FC Dallas, Rapids jockey for playoff berths
Cunningham looks to pad Golden Boot lead in Impact Game of Week
Related
- Impact Game: Rapids - FC Dallas
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- MLSnet.com Power Rankings: Week 31
- Cunningham wins MLS Player of the Week honors
- MLS Cup Playoff standings
PIZZA HUT PARK, Frisco, Texas
Oct. 17, 2009 (WEEK 31) / MLS Game #215
7:30 p.m. CT (KFWD-52; Altitude)
A massive game in the MLS Cup Playoffs race is ahead when FC Dallas play host to the Colorado Rapids at Pizza Hut Park. Even after four consecutive draws, the Rapids are still two points clear for the final wild card spot, while FC Dallas have pulled themselves back into the race with four wins in their last five games, but are still two points out of the top eight overall. The game also features a matchup of the top two contenders for the MLS Golden Boot: with 16 goals in his last 13 games, FCD's Jeff Cunningham has moved one goal ahead of Colorado's Conor Casey for the league lead.
REFEREE: Edvin Jurisevic. SAR (bench): George Gansner; JAR (opposite): Paul Scott; 4th: Ben Chouaf MLS Career: 11 games; FC/gm: 21.9; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 1; pens: 1
INJURY REPORT: FC DALLAS - OUT: DF Anthony Wallace (L knee) ... COLORADO RAPIDS - OUT: MF Colin Clark (L ACL tear); MF Jacob Peterson (R ACL tear); MF Jamie Smith (L knee strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: COL: Mehdi Ballouchy (caution accumulation; through Oct. 18); Julien Baudet (through Oct. 18)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: DAL: Ugo Ihemelu, Pablo Ricchetti, Andre Rocha ... COL: Conor Casey
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DAL: David Ferreira ... COL: Omar Cummings, Cory Gibbs, Kosuke Kimura, Scott Palguta
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (48 meetings): FC Dallas 23 wins (2 shootout), 79 goals ... Rapids 17 wins (1 shootout), 59 goals ... Ties 8
AT DALLAS (24 meetings): FC Dallas 16 wins (2 shootout), 45 goals ... Rapids 5 wins (1 shootout), 23 goals ... Ties 3
• After a six-game league losing streak against FC Dallas, Colorado in unbeaten in its last five meetings with FCD, winning three with two draws after a 1-0 win in the second meeting this year.
• Before the win in the first meeting a season ago, FCD had last lost to Colorado on Sept. 4, 2004 - a span of 11 matches and three full seasons.
• However, the teams met twice in that timeframe in the MLS Cup Playoffs - and the Rapids advanced on both occasions, in each instance winning the second leg at Pizza Hut Park (on penalties in 2005, in extra time in 2006) to move onto the Western Conference Championship.
• The Rapids victory in the series finale last year at Pizza Hut Park was their first ever in league play in Frisco. After a draw in the first meeting between the clubs there, Colorado won the next three before a draw in the first meeting there last year. The win was the first for the Rapids on their last 14 league trips to the Big D, since a 1-0 victory at the Cotton Bowl on March 25, 2000. That includes the then-Burn winning both meetings at Dragon Stadium in 2003.
• Coaches record: Schellas Hyndman vs. COL: P4 W0 L2 D2 ... Gary Smith v DAL: P2 W1 L0 D1
THIS SEASON (MLS):
6/24: COL 1, DAL 1 (Cummings 84 - Ferreira 37)
7/11: COL 1, DAL 0 (Kimura 79)
• In the first meeting of the year at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, the Rapids came back with a late goal as the teams played to a 1-1 draw.
• FCD that drew first blood in the 37th minute. Jeff Cunningham played the ball forward to Kenny Cooper, who flicked it wide to an unmarked David Ferreira, who carried into the area before chipping the ball over the on-rushing Matt Pickens.
• Colorado drew even in the 84th minute. Mehdi Ballouchy played a short through ball in behind the Dallas defense and Omar Cummings latched onto it before slotting home inside the right post.
• Then barely three weeks later, on July 11, the Rapids got the game's lone goal late for a 1-0 victory at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
• The game's lone goal came in the 79th minute. Kosuke Kimura advanced forward on the right and played the ball into Mehdi Ballouchy. Ballouchy held up the ball then laid a return pass into the area for Kimura, who hammered a rising blast over goalkeeper Ray Burse and inside the left post for first career league goal.
• Here's Smith's team (4-2-3-1): Matt Pickens - Kosuke Kimura, Ugo Ihemelu, Scott Palguta, Jordan Harvey - Pablo Mastroeni, Nick LaBrocca - Jacob Peterson (Greg Dalby 80), Mehdi Ballouchy (Ty Harden 94+), Terry Cooke (Pat Noonan 63) - Conor Casey. Substitutes Not Used: Preston Burpo, Ross Schunk, Rob Valentino
• Here's Hyndman's team (4-1-4-1): Ray Burse - Drew Moor, Pablo Ricchetti, George John (Daniel Torres 68), Kyle Davies (Blake Wagner 46) - Dax McCarty - Brek Shea (Eric Avila 62), David Ferreira, Andre Rocha, Dave van den Bergh - Jeff Cunningham. Substitutes Not Used: Bruno Guarda, Josh Lambo, Steve Purdy, Anthony Wallace
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas continued their remarkable late season charge, winning for fourth time in five games with a late 2-1 win at the San Jose Earthquakes on Oct. 7 at Buck Shaw Stadium. FCD has 36 points from 28 matches, in sixth place in the Western Conference, but now just two points out of the final playoff spot.
LAST MATCH
• Both the Earthquakes and FC Dallas had kept alive their slim playoff ambitions with back-to-back wins in their two previous games.
• Dario Sala made a trio of top-notch saves late in the first half to keep the match scoreless, then FCD took the lead four minutes after the break. Jeff Cunningham played provider, flicking a pass into the area for David Ferreira. The Colombian rounded goalkeeper Joe Cannon and slotted the ball home for his eighth goal.
• But the Quakes leveled the score in the 73rd minute. Shea Salinas launched a ball down the right touchline and Quincy Amarikwa latched onto it before cutting into the area, chipping the ball over an onrushing Sala for his first career MLS goal.
• Yet FC Dallas regained the lead in the 81st minute. With San Jose holding a high line, Ferreira played a through ball, sending Dax McCarty in alone on goal. He went wide of Cannon then laid the ball square for Cunningham to dribble into the goal for his league-leading 17th goal of the season.
• The Quakes nearly stayed alive with a stoppage-time leveler. Cannon went forward for a corner kick and got his head on a loose ball, but Sala was able to swat at it and Jair Benitez headed off the line.
• FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman made one change to the team that defeated the New England Revolution 1-0 at home on Sept. 30. Marvin Chavez came into the team in place of the suspended Atiba Harris.
• Here's Hyndman's team (4-2-3-1): Dario Sala - Heath Pearce, Ugo Ihemelu, George John, Jair Benitez - Daniel Hernandez, Dax McCarty - Marvin Chavez (Eric Avila 65), David Ferreira, Dave van den Bergh (Blake Wagner 78) - Jeff Cunningham (Brek Shea 88). Substitutes Not Used: Ray Burse, Bruno Guarda, Steve Purdy, Daniel Torres
TEAM NEWS
• FC Dallas will be eliminated from playoff contention if it loses or ties vs. Colorado AND New England wins vs. Chicago.
• For Cunningham, it was yet another goal in his current run and yet another game-winner. In the 13 games since Kenny Cooper's departure for Germany 2.Bundesliga, Cunningham has scored 16 of his 17 goals and added five assists. He now has 36 game-winning goals in his career, which is an MLS record.
• "I had two clear, good chances in the first half that normally, in the form I'm in, would have gone in," Cunningham said. "After that, you're taught as a striker to forget about those (missed) opportunities but I couldn't shake them. Finally, at the end, Dax rewarded me with a tap-in, and it's a game-winner."
• Cunningham's current run compares favorably with those of past Golden Boot winners. In 1998, Columbus's Stern John scored 16 goals in a 12-game stretch (8/8-end of season). In 2000, Tampa Bay's Mamadou Diallo scored 16 goals in a 14-game stretch (4/15-6/28). In 1996, Roy Lassiter (also Tampa Bay) scored 14 goals over a 12-game stretch (8/3-end of season).
• "When he was given the opportunity to be the so-called 'man,' of the team, the difference-maker, he really stepped up," Hyndman said. "But you also have to identify what a great job David Ferreira has also done. The two of them have really been on the same page."
• In the same span of time as Cunningham's hot streak, Ferreira has been almost equally productive, contributing six of his eight total goals on the season and five of his seven assists.
• "We're a team that has scored more goals than everybody else in the league. He's scoring goals and is assisting as a second striker and attacking midfielder," Hyndman said. "He's giving great balls. I've been very pleased with him.
• After a 2-2 draw with D.C. United on Sept. 5, FC Dallas had 24 points, sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference, nine points out of the final playoff spot. Now, with two games remaining, FCD is just two points out of eighth overall and the final wild card spot, in a three-way tie for ninth overall.
• "Do we deserve to be in the playoffs?" Hyndman said. "Yeah. We deserve to be in the playoffs as much as anyone else who's going to get in. And I wouldn't want to be the team to play FC Dallas if we're in the playoffs."
COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids played to a fourth consecutive draw in their last match, coming back for a 1-1 draw against New England Revolution on Oct. 3 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The Rapids have 40 points from 28 matches, now sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference, but holding onto seventh place in the MLS overall table.
LAST MATCH
• The Revolution were playing their second road game in four days, having gone down to a 1-0 defeat at FC Dallas at midweek as Jeff Cunningham headed home the game's only goal in the 71st minute for his league-leading 16th on the campaign.
• The Rapids meanwhile had played to three consecutive draws and had scored just two goals in that time - both from the penalty spot, converted by Conor Casey.
• The Revolution took the lead after 29 minutes. Kenny Mansally flighted in a free kick from the left touchline and Kheli Dube rose up completely unmarked to power home a header for his eighth goal on the season.
• But the Rapids pulled level in the 58th minute - again from the penalty spot. Emmanuel Osei was adjudged to have tripped up Omar Cummings in the box, and Casey again converted, pulling into a tie with Cunningham atop the MLS Golden Boot standings.
• Barely a minute later Rapids center back Julien Baudet was sent off, but neither team could break through over the final half hour.
• Rapids head coach Gary Smith made no changes to the team that played to a scoreless draw with the Kansas City Wizards the previous weekend at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
• Here's Smith's team (3-1-4-2): Preston Burpo - Drew Moor, Julien Baudet, Scott Palguta (Pat Noonan 46) - Pablo Mastroeni - Kosuke Kimura, Nick LaBrocca, Mehdi Ballouchy, Jordan Harvey - Conor Casey (Facundo Diz 88), Omar Cummings. Substitutes Not Used: Steward Ceus, Greg Dalby, Ty Harden, Michael Holody, Ross Schunk
TEAM NEWS
• The Rapids have now played to four consecutive draws, two of those at home, though other results around the league have meant they are still two points clear in the wild card chase. It's exactly where they were on Sept. 12, following a 3-2 loss to Toronto FC.
• "We've now drawn four in a row, and I think we all know the fine lines between drawing and nicking a result," Smith said. "We hit the crossbar [vs. New England]. We created enough clear-cut chances to really take the game, and we conceded from a set piece. So the lines are very fine, and at this stage of the season they don't get any finer than two games to go and two points needed."
• After putting out his team in a 3-5-2 scheme for the scoreless draw in Kansas City, Smith tried the same formation to start against New England. But down a goal, Smith reverted to his more familiar 4-4-2, bringing on Pat Noonan for center back Scott Palguta.
• "The things that we'd spoken about it training and the buildup to the game didn't materialize. We needed more pressure higher up the pitch. They regained far too often where we wanted to. Players looked uncomfortable on the ball. Their target areas were cloudy and made some strange decisions in possession," Smith said. "And I didn't think it was until the second half when we went back to 4-4-2 that we looked even like getting back in the game."
• The New England marked the final match of the season in Commerce City for the Rapids, and if they are to reach the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, they will have to do it with results in Dallas and Salt Lake.
• "I guess we'll see [if we're mentally tougher on the road this year]," Conor Casey said. "We've had the last game against Salt Lake the last couple years, and now it's away, and we haven't made the playoffs, so we need to step it up and we need to get a win. We need to get a win out of the next two games."
• There could be a hint of good fortune as regular first-choice goalkeeper Matt Pickens will be available for selection against FCD. In the five matches he's been out with a sprained knee, Preston Burpo has deputized -- after suffering a 3-2 loss in a rematch at Toronto in the first match after Pickens' injury, the Rapids have allowed just three goals in their stretch of four consecutive draws with Burpo in net.
• "I have to say, I've not seen an awful lot wrong with Preston's performances," Smith said. "But that's why we have such an experienced and talented number of players. I say Preston's a No. 2, but he's not really. They're both No. 1's. I've said that on a number of occasions. On a number of other clubs, Preston would have been the first choice."
• Colorado will clinch a playoff spot if it defeats Dallas and RSL loses or ties to EITHER New York OR Toronto. Colorado clinches playoff spot it it ties FCD AND RSL loses or ties vs. N.Y., D.C. loses or ties vs. Columbus, and Toronto TIES (only) vs. RSL.
