FC Dallas vs. Philadelphia Union | 2018 MLS Match Preview

FC Dallas vs. Philadelphia Union
2018 MLS Regular Season – Week 8
Toyota Stadium — Frisco, Tex.
April 21 – 8 pm ET
WATCH: ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

FC Dallas remain one of two undefeated teams in MLS after Jacori Hayes struck for the late winner at Gillette Stadium last Saturday, while the Philadelphia Union are now winless in their last four matches following a 2-0 home defeat to Orlando City SC.

The Union’s 3-1 win over FC Dallas last August was their first in 10 all-time meetings, with Dallas winning five of their first nine meetings (4D), per Opta.

FC Dallas

FC Dallas (2-0-3) won just two of their first five games, but its now five without defeat for Oscar Pareja’s squad, who were the first team to leave Gillette Stadium with all three points since the New York Red Bulls last July.

Pareja made two changes to his starting XI from a 1-1 draw against the Colorado Rapids a week prior, with Victor Ulloa and Cristian Colman coming in and Mauro Diaz and Carlos Gruezo going to the bench in a changed 4-4-2 formation.

Hayes was named to the MLS Team of the Week presented by Audi for Week 7 after latching onto a pass from Roland Lamah and slipping in the late winner.

“It’s a happy moment. I almost cried in the celebration,” Hayes said after the game. “The last 10 minutes of the game felt like forever. I was just happy to get the goal for the team. It’s a very happy moment for me.”

• Suspended: None
• Suspended after next caution: None
• International duty: None
• Injury Report: OUT: M – Brandon Servania (compartment syndrome), F – Jesus Ferreira (core muscle repair surgery), M – Paxton Pomykal (right meniscus surgery), D – Maynor Figueroa (right knee strain); QUESTIONABLE: M – Kellyn Acosta (sports hernia surgery)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2–3-1, right to left)
GK: Jimmy Maurer — Reggie Cannon, Matt Hedges, Reto Ziegler, Anton Nedyalkov — Carlos Gruezo, Jacori Hayes — Michael Barrios, Mauro Diaz, Roland Lamah — Maxi Urruti

• Notes: Lamah has two assists in his last four league appearances. He only had three assists in his first 33 MLS games. … FC Dallas are unbeaten in 10 straight home matches, though only three of those games have been victories (7D).

Philadelphia Union         

The talk heading into Friday night’s home tilt with Orlando City SC for the Philadelphia Union (1-2-2) was breaking out offensively, but at the final whistle it was about mistakes from a young backline and another game at Talen Energy Stadium without a win.

Instead of building on a 1-1 draw with San Jose at home the week prior, the Union were left to lament a third straight home game without victory.

“I think we went into the game too comfortable because the last performance we thought everything was okay, but we did not win the last game,” midfielder Haris Medunjanin said. “Today was the game we needed to win.”

• Suspended: None
• Suspended after next caution: None
• International duty: None
• Injury Report: OUT: D – Fabinho (right meniscus surgery recovery), D – Richie Marquez (sports hernia surgery)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Andre Blake — Keegan Rosenberry, Jack Elliott, Auston Trusty, Matthew Real — Haris Medunjanin, Alejandro Bedoya — Fafa Picault, Borek Dockal, David Accam — C.J. Sapong

• Notes: Philadelphia’s 41.4 percent duel success rate against Orlando last weekend is the eighth-lowest duel success rate in the Union’s 138 regular season home games. … Philadelphia are winless in their last 13 league road games (9L-4D), the longest such streak in team history.

All-Time Series 

• Overall: FC Dallas 5 wins, 18 goals … Philadelphia Union 1 win, 11 goals … 4 ties
• At Dallas: FC Dallas 4 wins, 10 goals … Union 0 wins, 3 goals … 1 tie
• Last meeting at Dallas: FC Dallas 2, Philadelphia Union 0 (March 6, 2016)

Officials

Referee: Alan Kelly
Assistant Referees: CJ Morgante, Jeremy Hanson
4th Official: Alejandro Mariscal
VAR: Luis Guardia