FC Dallas looks to extend unbeaten streak vs. Impact (Jun 07, 2018)
FC Dallas looks to extend its six-match unbeaten streak when it hosts the Montreal Impact on Saturday evening at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
FC Dallas' most recent MLS match was June 2 as Reto Ziegler and Roland Lemah scored goals and Jesse Gonzalez stopped four shots as the Huntsmen claimed a 2-1 home match victory over Los Angeles FC.
Dallas added to that with a 1-0 win over San Antonio FC on Wednesday in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The goal was Ziegler's first since joining FC Dallas in the offseason, and the team's first on a set piece in 2018.
"We played well," Dallas coach Oscar Pareja said after the win over LAFC. "When we create as many options as we did, it shows that we just dominated the game even though the score was close."
FC Dallas' only loss of the season was at New York FC on April 29. Since then, FC Dallas (7-1-5, 26 points in 13 matches) has four wins and two draws and finds itself firmly in second place in the Western Conference with a four-point cushion over Real Salt Lake.
"We have to just keep going," Lemah said after the win over LAFC. "We know we work hard. Our coaches give us a good plan, we have very good players and we have been performing well. But we are always looking to do more.
"We believe in ourselves, and we know that in every game we have a lot of chances. We just have to be focused."
Dallas has been buoyed this season by its stout defense, which has allowed only 14 goals, tied for second in the league.
Montreal (4-10-0, 12 points in 14 matches) snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating Houston 1-0 at home on June 2.
Impact coach Rémi Garde switched formations to a 4-2-3-1, and it paid off as Montreal picked up its first win in almost a month. Impact midfielder Jeisson Vargas scored the only goal just before halftime, raising his total to four this season.
The Impact will be without Jukka Raitala for the match in Dallas, as he will be playing for Finland's national team in a friendly against Belarus on Saturday. That could set the stage for the potential return of Rudy Camacho in the centerback position.
'The key for us will be to continue on last week's success," Camacho told mls.com. "Winning a game is great, but that it isn't enough at the end. We'll need to be fierce and solid, stay true to what we did last week and get a result."
Expect the Texas heat to have a factor in the match on Saturday as temperatures are forecast for the low 100s in north Texas, which is in the midst of a late-spring heat wave.
"We're going to need a very big defensive outing," Montreal fullback Chris Duvall said about the match with FC Dallas. "We need to try and string together a few shutouts in a row. As long as we keep them off the scoreboard, it always gives us a chance. Mistakes happen in games like this and we'll have our opportunities."
