FC DALLAS EARNS FIRST TRIP TO MLS CUP WITH 3-0 WIN OVER L.A. GALAXY IN WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL
LOS ANGELES (Nov. 14, 2010) – FC Dallas earned its first trip to MLS Cup Sunday night with a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Home Depot Center.
Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman made four saves in the first 25 minutes to weather the storm until MLS MVP candidate David Ferreira got FC Dallas on the board first in the 26th minute. On the play, defensive midfielder Daniel Hernandez played a long ball over the top of the Galaxy defense. Forward Atiba Harris shielded off a defender long enough for Marvin Chavez to gain control of the ball on the right flank. With the ball, Chavez cut inside before delivering a cross to Ferreira, who cut back quickly to open a shooting lane between defenders Omar Gonzalez and A.J. De La Garza. Ferreira struck the ball well from the top of the box, beating defenseless goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts with a shot that caught the far side netting.
Hartman continued his stellar form with a one-goal lead. He denied Landon Donovan on a breakaway attempt in the 31st minute. Then, defenders George John and Ugo Ihemelu got forward to attack, giving FC Dallas a 2-0 advantage in the 54th minute. The play began with an FC Dallas corner kick taken by Ferreira. The Galaxy cleared the ball twice, only to have Chavez knock it back into the area. The second loose ball was controlled by Ihemelu at the top of the area and sent wide to streaking outside midfielder Brek Shea. Shea touched the ball inside before sending a ball low to the back post, where John was waiting to finish off the cross.
FC Dallas weathered another barrage of pressure from Los Angeles before grabbing a 3-0 lead in the 73rd minute. Harris outworked multiple defenders to gain possession in Dallas’ attacking third of the field before finding Ferreira who delivered a cutting ball to Chavez at the back post. Chavez dribbled in against Ricketts and picked out the back post for Dallas’ third goal of the match.
With the win, FC Dallas earned the first MLS Cup appearance in franchise history. The Dallas side will travel to Toronto to take on Eastern Conference Champion Colorado on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Western Conference Championship
Los Angeles Galaxy 0, FC Dallas 3
The Home Depot Center – Carson, California
Attendance: 27,000
Scoring Summary:
DAL – David Ferreira (Marvin Chavez, Atiba Harris) 26
DAL – George John (Break Shea, Ugo Ihemelu) 54
DAL – Marvin Chavez (David Ferreira) 73
FC Dallas – Kevin Hartman, Jair Benitez, Ugo Ihemelu, George John, Jackson Goncalves, Dax McCarty (Eric Alexander 87), Marvin Chavez (Zach Loyd 74), Brek Shea, Daniel Hernandez, David Ferreira, Atiba Harris.
Substitutes Not Used: Dario Sala, Jeff Cunningham, Eric Avila, Bruno Guarda, Ruben Luna.
TOTAL SHOTS: 8 (David Ferreira 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (David Ferreira 2); FOULS: 13 (Jackson 3); OFFSIDES: 1 (Atiba Harris 1); CORNER KICKS: 3 (David Ferreira 3); SAVES: 6 (Kevin Hartman 6)
Los Angeles Galaxy – Donovan Ricketts, Sean Franklin, AJ De La Garza, Omar Gonzalez, Eddie Lewis (Jovan Kirovski 82), David Beckham, Juninho, Dema Kovalenko (Chris Birchall 65), Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle, Mike Magee (Alex Cazumba 55).
Substitutes Not Used: Josh Saunders, Gregg Berhalter, Todd Dunivant, Michael Stephens.
TOTAL SHOTS: 18 (three players tied with three); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (David Beckham 2); FOULS: 12 (Dema Kovalenko 2); OFFSIDES: 1 (Edson Buddle 1); CORNER KICKS: 7 (David Beckham 7); SAVES: 2 (Donovan Ricketts 2)
Misconduct Summary:
LA – Dema Kovalenko (caution; reckless tackle) 31
LA – David Beckham (caution; dissent) 73
LA – Chris Birchall (caution; reckless foul) 82
LA – Alex Cazumba (caution; reckless foul) 84
DAL – Zach Loyd (caution; tactical foul) 85
Referee: Jair Marrufo
Referee’s Assistants: Kermit Quisenberry, Corey Rockwell
4th Official: Michael Kennedy
Time of Game: 1:52
Weather: Clear, 70 degrees
POST-GAME QUOTES ATTACHED
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