Disappointment’s the word in the FC Dallas camp. After starting the season in horrible fashion with two consecutive home losses, Dallas continued their poor run with a 2-1 defeat to the New England Revolution at the hands of a Sainey Nyassi strike in the 56th minute and a Steve Ralston penalty in the 80th. The lone Dallas tally came from Kenny Cooper when he slotted a low Dave van den Bergh cross home in the 38th minute.

The Hoops went into their game against the New England Revolution with a tinkered line-up due to injuries and poor form with a defense featuring Michael Dello-Russo on the right, MLS debutant George John and experienced Drew Moor in center, and stalwart Blake Wagner on the left. David Ferreira moved up to striker in lieu of Jeff Cunningham and Andre Rocha made his first start of the season at right midfield.

From the start, the Revs had control of the game with Wells Thompson and Nyassi looking dangerous on the wings. Dallas resorted to the counter-attack and a 31st minute van den Bergh cross found Cooper unmarked in the box, but his header was struck directly at Revs’ keeper Brad Knighton. Seven minutes later, Cooper came good, redirecting another van den Bergh ball into the back of the net. Knighton finished the rest of the night strong keeping the Toros from finding another goal through his strong positioning and solid shot-stopping.

At half-time New England manager Steve Nichol displayed his tactical clout by adjusting his squad to the match Dallas’ play by switching to 3-5-2 formation and bringing in veteran Steve Ralston to add to the attack.

Nyassi’s strong play soon earned him a goal after the break as he beat rookie John with speed, cut across the top of the box, and struck a beautiful ball past the helpless Dallas keeper, Ray Burse. The Hoops pressed hard in the attack, but shots by van den Bergh and Ferreira amounted to little more than opportunities by the wayside.

In the 73rd minute, Hyndman made the unusual decision to replace the team’s star striker bringing in Cunningham to replace Cooper.

The Revs found their second goal when Khelli Dube found some space in the Dallas box before John tugged at his jersey and he feel to the ground. Steve Ralston calmly struck the ball into the net and gave his team the lead in the 80th minute. The penalty decision was at least somewhat dubious as Burse had his goal well covered and the contact from John seemed to be minimal, not affecting the run of play.

Hyndman made a last minute change subbing in Eric Avila in the 88th, but it was much too late to affect the final outcome. Dallas pressed hard forward leaving their back exposed and the last ten minutes of the match served as finishing practice for Revs’ forwards Dube and Kenny Mansally. Luckily, they could use it, and the tally remained 2-1 when referee Silviu Petrescu blew the final whistle.

Looking forward, FCD’s next match is a match at Toronto FC and all involved will be hoping for a more positive result.

What are your thoughts, FCD fans?