{"id":1106,"date":"2016-10-02T01:06:38","date_gmt":"2016-10-02T05:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsoccer.com\/?p=1106"},"modified":"2016-10-02T01:06:38","modified_gmt":"2016-10-02T05:06:38","slug":"fc-dallas-vs-la-galaxy-edges-closer-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2016\/10\/02\/fc-dallas-vs-la-galaxy-edges-closer-title\/","title":{"rendered":"FC Dallas vs LA Galaxy: Dallas Edges Closer To West Title"},"content":{"rendered":"

FRISCO, TX (October 1, 2016) –\u00a0FC Dallas<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0took a massive step towards claiming the\u00a0Western Conference title and the Supporters Shield by\u00a0defeating the LA Galaxy<\/a><\/strong>\u00a01-0 at Toyota Stadium on Saturday evening.\u00a0Surprisingly, Saturday’s\u00a0match was the first regular season meeting\u00a0between the two clubs despite its late date on\u00a0the season calendar.<\/p>\n

FC Dallas entered the match following\u00a0back-to-back draws but still sitting\u00a0first in the Western Conference, five points clear of Colorado and LA. The Galaxy\u00a0came into the match on the heels of a disappointing home loss to the Seattle Sounders<\/strong>, a match where they had a chance\u00a0to gain ground on the Lone Star leaders.<\/p>\n

FC Dallas Resumes\u00a0Winning Ways Against LA<\/strong><\/p>\n

First Half:<\/h3>\n

FC Dallas dominated the first half but LA had two early chances to take the lead. The Galaxy’s\u00a0best chance fell to Steven Gerrard<\/strong> in the 18th minute. Following\u00a0a missed tackle in midfield by Dallas’ Carlos Gruezo<\/strong>, LA sprung on the break with a man advantage. Robbie Keane<\/strong> and Gio Dos Santos<\/strong> combined and\u00a0put\u00a0Gerrard through one-on-one with the keeper\u00a0but he pulled his shot disappointingly wide left of goal.<\/p>\n

Dallas took over from that point and peppered LA’s goal with shots. Dallas’ lead striker\u00a0Maxi Urruti<\/strong> dropped off\u00a0to play-make with Mauro D\u00edaz<\/strong> allowing Akindele<\/strong> and Barrios<\/strong> to exploit space on LA’s left and right sides. D\u00edaz was excellent in the center of the pitch and pulled the strings for Dallas’ attack.<\/p>\n

After spurning several chances, FC Dallas claimed\u00a0the opening goal in the 39th minute from a corner kick. D\u00edaz served a well-flighted ball into the box where\u00a0a towering Walker Zimmerman<\/strong> attacked the ball. He headed the ball down and it bounced up and into the top left corner to give the home team a\u00a0deserved lead.\u00a0Zimmerman’s three headed goals are tied for the most by any defender in MLS this season. [Opta]<\/a><\/p>\n

Second Half:<\/h3>\n

Bruce Arena circled the wagons at half-time and his team came out with more purpose in the second. The Galaxy made a clear effort to retain\u00a0possession and it allowed them to create more chances on goal. In the 56th minute, Landon Donovan<\/strong>\u00a0entered the fray in an attempt to bolster the offense and help LA find an equalizer.<\/p>\n

After 20 minutes passed, Dallas was\u00a0content to defend\u00a0and\u00a0look for counter-attacking opportunities. The Galaxy\u00a0pressed and possessed but struggled to create meaningful opportunities on goal. A disappointing Steven Gerrard was substituted after 68 minutes.<\/p>\n

Despite LA’s\u00a0control of the ball, Dallas had the best\u00a0chances to score toward the end of the second half.\u00a0Maxi Urruti nearly sealed the victory\u00a0in the 78th minute after Jelle Van Damme’s<\/strong> errant header put the Argentine\u00a0through one-on-one\u00a0with the keeper. The\u00a0ball bounced\u00a0too high for Urruti\u00a0to control\u00a0and the opportunity fell\u00a0by the wayside.<\/p>\n

The match ended 1-0 and the victory over their close rival takes FC Dallas\u00a0one step closer to the Western Conference title. Dallas now sits on 56 points and is\u00a0eight points clear of LA with two games remaining. The second place Colorado Rapids<\/strong>, with games in hand, are still in a very good position though. They have the best chance to\u00a0catch Dallas in the race for the Western Conference title and the Supporters Shield. Colorado defeated the Portland Timbers 1-0 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

Both teams now have a two week break before playing the final two games of their MLS season. They\u00a0will meet again at the Stubhub Center<\/strong> on October 23rd in the regular season finale.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

\n
Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n