COMMERCE CITY, Colo.—Juan Toja scored his fourth goal of the year to give FC Dallas a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night.
Toja had a clear look at the net after Clarence Goodson’s initial shot was saved by Rapids goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul, who was prone when the ball skittered to his right where Toja waited just feet from the net.
“I was being marked in the first half,” Toja said. “But in the second half, there was more space and we were able to connect, so I was able to be around the ball a lot more.”
It was one of the rare chances for the Hoops (8-6-1) in the match, but it was all they needed as the FC Dallas defense—which disappeared in their 4-0 loss to Toronto Sunday—kept a number of balls away from goalkeeper Dario Sala.
“Their best chances in the second half came from set plays,” said FC Dallas head coach Steve Morrow. “A lot of credit to our boys defensively. Over 90 minutes, I thought we deserved to win the game.”
Coundoul kept Colorado (4-6-3) in the game late as Carlos Ruiz had a one-on-one chance with the keeper in the 72nd minute. Rapids defenders looked as though they anticipated an offsides call but didn’t get it, and Ruiz had a clear lane to the net from the 18-yard-line. But Ruiz was never able to get the ball off his foot as Coundoul tied him up around the six-yard-line.
The match was a far cry from the teams’ previous meeting in April where FC Dallas beat the Rapids 3-1 to open their stadium in Frisco, Texas.
FC Dallas has won five matches on the road this year, which surpasses the team’s total for the entire season in 2006.
After a four-game unbeaten streak to close out the month of May, Colorado has now lost four straight in June. Colorado hasn’t beaten FC Dallas in the last 10 matches, a span of more than two years.
“We have to repair this,” said Colorado head coach Fernando Clavijo, whose team fell 10 points behind the Western Conference leader. “Why wait until somebody knocks you around to react? For some reason we didn’t do it.”
FC Dallas defender Chris Gbandi picked up a yellow card in the 66th minute and will be suspended for the Hoops’ next match.
Rapids defender Ugo Ihemelu was sent off in extra time of the second half after committing a hard foul in an attempt to break up an FC Dallas rush. It was Ihemelu’s first ejection of the year.
