HOUSTON – The Texas Derby was no contest Friday night as FC Dallas was quick and efficient on their way to a 4-1 win over the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium.
Dallas exploited any space the Dynamo would give them, conceding possession for large stretches and relying on their speed and counterattack to be the difference. Houston struggled to close the gaps and Dallas took advantage early and often and was efficient scoring four goals off six shots. Teammates Mauro Diaz and Fabian Castillo had a goal and two assists each on the night.
The visitors struck first, utilizing some suspect spacing by the Dynamo which had collapsed to its left side. Dallas pushed their attack up the left side of Houston’s defense and with Dynamo defender Kofi Sarkodie tracking Castillo across the field, Dallas midfielder Ryan Hollingsheadcut across unimpeded and fired from 19-yards out for the ninth minute 1-0 lead.
The visitors doubled up their lead 12 minutes later, turning an Alex Lopez turnover into three touches for a score. Diaz pushed the ball up field after the turnover, releasing Castillo down the right flank. The speedy Colombian pushed into the penalty box, cut the ball back between two defenders to the waiting feet of David Texeira who hit a first-touch shot to the far post to make it 2-0.
Houston, dominating possession early, bounced back in the 32nd minute with a "bend-it-like-Barnes" goal. After Lopez earned a free kick 22-yards away from goal, Giles Barnes took a short run up and hit an inside-the-foot free kick which curled into the upper corner. The leaping Dallas goalkeeper, Dan Kennedy could only manage to deflect the ball into the side netting to pull the score to 2-1.
Despite their control of the ball Houston’s defense never synced up and Dallas didn’t miss their chances. Seven minutes after the restart, Diaz cut through Houston’s defense, dribbling pastJermaine Taylor before stinging a shot from the top of the box into the back of the net.
Three minutes later the visitors continued to show their danger on quick combinations, moving the ball up the field with four passes for a fourth goal in the 55th minute. Castillo was the last player with the ball and after sizing up DaMarcus Beasley, toe-poked his shot just inside the far right post to make it 4-1.
The defensive breakdowns for Houston marked the second week in a row the club’s given up four goals at home. It is the first time the Dynamo have given up four goals in back-to-back games. Dallas take the upper hand in the annual Texas Derby, although there are still two more meetings between the sides scheduled for the MLS regular season.
Houston is back in action Tuesday when they welcome back former head coach Dominic Kinnear and the San Jose Earthquakes. Dallas’ next game will be at home versus the LA Galaxy on May 9.
Houston Dynamo coach Owen Coyle on lopsided loss to FC Dallas: "I'll take responsibility for that"
HOUSTON – For the second week in a row the Houston Dynamo are left to consider how to plug the holes on the defensive side of the ball.
Houston duplicated their unenviable feat of giving up four goals last week, making it the first time in franchise history they’d given that many goals up in back-to-back games. After FC Dallas slashed his defense open at every turn, Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle took the blame for a 4-1 loss in the rivalry match on Friday and made it clear that what transpired is unacceptable.
“At this level of the game there is no way we can defend the way we did in this game,” Coyle said. “I think we’ve got to hold our hands up tonight and recognize that we didn’t do well enough individually and collectively. When all’s said and done, I’m the head coach and I’ll take responsibility for that. With the players we’ve got I think we can defend better than we did in the instances that we did.”
Dallas was precise in their ability to counterattack. With Dallas winger Fabian Castillo, who Coyle said has been one of the top two or three players in the league, leading the charge Houston were in effect rope-a-doped, allowed to have possession of the ball but punished for every misstep. There were a lot of defensive missteps as Houston was slow and consistently out of position when the ball turned over. That admittedly played into the speedy FC Dallas attackers' hands.
Coyle pointed to a lack smart defending and a propensity to make the game easy for the Dallas.
Meanwhile, Dynamo captain Brad Davis pointed to a lack of intensity on the pitch. At no time was that more evident than on Mauro Diaz’s goal, when he was allowed several touches at the top of Houston’s penalty area.
“I’m loathe to take any credit away from [Diaz] because it was a wonderful finish but my question was, I said to the players, he shouldn’t have been allowed to be in that position to have such a wonderful finish,” Coyle said. “If you’d asked me before the game I don’t think any of us would’ve foreseen so many defensive errors.”
Added Davis; “I think it’s a little bit of attitude, a little bit of grit. Little bit of playing, in my opinion, with a chip our shoulder, a little pissed off. We can’t be afraid to foul guys. This is a man’s game. It really is. It’s tough. The past two games we’ve let in eight goals. That’s unacceptable for us.”
The two game output doubles Houston’s goal concessions in the first four games and has come as the team has moved away from employing a five-man midfield that past two games. Coyle was adamant the team can find the balance between attack and defending when asked. Their attempt at it Friday night, however, did not get the job done.
“I just think it was a lack of thinking. We weren’t very smart tonight,” said defender DaMarcus Beasley. “We were all over the place. We need to be more organized for teams that like to play football.”
FC Dallas pleased to see highlight reel night from Mauro Diaz in big win: "He turns the lights on"
No Blas Perez? No problem for FC Dallas.
Despite missing their starting striker due to a suspension, midfielders Fabian Castillo, Mauro Diaz, and Ryan Hollingshead registered three goals and three assists in a 4-1 blowout of the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium on Friday.
And while Castillo’s talents have been creating opportunities for the club all season long – with tonight’s totals putting him in the MLS lead for assists and a tie for the club lead in goals – the contributions from Diaz were arguably the most notable, given his inconsistent availability throughout his two seasons in the league. And the club has yet to lose a game (4-0-1) that Diaz plays this season.
“He turns the lights on. I just keep saying it,” Pareja said of the Argentine, whose goal tonight marked the first time in his MLS career that he logged goals in back-to-back games. “He glues people in there, so he brings the best out of every other player. He’s one of those guys that’s always thinking, and that’s important for us. It’s great to have him back, the players are happy to have him back.”
Diaz showed why he is so important to the Dallas attack after blasting a goal to the upper corner of the net in the 52nd minute and also assisting on forward David Texeira’s goal in the 21st minute by quickly transitioning to attack.
And while what he brings to the club is becoming more evident as he continues see his minutes increase, both Pareja and the club understand that Diaz's durability concerns mean they need to be careful with his playing time.
“We need to take care of him because it is a long season,” Pareja said after the game. “But definitely the team looks different when he’s on the field.”
Castillo echoed his coach’s sentiments after the win and praised the young Argentine’s talents while also acknowledging his struggles to stay healthy since joining MLS.
“He’s the type of player that is the reference of the team,” Castillo said after the game through a translator. “He knows when to pass, when to accelerate, and when to give really good passes. Right now, we just want to take advantage and enjoy him because at any time, he could be gone.”
Castillo’s performance in the opening round of the Texas Derby was equally as impressive, as he yet again turned on the jets and the fancy footwork to contribute towards three of Dallas’ four goals on Friday night.
But according to his head coach, there is more than what meets the eye when observing how the Colombian winger is able to sustain his success.
“Fabian will score goals and assists naturally because that is his talent. But now he is learning to play for his team, and the game rewards him,” Pareja said. “As happy as we are with the goals and assists, what I certainly got today from Fabian today defensively was amazing.”
Dallas went into the match knowing a rivalry game on the road is never easy to play. But after firing on all cylinders yet again in this young season, Dallas can rest easy after taking round one in the battle for El Capitan.
“It’s extremely difficult to win rivalry games like this, but I feel that we’ve been doing things better than Houston,” Castillo said. “That’s why we won. Hopefuly we can keep it going.”
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