FRISCO, TEXAS – Playing its first road match of the 2015 Major League Soccer season, Seattle Sounders FC (1-1-1, 4 points) secured an away point against Western Conference foe FC Dallas (3-0-1, 10 points) on Saturday night at Toyota Stadium. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei and the Rave Green backline recorded their second shutout of the season in front of 18,333 in North Texas. Sigi Schmid’s side returns to the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field next weekend in a home clash against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, April 4 (7:00 p.m. PT / Q13 FOX, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM).
Sounders FC is now 8-3-5 all-time in regular season play against FC Dallas. In the six matchups between the teams in the last calendar year – including the MLS Cup Playoffs – Seattle holds a 2-1-3 advantage. Seattle earned a man-advantage in tonight’s contest when midfielder Andy Rose took a hard challenge in midfield from FC Dallas’ Kellyn Acosta, with the latter receiving a straight red card in the 18th minute. Although the Rave Green had their share of scoring chances, the club’s attack could not find the back of the net on the evening.
First Round 2015 MLS SuperDraft selection Cristian Roldan made his first career MLS start after appearing as a substitute in the first two league contests of the season. Fellow rookies Victor Mansaray and Oniel Fisher made their respective MLS debuts, each appearing as a substitute in the second half.
Sounders FC returns to the Emerald City tomorrow, with training set to resume at the club’s Starfire Sports Complex practice facility on Monday, March 30 beginning at 10:00 a.m. PT. The entire session is open to media, with player and coach availability beginning at approximately 11:30 a.m. PT.
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 0 - FC Dallas 0
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Venue: Toyota Stadium
Referee: Kevin Stott
Assistants: Craig Lowry, Brian Poeschel
Fourth Official: Kevin Terry
Attendance: 18,333
Weather: Clear and 75 degrees
SCORING SUMMARY
None
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
DAL – Kellyn Acosta (ejection) 18’
DAL – Walker Zimmerman (caution) 80’
SEA – Micheal Azira (caution) 84’
SEA – Leo Gonzalez (caution) 90+2’
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC – Stefan Frei; Tyrone Mears, Brad Evans-C, Zach Scott, Leo Gonzalez; Micheal Azira (Oniel Fisher 86’), Gonzalo Pineda, Cristian Roldan (Aaron Kovar 61’), Andy Rose, Lamar Neagle; Chad Barrett (Victor Mansaray 75’)
Substitutes not used: Troy Perkins, Dylan Remick, Jimmy Ockford
Total shots: 7 (Azira, 4)
Shots on goal: 0
Fouls: 14 (Azira, 4)
Offside: 1 (Neagle, 1)
Corner-kicks: 7 (Pineda, 5)
Saves: 0
FC Dallas – Chris Seitz; Kellyn Acosta, Matt Hedges, Zach Loyd, Atiba Harris; Fabian Castillo, Michel, Victor Ulloa, Ryan Hollingshead (Michael Barrios 86’); Tesho Akindele, David Texeira (Walker Zimmerman 59’)
Substitutes not used: Jesse Gonzalez, Stephen Keel, Otis Earle, Danny Garcia, Alejandro Zendejas
Total shots: 4 (Four players, 1)
Shots on goal: 0
Fouls: 6 (Harris, 3)
Offside: 0
Corner-kicks: 4 (Michel, 3)
Saves: 0
MATCH NOTES
- Following a 3-0 shutout win in the season-opener against New England, Sounders FC has recorded two clean sheets in its first three matches for the third time in the club’s seven-year history, including the second campaign with Stefan Frei between the posts. The club recorded a shutout in each of its first three matches in the inaugural 2009 season, and held its opponents scoreless twice in its first three fixtures last season.
- This marked the fifth time in seven years that Sounders FC has earned a result in its first road match of the season. The club is 2-2-3 all-time in MLS regular season road openers.
- First Round 2015 MLS SuperDraft selection Cristian Roldan made his first career MLS start after appearing as a substitute in the first two league contests of the season. Fellow rookies Victor Mansaray and Oniel Fisher made their respective MLS debuts, each appearing as a substitute in the second half.
- For the first occasion in 199 all-time matches in Sounders FC club history, neither team recorded a shot on goal during the match. The previous low mark for combined total shots on goal was two (August 20, 2009 vs. New England).
- Sounders FC is now 8-3-5 all-time in regular season play against FC Dallas. In the six matchups between the teams in the last calendar year (including postseason), Seattle holds a 2-1-3 advantage.
POST-MATCH AUDIO
Additional post-match audio is available here.
