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FC Dallas shut out Union, 2-0, in season opener

The Union’s latest trip to Toyota Stadium ended like their last six others, with a loss.

FC Dallas' Fafa Picault shields the ball from former Philadelphia Union teammates Ray Gaddis (left), Matt Real (center) and Warren Creavalle (right).
FC Dallas' Fafa Picault shields the ball from former Philadelphia Union teammates Ray Gaddis (left), Matt Real (center) and Warren Creavalle (right).Read moreJessica Tobias / FC Dallas
    by Stephen Hunt, For The Inquirer
    Published 

FRISCO, Texas — The Union’s latest trip to Toyota Stadium ended like six others, with a loss to FC Dallas, 2-0, in the season opener.

Zdenek Ondrasek scored in the 61st minute, tucking a low, right-footed shot inside the far post from 25 yards out, and Paxton Pomykal added a second goal in stoppage time.

The Union (0-1-0, 0 points) are now 0-6-1 in Frisco and have been outscored, 13-3.

“Just giving up that goal took a little bit out of us. Somebody’s got to step to him,” Union midfielder Alejandro Bedoya said of Ondrasek. “You can’t let him turn and rip like that.”

FCD (1-0-0, 3 points) is unbeaten in its last 12 home matches.

In the opening 45 minutes, the Union registered seven shots. But only one, a 39th-minute header from Kacper Przybylko that was stopped by FCD goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez, was on goal. Gonzalez was making his 100th career start.

For the game, the Union outshot Dallas, 15-9, but only three attempts were on goal.

“We had 15 shots. You need more to hit the target,” Union coach Jim Curtin said. “We were a little bit off in the final third all night. I think the back four was pretty organized.

"Andre [Blake] made a couple key saves to keep you in the game, which you always need on the road. We just were a little bit off with our final pass. A little bit of a lack of cohesion there in the attack.”

Dallas also put just one attempt on frame in the opening half, a bang-bang play in the 18th minute in which Blake turned away Michael Barrios at close range to the left of the goal.

Blake delivered another quality stop in the 85th minute when he was perfectly positioned to deny Bressan’s bid to score off a corner at the far post.

About 10 minutes after the Ondrasek tally, the Union had two chances to pull things level off corner kicks.

In the 70th minute, Przybylko had a decent look from about 12 yards out but knocked his shot wide left. Three minutes later, Mark McKenzie headed a Jamiro Monteiro corner into the ground and right at Gonzalez.

The Union return to the pitch next Sunday at LAFC before hosting San Jose on March 14.

“It sucks to lose. We’re all disappointed,” Bedoya said. “We should have got a result, but on to the next one.”