{"id":4233,"date":"2017-02-24T01:44:31","date_gmt":"2017-02-24T06:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsoccer.com\/?p=4233"},"modified":"2017-02-24T01:44:31","modified_gmt":"2017-02-24T06:44:31","slug":"kellyn-acosta-double-shreds-arabe-unido","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2017\/02\/24\/kellyn-acosta-double-shreds-arabe-unido\/","title":{"rendered":"Kellyn Acosta Double Shreds \u00c1rabe Unido in Champions League"},"content":{"rendered":"
FC Dallas<\/a>\u00a0kicked off\u00a0the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals\u00a0in style by thrashing\u00a0\u00c1rabe Unido<\/a>\u00a04-0 at Toyota Stadium on Thursday Night. Kellyn Acosta<\/strong><\/a> led the scoring with a delicious brace that included a stunning curled strike\u00a0from outside the box.<\/div>\n
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The Texas club qualified\u00a0for this round\u00a0of the CCL\u00a0for\u00a0the first time in team history, going undefeated in the group stage. \u00c1rabe Unido got to\u00a0the knock-out stage by winning all four group matches\u00a0and eliminating\u00a0Monterrey of Liga MX.<\/div>\n

Kellyn Acosta Double Shreds \u00c1rabe Unido in Champions League<\/strong><\/h2>\n
FC Dallas was without their talismanic playmaker, Mauro D\u00edaz<\/strong>, who is still recovering from an Achilles tear, and expected to be out until June. New signings Cristian Colm\u00e1n<\/strong>, Roland Lamah<\/strong>, and Hernan Grana<\/strong> featured in a new look 4-4-2 formation for \u00d3scar Pareja<\/strong>.<\/div>\n

First Half<\/h3>\n
FC Dallas had better possession and better chances on goal for the first half hour of the match. Roland Lamah was lively and dribbled\u00a0at\u00a0defenders from the first whistle. He and Barrios flip-flopped frequently on the flanks, making it difficult for the \u00c1rabe defenders to to track them. It was at the 30 minute mark\u00a0when FC Dallas’\u00a0shiny new number nine in Colm\u00e1n struck. Carlos Gruezo<\/strong> headed an \u00c1rabe goal kick immediately back into the 22 year old Paraguayan’s path, as he barreled down on the opposition\u00a0goal. He waited for a bounce and struck the ball first time to give Dallas a 1-0 lead. The half ended with that scoreline.<\/div>\n

Second Half<\/h3>\n
Kellyn Acosta took over from there\u00a0and delivered two highlight reel goals that secured the first leg for FC Dallas. In the 54th minute Roland Lamah made a threatening mazy run into the right side of the box. Rather than shoot, he pulled the ball back and slotted a pass to Acosta who was lurking just outside of the\u00a0top of the box. Acosta sized up the pass as it arrived, and curled a first time strike into the top left corner of the goal.<\/div>\n
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GOAL @FCDallas<\/a>, KELLYN ACOSTA No. 23 | FC Dallas @ArabeUnido_<\/a> #SCCL<\/a>#SoyAficionado<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/q9HxfrNoBV<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 CONCACAF (@CONCACAF) February 24, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Acosta completed his brace in the 86th minute with another fine strike from the top of the box, this time assisted by substitute Tesho Akindele<\/strong>. Michael Barrios<\/strong> put a cherry on top of an emphatic Dallas performance in stoppage time. His low driven shot from the right side of the box beat \u00c1rabe goalkeeper Miguel Lloyd<\/strong> to complete the rout.<\/p>\n

Summary and Second Leg<\/h3>\n

Thursday’s performance was a perfect\u00a0start to the 2017 campaign for \u00d3scar Pareja and company. The new formation worked, the new signings looked sharp, and Plano native Acosta starred. \u00c1rabe Unido did not offer much resistance. It was a disappointing performance from the 2016 Apertura Champions from Panama’s\u00a0first division. It’s worth noting that three\u00a0players that were key to\u00a0\u00c1rabe’s success last year were sold. This was not the same \u00c1rabe Unido team the qualified for the CCL\u00a0knockout stage, but they still badly underperformed in Dallas.<\/p>\n

FC Dallas will be heavy\u00a0favorites to progress to the semifinals after this result. The large margin of victory will also give Pareja more flexibility in his roster selection for the second leg. That match\u00a0will be played in Panama next Wednesday, March 1st. The winner over two\u00a0legs will face either Costa Rican side Saprissa or Pachuca of Liga MX in the semifinals.<\/p>\n

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