FC Dallas Loses to Los Angeles FC on a late goal, 2-1

Hard fought game but FC Dallas can’t overcome a red card and VAR calls.

A beautiful night in Los Angeles… but not for Ema Twumasi or FC Dallas.

Dallas seemed to start slow, caught by LAFC’s press to give up an easy goal to Timothy Tillman. Ryan Hollingshead was unlucky not to have another. Nico indicated after the game that for the first fifteen minutes, the team simply did not play well.

Later, Ema Twumasi earned a quick yellow card which was changed to a red card after a VAR review.

Head Coach Nico Estévez was not happy with the call, as he believed Ema attempted to avoid hitting the LAFC player and shield himself in the process. It didn’t matter to the refs, and Ema earned an early shower.

For the next hour of play, FC Dallas weathered several tough attacks from Los Angeles FC. Maarten Paes came up huge on at least two saves to deny them. Carlos Velez was awarded a penalty kick after a foul in the box and a video review, but the shot skied off the crossbar.

Head Coach Nico Estévez earned a yellow card himself for dissent, something he did not because of the refereeing which he thought did not go in Dallas’ favor but to urge his team to keep competing. In the post-game press conference, he even indicated he was willing to get a red to convince his team to keep fighting if it would have helped.

Despite being down a man, FC Dallas actually played fairly well in the second half. Their attacks didn’t exactly threaten Los Angeles until a free kick earned by Alan Velasco led to an Edwin Cerrillo cross, headed back by Sebastian Ibeagha, and kicked in by Nkosi Tafari. This is the second goal this season that Ibeagha and Tafari teamed up on. For a moment, FC Dallas was looking at a crucial point on the road.

That would not last as Los Angeles FC was able to create a go ahead goal off of a corner clearance. It was a frustrating result for a team that definitely fought hard.

Nico was disappointed in the first fifteen minutes and in some of the refereeing decisions, but he was proud of the fight of the team. They competed in a tough environment and nearly came away with points in adverse conditions.

The result will mean a couple of things right away. Ema Twumasi will miss the next match at the very least, so Geovane Jesus will get a chance to showcase his skills for the position at right back. Jesus looks like he is adjusting to the league but has plenty of skills. The result also pushes Paxton’s return to the field for another week, and it may also give the coaches a chance to look at changes to deal with the miscues in the opening minutes of the game. Did this back line miss Jose Martinez?