Kansas City, KS (June 16, 2018) – Children’s Mercy Park would play host to another great Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matchup Saturday night. FC Dallas would face off against familiar foe Sporting Kansas City for a spot in the quarterfinals against either Houston or Minnesota. But a late-winner golazo would cut short the FC Dallas U.S. Open Cup 2018 journey.
FC Dallas U.S. Open Cup 2018 Ends, Fall to SKC 3-2
With several key injuries, Sporting Kansas City would make a few changes to their lineup. FC Dallas would leave play-maker Mauro Diaz out of the 18 man roster and roll with four homegrown players in the starting XI.
Early Dallas Pressure:
FC Dallas would look good early on. Michael Barrios looked good in attack, pushing forward and causing problems for the SKC back line.
Dallas would take the lead inside 20 minutes. Maxi Urruti played in Barrios behind enemy lines. Barrios had his initial shot saved by Adrian Zendejas, but the rebound was played back over the keeper into the six-yard box. Carlos Gruezo had pushed forward far enough to be involved in the play, and Barrios’ rebound pass fell right into Gruezo’s stride. An easy tap-in would surprise everyone, including Gruezo.
Sporting Domination:
After the early Dallas goal, the tide quickly turned. Sporting Kansas City would turn up the pressure and keep Dallas pinned back in their own half.
SKC would pull one back just before halftime, as the away side were unable to properly clear a corner. The home side struck the post twice leading up to the tying goal, as the Dallas defense was in shambles. The ball was eventually played deep back post to a streaking Ike Opara, whose header back across goal found Daniel Salloi for the finish.
Kansas City would keep their foot on the gas pedal the rest of the match, dominating all aspects of the game. The Dallas midfield seemed too spread out and were unable to slow down the SKC attack, forcing the defense to drop deeper and deeper. This separation created space and numerous chances for the home side.
Thrilling Finish:
As that Dallas defense was forced further and further back, the scoring opportunities climbed.
Just passed the hour mark, Salloi would double his tally with a beautifully placed hit past Jesse Gonzalez. The SKC attack was once again allowed to trot into the final third and wreak havoc. The ball fell to Salloi’s feet, and his well-struck volley flew into the net.
But Roland Lamah would pull one back to tie things up for the away side. A poor cleared corner by Zendejas fell to the feet of Lamah, who faked a right-footed shot, cut it onto his left, and put it on frame. His twice deflected shot found the back of the net and squared things up once again.
Croizet Wonder-strike
But the home side would not be denied, and their persistence would pay off.
Super-sub Johan Croizet would come on late to make an impact. And he would do nothing short of the spectacular.
Again, the Dallas defense allowed the SKC attack to push forward further and further on each attack. A half-clearance from Maynor Figueroa would float out only to the 18-yard box. Croizet would wait on that ball to descend and perfect a one-time volley that flew into the left upper-90. The stadium and commentators would erupt as Croizet’s stunner would end the FC Dallas U.S. Open Cup 2018 journey.
Last Word
Dallas remains defeated in Kansas City in U.S. Open Cup play. On top of that, Dallas has only played in Kansas City against SKC in the tournament to boot. Home field advantage, especially at Children’s Mercy Park, has obviously played a huge role in this matchup. SKC will certainly make a push now to become the first MLS club to win the tournament five times.
