FC Dallas may have conceded their earliest goal so far this season, but Je-Vaughn Watson had made a promise to his mother. He called his mom in Jamaica and told her he would score a Mother’s Day goal for her. Lucky for FCD, it proved to be the game winner too!

Watson and Woodberry celebrate the winning goal

With the oh-so-vital David Ferreira out injured, the line-up shifted to a 4-4-2 with Eric Hassli joining Blás Perez up front against DC United. It was the Frenchman’s first start and he put it to good use. After United managed to hit a ball off the post, Dallas seemed to wake up and go for it. Hassli found Jackson slipping behind the defense and assisted in Jackson’s third goal of the season. One of the funniest things I repeatedly heard the announcers calling was every time a DC player tried to get physical with Hassli. He’s a big dude and does not go down easily. Plus the tattoos with his newly shaved head look a bit menacing. Most of the time it left the United players on the ground with Hassli continuing on with the ball.

DC United equalized just before the halftime break. As frustrating as it was to concede off a set piece, there really was nothing Chris Seitz could do against De Rosario’s goal. There were just too many stationary bodies in the wall for Seitzy to see around. Anyways you do have to give De Ro props for scoring his 101st MLS goal. Dang!

The game might not have been the prettiest, but FCD keep their home unbeaten streak alive. Homegrown player London Woodberry got his second start and his second 90-minute outing for FC Dallas. With George John out on injury, it’s encouraging to see the young duo of Matt Hedges and Woodberry working out well.

Next weekend FC Dallas are on the road to take on the Seattle Sounders who romped over San Jose 4-0 this weekend. Should be an interesting match up! Till next time…DTID!

FC Dallas vs LA Galaxy is quickly becoming one of my favorite fixtures in MLS. This could be because the only two MLS games I’ve ever had the chance to go to were both Dallas versus Galaxy, but it’s always one helluva ride to watch. Saturday night was no exception.

Yet another late home winner to keep FC Dallas unbeaten at home this season

The first half was relatively calm with both teams only having one shot on goal by the halftime whistle. FCD controlled most of the play thanks to Andrew Jacobson and Michel, but LA’s defense led by Omar Gonzalez held firm.

All the excitement came in the second half. Both teams picked up the pace and really started going for each other. Raúl Fernández and Carlo Cudicini had fantastic performances and kept the scoreline 0-0 for a better part of the game. I totally thought Kenny Cooper had scored at one point, but eventually I realized he had been offside when the cheers of the crowd turned into boos. Then, at the hour mark, everything changed.

Leonardo pulled Blás Perez down inside the box and the ref saw fit to show his a straight red card. Granted Perez may have exaggerated the foul a bit, but it went in his favor as the LA went down to 10 men and Dallas were awarded a penalty kick. Kenny Cooper stepped up to take the shot…and Cudicini saved!!! 10 minutes of chaos ensued. The Galaxy seemed to start playing better down one man. And suddenly George John tripped Jose Villarreal and LA Galaxy were awarded a penalty kick too! Landon Donovan stepped up. And Raúl Fernández saved it!!! Crazy crazy crazy! Two penalty kicks and two saves in a matter of 10 minutes. Wild!

The game swung in FC Dallas’s favor when George John headed in a goal from a corner kick. Another goal from another set piece. The Galaxy were desperate and fought incredibly hard during the last few minutes of the game, but you could tell their legs were still tired from Wednesday’s game in Mexico. The game ended 1-0 to the home side, but it wasn’t as pleasant of a win as it should’ve been.

After George John scored he almost immediately collapsed on the field. I was sitting at the other end of the field when this happened so it was hard to tell what exactly had happened. Once we figure out who was injured, we started speculating that maybe he had hit the post with his head scoring or possible clashed heads with another player. Either way he obviously wasn’t celebrating. It took Twitter to tell us what had actually happened.

George John downed by projectile thrown from supporter’s section

Some idiot had thrown an aluminum beer bottle at the players on the field. This bottle hit George John hard enough in the back of the head that he required 5 staples to close the wound for him to continue playing. Who the hell throws beer bottles at players in the middle of a game?! Supposedly he was aiming for AJ DeLaGarza but still it was completely, absolutely unacceptable. And he hit George John of all people. Poor guy was fighting concussion symptoms last weekend! Rumor has it that this game was this person’s first game at FC Dallas Stadium. I hope it was his last. He was immediately taken into custody and will answer to FC Dallas and the Frisco PD.

The culprit had been sitting in the Dallas Beer Gardens in the north end of the stadium. I actually had been sitting with the supporter’s groups for a bit during the second half but I’d already returned to my seat by the time the incident occurred. Truly, it was a blast sitting with everyone there. The drums, the constant chanting and cheering, and how close you are to the field make the Gardens a fantastic place to watch the game.

Unfortunately, a lot of generalization’s have been made about the FC Dallas fan base thanks to this guy. It really makes me sad and angry because the fan base is growing slowing but surely, and an incident like this is a bitter setback. The FC Dallas fans are NOT hooligans and we’re incredibly proud of our players and we love to support them. At least I know I am. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next, but hopefully we can all move on.

Next weekend, FC Dallas host the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Well that was a tad…disappointing. After going up 2-0, FC Dallas conceded twice in the last few minutes of the game to come away with a 2-2 draw against Toronto.

The ball flies past Fernandez as FC Dallas settle for a draw.

Honestly, FCD had a pretty good run through the northeast and came home to Texas with four points from two games on the road. The first goal came in the first half off a set piece (yes, another one) and Andrew Jacobson made no mistake in firing the ball into the back of the net after it fell to his feet. Then Blás Perez doubled Dallas’s lead at the hour mark after a quick long ball from Jackson after Michel stole the ball from Bostock. This goal was kinda really awesome solely because of the speed at which FC Dallas switched from defense to attack.

However, the Dallas defense slowly began to unravel and Toronto scored twice through Justin Braun and Darrel Russel in the last 10 minutes of the game. Talk about whip-lashed emotions! I went from feeling very confident about winning the three points and then in a flash they were gone. To be fair, Toronto probably deserved the point from the draw as they really started to pressure FCD late in the game.

The turning point of the game came when George John was subbed off at halftime. In the last seconds of the first half, Michel took a corner for FC Dallas and shot a screamer off the rebound into John’s head. He finished the half out but the assumption is he failed the concussion test and wasn’t sent back on for the  second half.

Instead, Schellas sent rookie HGP London Woodberry on for his first serious minutes. In his debut against Real Salt Lake, London only ended up playing about a minute. This proved to be a real test for the FC Dallas back line. Without George John’s commanding leadership role in the back line, the defense suffered from miscommunication and disorganization leading to Toronto’s goals. It’s great to see London getting playing time, but he’s going to have to have an impressive learning curve if John is out with injury for a while. Hopefully John’s head gets better soon!

Next weekend, FC Dallas host LA Galaxy in what’s looking to be a fantastic clash in the Western Conference! And the best part is I get to be there in Frisco! Until next week then!

Looks like FC Dallas are starting to build up some steam! With yet another win, this time on the road, Dallas retain their place atop the western conference.

Fernandez with crucial save for FC Dallas

On Saturday, FCD traveled to Foxborough, Mass., for their second away game of the season. Their first away game ended in a 3-1 loss to Chivas USA, so this time they were looking to extend their winning streak.

I’m not going to lie, the first half completely bored me. It was a pretty standard defensive outing with the FCD backline holding steady. As usual, the attackers created plenty of chances in the first half but failed to find the back of the net. I realize it’s still the beginning of the season, but as other teams head to midseason form, the trio of Kenny Cooper, Fabian Castillo, and David Ferreira will need to be sharper with their chances. Against the Revs, FCD should have been at least 1-0 going into halftime. I’m sure they’ll find that lethal touch sooner or later, I’d just prefer it be sooner rather than later.

The Revs came out to fight the second half and really started battling in the midfield. Thanks to Andrew Jacobson, Dallas continued to control the field. Later towards the end of the game, Kenny Cooper and the Revs goalkeeper Shuttleworth collided heavily just after Kenny managed to get the tips of his hair on the ball. Even as the ball bounced into the back of the net, the linesman waved it offside. Little bit of a debate on whether or not he was actually offside but c’est la vie.

Then Blas Perez came on for Cooper. In the 87th minute he found gold! His glancing header managed to find the back of the net and FCD got their 3 points they had fought so hard for!!

Now to talk about Raúl Fernández. Last week, we saw Chris Seitz start against Real Salt Lake since Fernández was on international duty. Given the recent communication issues with RF and the backline, I was pretty happy to see Seitz in goal. This week, Schellas put Raúl back in the net. While he wasn’t called to pull any thrilling saves in the first half, he did more than his duty in the second half. The photo above shows just one of his absolutely incredible saves from the game. As long as he keeps up this impeccable form, I’m good with him in goal. Competition for starting spots is always exciting, I’m super happy to see both Seitz and Raúl performing well.

FC Dallas are on the road again next week as they travel to Canada to take on Toronto!

Real Salt Lake has played at two stadiums they have never won in twice in three weeks. Add on five starters being called up to international duty and injured back-ups and you definitely don’t have an ideal situation. Nick Rimando and Kyle Beckerman have good replacements in Josh Saunders and Yordany Alvarez, but with Nat Borchers still possibly out, Kenny Mansally and Tony Beltran being called up to their national teams, Rich Balchan and Carlos Salcedo being injured, the backline was in question as the team took on Dallas.

The biggest question, however, was who was going to score goals while Alvaro Saborio was with Costa Rica. Robbie Findley would most likely start up top, but with whom? Jason Kreis was concerned with Joao Plata’s fitness levels, but the other options were rookie draft pick Devon Sandoval and newly acquired Olmes Garcia, so Kreis rewarded Plata for his work and gave him the start. However, this question remains unanswered. Alvaro Saborio is still the only one who has scored for RSL this year.

A make-shift lineup held their own in the first half, and even threatened Dallas’ goal. The second half it all seemed to fall apart. The defense was often caught out of shape which led to Dallas’ first goal- a bending shot by Castillo. The second goal could have been entirely avoided with some better communication between Lovell Palmer and Josh Saunders. Saunders took a heavy first touch off a back pass from Palmer was picked off by Jackson and slotted into the RSL net. Olmes Garcia and Devon Sandoval provided some welcome attacking prowess, but a Yordany Alvarez red card made it impossible for RSL to score.

FC Dallas are unbeaten at home in 2013 and are standing alone in first place in the Western conference (as of when I write this)!! Real Salt Lake traveled to Dallas without several of their key players who’re currently serving international duty. The game was pretty darn even most of the time with both teams constantly losing and stealing possession. In the end, Fabián Castillo’s speed and an unlucky mistake by Josh Saunders gave FC Dallas the 2-0 win and three awesome points.

Castillo’s speed proved too much for RSL

There are a few topics I wanted to talk about. First up: Fabián Castillo. Now, we all know he’s ridiculously fast at full sprint. RSL’s Palmer definitely learned that one the hard way tonight as Castillo ran a bazillion laps up and down the field. He provided some incredible service in the attack opting to pass to Kenny Cooper or David Ferreira rather than take the shot himself. It was incredible how quickly he switched from attacking at full speed to running a full field dash to provide defensive work as well. Castillo’s goal was a beauty and he fully deserved a Man of the Match nod tonight.

Secondly, I’ve never seen so many impossible saves as the game provided tonight. Nat Borchers denied Dallas an opening goal after clearing a shot from Kenny Cooper on the goal line. Had Borchers been even an inch off, it would’ve been a goal. Cooper also should’ve put a bit more power into his shot, but Nat pulled an astounding save to keep the score level. Then in the second half, Matt Hedges decided he wanted some defensive glory as well! He managed to stop what would’ve been RSL’s first goal with his toes. I really don’t understand how he stretched so far but it was effective and I love him for it! On a not-so-spectacular-save note, Saunders made one mistake in front of goal and gifted Jackson with Dallas’s game winner.

And to round up my thoughts for the night, it is imperative that Dallas sharpen up in their finishing. By the halftime whistle, they should’ve been 2-0 up over RSL. David Ferreira shot inches wide of the net after some very nice build up by Castillo. I’m still scratching my head as to how he missed the goal. Time and time again Dallas produced fluid and unstoppable build up to the box then fizzed out. If they want to keep it up, their going to have to find that lethal touch. Next week, FC Dallas are on the road against New England Revolution. Can’t wait!

P.S. Can anybody explain why el Capitán is still in Houston?!

El Capitán. In Houston. Tonight. Excuse me?!

Photos courtesy of mlssoccer.com and @TotalMLS. Tune in to @AerysSoccer for frequent updates on the world of soccer!

El Capitán is coming home to Frisco!! Appropriate for the highly anticipated Rivalry Week in MLS, the Texas Derby ended 3-2 to FC Dallas with a ton of drama after a crazy and incredibly entertaining game.

The stadium (and Cooper’s jersey) exploded upon his game winning goal.

Not gonna lie, I was pretty apprehensive heading into this weekend. Houston have looked very strong over the past year, reaching the MLS Cup final for two years in a row, going unbeaten in their new home, and competing in the CONCACAF Champions League. Dallas on the other hand have gone through quite a few changes since failing to reach the playoffs last season. And the game was in Frisco.

From the starting whistle to the final, this game had me sitting on the edge of my seat, holding my breath. Dallas started off with a very different line up than what we’ve seen from the first two rather disappointing games. Houston, on the other hand, just didn’t produce the lethal play they employ at home, including a huge miss by Giles Barnes.

Then, in the 34th minute, all hell just about broke loose. Dallas scored twice in two minutes, both off set pieces. I’d barely sat down after running in circles screaming my head off in my living room from celebrating the first goal from George John by the time Andrew Jacobson managed to toe in the second!!! Dallas were 2-0 up over Houston in the first half. This was the first time Dallas had led Houston by multiple goals in the history of the Texas Derby. Ahhh! And here’s the kicker: Jackson was ruled offside a few minutes later on what would’ve been the third goal!! The replay showed he was dead even with Houston’s defenders, but the goal was still disallowed. Uggghhh!

In the second half, things got even spicier! After losing Will Bruin to injury in the first half, Houston made some very key substitutions which turned their game around. Goals from Brad Davis and Andrew Driver brought Houston level with at 2-2 with Dallas.

By this point, I was completely freaking out since very poor defensive mistakes and miscommunication allowed Houston to equalize almost effortlessly. Through the first two games of the season, I’ve been iffy about Raúl Fernández in goal. For the first half of this game, I felt pretty darn confident about his performance. Then he went and spilled an easy save, resulting in Houston’s equalizer. I’m trying to have faith in the guy, but something’s just not clicking with the goalkeeper and the back line. I really would prefer to see Chris Seitz in goal next week to see if that gives my nerves a break, but that’s up to Schellas.

With the game tied up at 2-2 and minutes slipping away, there was still plenty of time for more drama. In the 90th minute, Michel soared a cross into the box right to Kenny Cooper to made no mistake and buried the winner! At least I thought he made no mistake. The replay shows that Cooper missed the header and shouldered the ball down to his foot! Usually this would make me feel iffy about winning, but hey, Dallas had a goal incorrectly disallowed in the first half so I’m gonna let it slide.

And now the Howitzer cannon el Capitán is headed back to Frisco (where it belongs)! Talk about one helluva game.

Photos courtesy of fcdallas.com and mlssoccer.com.

It’s hard to even know where to begin with this one. Last week, FC Dallas won by the skin of their teeth at home thanks to a terrible blunder by Colorado’s back up goal keeper. This week was worse. Sorry if I’m all doom and gloom in this post but I decided to write it right after the game finished.

Agudelo burns past Hedges for a brilliant goal

FC Dallas traveled to California to take on Chivas USA in the Home Depot Center. After last week, I figured they boys just needed a game to shake off the opening weekend jitters and settle into a nice attacking rhythm. Nope.

Both Dallas and Chivas had pretty bad starts to this game with neither side finding any fluidity in the first half. After the break, Dallas came out with much more urgency. A moment of brilliance from el capitán David Ferreira provided the Texans with a leg up as he danced around the Chivas defense for a rather nice goal. And then it all went down hill from there.

Agudelo managed a superb goal for the Goats as he literally created a chance out of thin air from a long ball. I have a hard time hating on the youngster because he always works so hard and it’s nice to see him progressing. I just wish it hadn’t come against Dallas. Then Minda scored. Of all the players on the field, Minda absolutely drove me crazy. The ref finally had to give him a yellow for consistently throwing elbows at all our midfielders. Minda’s goal was just salt in the wounds. I don’t even want to discuss Chivas’s third goal.

Good news: it’s only the second game of the season. Bad news: we just handed Chivas their first win since last July!! 

Now that I’ve unloaded all of that, I’m looking forward to next weekend: FC Dallas vs Houston! First rivalry match of the season and it’s being play in Dallas! We’ll have Blas Perez back from suspension and (based on his tweets tonight) he sounds hungry to get on that pitch to score! I’m pumped to see the stands rocking and here’s to hoping for a fantastic game! DTID!

Yay MLS is back!! And getting a win in your home opener is the best way to start off the season!

Jackson celebrates after the easiest goal he’ll ever score!

FC Dallas opened the 2013 season with a home game against the Colorado Rapids. The newly expanded Dallas Beer Gardens rocked the game from start to finish. The players on the other hand…not so much. The game was pretty ugly for Dallas, but hey a win is a win and you take it, say ‘thanks you’ and move on.

The only goal of the game came in the 11th minute when Rapids GK Steward Ceus misjudged a long ball by el capitan David Ferreira. The ball soared over Ceus’s head to Jackson who scored the easiest goal he’ll ever score in his career: a wide open, empty net. Few minutes later, I could’ve sworn Jackson had doubled Dallas’s lead, but his awesome 30-yard strike ended up in the side netting.

Other than those two shining moments, not much else stands out for the Texan team. They’ve got a lot of work to do. Colorado controlled most of the game while Dallas struggled to string more than 5 passes together. Kudos to the Rapids rookie Deshorn Brown who absolutely ran our defense ragged. That kid looks like he could compete with Usain Bolt out on that field! Not going to lie, as the game got a little boring in the second half, I started wishing we could watch a race between Brown and Castillo instead of the disjointed Dallas play hahah!

Next Sunday, FC Dallas takes on Chivas USA in Cali. This time around I’m hoping to see a little bit more of Kenny Cooper in the box and maybe Christ Seitz in goal instead of Fernandez who gave me more heart attacks than I’d like in 90 minutes. Until next time then! DTID!

Well this is it! We’re are days, just days away from First Kick 2013 in Major League Soccer! Already, the expectations are high and the ladies here at Aerys Soccer cannot wait for the teams to hit the pitches again.

As we gear up for this season, we’re still looking for some writers to cover teams in MLS. Do you love talking about your favorite team? Feel the need to write up a rant or gush about a new player? Need to call out your coach or sing the praises of your favorite forward? Check out the graphic below listing the teams we have openings for and if you’re interested, let us know!

Hmmm, some great MLS teams listed! If you’re a fan of one or of the league in general, shoot me an e-mail at trista.lutgring@gmail.com! We’d love to bring you on board!

And as always, make sure to follow us at @AerysSoccer as we dive into MLS 2013