again) and FCD gets a corner out of it. Almost a goal after Onstad guards the header low and the ball bounces up, thankfully hitting off the top crossbar and come down to Dynamo heads who knock it out.

Second corner leads to a boot up the field and a FCD freekick, which takes a bounce off a Dynamo player for a corner. Corner is knocked out for a throw in, which Serioux long throws, which Onstad collects.

This is the first real offensive ball control for FCD today, as the rest of the game had been the Dynamo knocking the ball through the FD midfield and getting no looks on goal, then starting over again.

[AlexS]

18' Houston with some good passing in the FCD side near the touchline, gett a good cross over which is hit back to DeRo (after Ching is flattened in the box - but it looked like the FCD player was playing ball so it was a good no call) who shoots it, save by Sala.

[brentmcd]

GOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!

[AlexS]

21' Boot from Sala on a phanton offsides gets to Toja in the Dynamo 18 yard box, who knocks it to Alvarez. Shot saved by Onstad.

Resulting play results in a Dynamo cross going high, being recovered on the other side, and crossed again. This one fins a mass involving Ching, Caraccio, and Sala with no foul and the ball going in.

Goal Caraccio.

[Xiphosis]

Houston looks great on the offensive 18 minutes in but they're getting few chances to actually go forward.

FCD is pretty calm and collected and around 8 minutes in got like 3 corners and a throw-in before Onstad snatched it out of the air on the throw.

Alvarez (FCD) just slammed a nice one in the 20th but it was jumped on...

... and as I type it, Caraccio (HOU) puts one in 30 seconds after on a cross & header on the counter-attack. Great service, great goal.

[brentmcd]

primer gol de la campaña para el argentino

[AlexS]

23' Onstad down in the area after an FCD forward challenged him in the air with a little elbow at the end. FCD number 23. Onstad back up and looks like he'll keep playing, but it looks like his right shoulder is bothering him.

[blog]

Anyone know why Holden is missing from the HOU lineup?

[AlexS]

26' Beautiful pass upfield to Corey Ashe with space on the wing, his cross at the touchline is a bit wild, and winds up being a goal kick.

Cooper holding his head in pain, couldn't see what happened to him, but the resulting free kick was caught by Onstad.

[AlexS]

@blog

Holden picked up an Ankle injury against New England, and also missed the midweek game against Deportivo Saprissa.

[AlexS]

28'

Onstad can't continue (guess his injury was bad) and backup keeper Tony Caig (picked up from Gretna in Scotland) comes in for him. I think I like his keeper jersey more than I like Onstad's.

[blog]

Thanks for that, AlexS.

[eric]

Bummer on Holden. Thanks Alex, just tuning in and catching up, and that was question #1 over here

[Xiphosis]

Almost a goal for Houston, 33' minute. Dallas defense does just enough to clear.

[clint dempsey]

thanks for the effort

[brentmcd]

nice action for dynamo in front of the dallas goal, but not really resulting in a good shot.

toja is class, but he is getting frustrated....

[AlexS]

33' Four (?) shots on goal in 20 seconds for the Dynamo. Might have been fewer, but none of them made it to the FCD keeper. FCD defense did well to limit shooting angles on that attack.

[Xiphosis]

GOAL Dallas

Break-away run

[brentmcd]

i'd like to think that onstad wouldn't have allowed that goal, dammit

[eric]

Kenny Cooper with the sweet lob!

[Xiphosis]

Cooper chips it over the GK's head. 35'

[AlexS]

35' Caig caught out of position on a chip from Kenny Cooper, goal FC Dallas to knot it up at 1-1.

Can't help but think Onstad wouldn't have made that mistake.

[Xiphosis]

Onstad would've been all over it, he knows it to I bet, he's probably fuming on the bench

[clint dempsey]

is boswell sucking up the joint?

[eric]

Near answer by Weibel - Game on! Now let's just get the Telefutura Babe Cam going and call it an afternoon.

[AlexS]

38' Waibel passes to Cameron (?) who bets Serioux in the corner and passes back to Waibel, whose shoot bounces off the outside of the right side post.

[Xiphosis]

Looks like Dallas' midfield is just doing it wrong.

[AlexS]

43' Serioux downright mugs Brian Ching to keep him from getting to a pass, not so much as a foul call from Abbey. Okulaja's letting them play which concerns me giving his love for the red card.

[briguy]

Shite! Anybody know what happens to my MLS Fantasy points with Onstad heading to the bench. He was headed for a clean sheet...

[eric]

My condolences to Onstad's water bottle, which was just slammed to the ground.

[Xiphosis]

Dallas goal on a great run! Cooper!

43'

[Xiphosis]

My bad, 45'

[AlexS]

45' Damn. As I was just thinking "wow, that's Toja's second touch on the ball today" he passes over to Cooper who isn't well marked by Boswell and hits a slow, low shot that Caig jumps all over...

...until he lets it go OVER his hands and into the net >_<

FCD leading well against the run of play, 2-1.

[brentmcd]

grrrrr, i'd like to think onstad would have saved that goal too.

[Xiphosis]

Toja-Cooper could be a pretty dangerous combo this season, they seem to synch up well.

[Nathanhj]

Caig is no Onstad, that's for sure...