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Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis will be missing a number of key players due to injuries and international call-ups.

His club is still in better shape than FC Dallas.

RSL will try to extend its home winning streak to five Saturday night when Dallas looks to end its eight-match winless stretch.

Playing for the first time since a 1-0 victory at Seattle on May 12, Real Salt Lake (8-3-2) will be without goalkeeper Nick Rimando, Alvaro Saborio, Will Johnson and Kyle Beckerman on Saturday as they're all on international duty. The club also could be missing defender Chris Wingert (hamstring) and midfielder Javier Morales (quadriceps).

Kyle Reynish is expected to make his second start of the season in goal for RSL, while midfielders Yordany Alvarez and Luis Gil and defender Chris Schuler could see plenty of minutes against Dallas.

"We want to try to rotate the team in a way that we keep a strong spine or core group of players," Kreis told RSL's official website. "We will certainly hope for the same throughout the rest of the season."

Real Salt Lake, one point back of MLS-leading San Jose, is hoping to maintain its edge at Rio Tinto Stadium, where it is 5-1-0. The club's last five-game home winning streak was May 1-June 9, 2010.

RSL is 4-0-1 at home against Dallas since Rio Tinto Stadium opened. Real Salt Lake holds a 12-4 scoring edge in those contests.

That does not bode well for an FC Dallas club that's 0-5-1 on the road in 2012. Dallas (3-7-4) joins Portland and Toronto as the only teams without a victory away from home.

Dallas doesn't have a win on any field since a 2-1 victory over expansion Montreal on April 14. A 2-1 loss in Chicago on Wednesday stretched the team's winless streak to eight, two shy of the franchise record.

"We need to get points any way we can, a win, a tie, whatever," rookie defender Matt Hedges told the Fire's official website after scoring his first MLS goal Wednesday.

If the club is going to pick up any points Saturday, it will have to do so without midfielder Brek Shea, who will complete his three-game suspension after kicking the ball at an assistant referee in a 2-1 loss to Columbus on May 12.

Shea scored on a penalty kick in first-half stoppage time in a 1-all draw against visiting RSL on April 25.

Dallas played that match without suspended striker Blas Perez, while Real Salt Lake did not have forward Fabian Espindola and defender Jamison Olave available after both were red-carded in a 3-1 loss at San Jose on April 21.

Real Salt Lake is on a season-best 3-0-2 run since ending a two-game losing streak in last month's match with Dallas.

RSL's last six-game point streak was a 3-0-4 stretch June 11-July 23.

These teams conclude the season series Aug. 18 in Utah.

After each season series between the Chicago Fire and FC Dallas, the Brimstone Cup is awarded to the team that earns the most points.

Chicago may not even remember what the trophy looks like.

The Fire look to claim their first Brimstone Cup since it was created 11 years ago while seeking to end a five-game winless streak against struggling Dallas on Wednesday night.

Chicago captured the inaugural award in 2001 but hasn't reclaimed it since relinquishing it the following season. Dallas has gone 14-3-3 against the Fire since 2002 and 3-0-2 in the last five meetings.

This will be the only regular-season contest between these teams, meaning the winner will claim the Brimstone Cup. If the match ends in a draw, Dallas (3-6-4) will hold it for an 11th straight year.

Chicago has never beaten Dallas at Toyota Park, going 0-5-1 since it opened in 2006. Its last home victory in the series was June 12, 2005, at Soldier Field.

The Fire (4-3-3) seemingly have a good opportunity to end that skid, though.

Dallas is 0-4-3 in its last seven after a 1-all draw with Philadelphia on Saturday, last winning April 14 over Montreal. It hasn't gone this many games without a victory since a club-record 10-game stretch July 2-Sept. 10, 2005.

"I thought we played well enough to win. It's just same old story," midfielder Daniel Hernandez told the league's official website. "We can't find a way to get three points."

Dallas is 1-7-1 in its last nine road games, winning 2-1 at Chicago on Oct. 12.

The Fire are coming off a 2-1 loss at Portland on Sunday, ending a three-game unbeaten streak. After Jalil Anibaba tied the game in the 39th minute, Chicago's Logan Pause deflected a header into his own net in the 52nd minute.

"I thought that we didn't deserve to walk away with a loss," coach Frank Klopas said. "Overall, I thought it was frustrating because I feel disappointed when we lose, but when you feel that you should have walked away with points from here it's hard to take the loss."

Inconsistency has plagued a Chicago team that hasn't won consecutive games all season with an attack that has gone dormant for stretches during matches.

"We've put very good halves together, we've played very well in 60-minute stretches," defender Dan Gargan told the team's official website. "I think we're looking for a really good 90-minute performance from start to finish. That's certainly something we need to get better at."

The same goes for Dallas, which got a goal from Blas Perez in the seventh minute Saturday but little else after that. It hasn't scored a goal in the second half other than on a penalty kick since Brek Shea's tally in the 88th minute in Dallas' most recent win.

"We created some really good chances in the first half," coach Schellas Hyndman said after Saturday's match. "And then, the game just got to the point where it unfortunately got more physical than it needed to be."

Dallas has outscored Chicago 10-3 in the last five matchups.

First Touch: Two teams missing enough starters combined to make a third full side.

Second Touch: The above predicted the ugly soccer match that resulted.

The Finish: Dallas is a club desperate for something good to come their way, in the meantime grinding out a point here and there is all Hyndman is going to get from this mishmash of parts.

Grades:

Hartman: 8 - Kept the side in the match when Philly decided that applying some pressure to Dallas was their best defensive move

Pertuz: 5 - Was playing a tidy match, and then like the sun rising became this week's injury victim

John: 7 - While the defense struggles overall, John is showing off new level of form

Hedges: 6 - This kid appears to be as solid as a rookie gets

Benitez: 4 - I swear he's getting paid based on attempted passes over 20 yards - successful or otherwise

Jackson: 4 - A very "meh" night for the Brazilian who still looks to be finding his chemistry with a team that never fields the same 11

Hernandez: 4 - The grizzled vet is having to work harder than ever

Marcelin: 4 - Oddly quiet and absent for much of the match

Jacobson: 5 - Great effort to support Blas, just could never complete that one creative move

Leyva: 5 - Still loses the ball too easily, looks a bit scared in 50/50 situations - but we are promised there's magic in those shoes. His set pieces are superior to Hernandez.

Perez: 6 - Simply having to come far too back to get involved. His struggles are more about the team than him

Subs:

Rodriguez: 3 - A tough score for being put in a tough spot, but he really struggled. The fact Hyndman had to play someone so clearly not match fit is very telling of just how bad the roster situation is.
Luna: n/a

FRISCO, Texas -- Gabriel Gomez scored in the 56th minute to help the Philadelphia Union tie FC Dallas, 1-1, on Saturday night.

Blas Perez scored for Dallas in the seventh minute.

Philadelphia (2-6-2) stopped a three-game losing, and Dallas (3-6-4) extended its winless streak to seven games -- the club's longest streak since a 10-game run in 2005.

Gomez scored on a header into the left corner of the net from the top of the goalie's box. Gomez collided with goalkeeper Kevin Hartman on the play and left the game in the 58th minute as he limped to celebrate his fourth goal of the year.

The Union's Carlos Valdes fired a long ball from near midfield that bounced off Dallas' Carlos Rodriguez and to Gomez. The goal came on Philadelphia's first shot of the game. It was the first time all season that the Union did not have a shot in a half. For the game FC Dallas outshot the Union 11-9. Dallas' Perez had an open shot at the Union goal, but goalkeeper Chase Harrison blocked the shot for one of his two saves in the game.

Perez opened the scoring when he headed a shot into the right corner of the net. The scoring sequence was started after Bryan Leyva curled a corner kick from the right corner to George John. John directed the ball to Perez, who made a diving header from inside the goalie's box.

Dallas played the first of three games without midfielder Brek Shea, suspended after he kicked a ball at an assistant referee in a 2-1 loss to Columbus on May 12. The Union played without starting midfielder after Freddy Adu, suspended for picking up two yellow cards in the team's 3-2 loss to New York on Sunday.

If you're watching the Champions League Final, you probably just saw a new commercial featuring Brek Shea for the adidas micoach SPEED_CELL. Here is it in all it's glory if you would like to watch it again.

Brek Shea of FC Dallas, Javier Morales of Real Salt Lake, Teal Bunbury of Sporting KC and Darlington Nagbe of the Portland Timbers are all in the ad. The adidas micoach SPEED_CELL captures 360-degree movement and measures performance metrics during practice or gameplay. The chip’s unique on-board memory stores up to seven hours of data, wirelessly syncs with the user’s smartphone and uploads performance stats that can be shared through Facebook and Twitter.

FC Dallas will look for its first win since April 14 when the Philadelphia Union visit FC Dallas Stadium on Saturday night. Here are five things to consider heading into that match.

Shea starts his suspension -- Saturday’s match will mark the first of the three games Brek Shea will miss after deliberately kicking a ball at an official during a loss at Columbus last Saturday. It was a dumb play from an obviously frustrated player, which might be partly due to the turf toe that has been nagging. But then again, it could be because there is a growing frustration in the room over a three-game losing streak and not winning in over a month. No matter the reason, Shea now gets a three-game timeout to think about what he did at a time his club really needs him the most.

Who’s in for Loyd? -- However, Shea won’t be the only starter sitting this one out for FCD. Right back Zach Loyd, who is the only Dallas player to start every game and play every minute so far this season, a streak that will end on Saturday, was ejected in the second half of the loss to the Crew. Sure, the call was iffy at best, but it is what it is. Now Dallas gaffer Schellas Hyndman will have to figure out who spells Loyd there. If Carlos Rodriguez is healthy, it could very well be him. Were captain Ugo Ihemelu not out with concussion symptoms, he would be a possibility there, but he continues to have symptoms, so who knows when he returns? Rodriguez appears to be the logical choice but it wouldn’t be a shocker to see Hernan Pertuz in at right back, that is unless Hyndman puts him at center back alongside George John, a spot that could also go to rookie Matt Hedges, the club’s top pick in the 2012 MLS Super Draft.

What can go wrong next? -- Not to be Mr. Glass Half Empty, but considering how many injuries, suspensions and red cards this team has had already this year, one has to wonder what could unfold for FCD against the Union? It’s a viable question considering the absolute rollercoaster this team has been on for the first 12 games. However, on the flipside, the Union are a team that is also struggling, which could make this an ideal time not just for FCD to return to the win column, but also to right the ship or at least take a step in the right direction. But if somehow or someway Dallas falls to Philly, it’s not a great way to start a rough stretch, that will also see them play at Chicago and Real Salt Lake.

Who will step up? -- If there has been one truly disconcerting thing about this current bad run of form for FCD, it’s that even with so much upheaval in the first 11, there really hasn’t been anyone to step up and refuse to accept anything less than a win for their club. Backup goalkeeper Chris Seitz fared well in his three-game relief stint while starter Kevin Hartman was out with back spasms, but other than that, who has really stepped up for this team? Blas Perez has been great but that was expected. Great teams or good teams for that matter are clubs where even if the best players are out, there are others who step up and answer the bell. There has been little of that going on in the first 12 games, which could signal a greater problem for FCD going forward.

Start of another tough stretch -- At long last, there is finally some rest on the horizon for FCD. However, the problem is that rest won’t come until after Dallas finishes a three games in a week stretch to finish out its May schedule. That tough slate begins Saturday night against Philadelphia. Then, FCD will play yet another midweek game at Chicago on Wednesday and won’t return home until after the gauntlet ends next Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium against Real Salt Lake. This stretch will mark the third time this season that FCD has played three games in a short period of time and will be the final three of their six matches in the month of May. But for a club that hasn’t won since April 14 and who will be without Shea for the next three games after he was suspended, this stretch definitely has the look of the Bataan Death March more than anything. However, if FCD could get through this with a win, even two or maybe even a draw or two, it would give them some much-needed momentum heading into June.

This weekend's matchup between FC Dallas and the visiting Philadelphia Union has lost plenty of luster with Brek Shea and Freddy Adu unavailable for their struggling teams.

Those key midfielders are suspended for Saturday night's game, with both clubs hoping to end three-game losing streaks.

A poor start to the season for Dallas (3-6-3) took a turn for the worse Thursday when MLS announced a three-game ban for Shea, who kicked the ball at an assistant referee in a 2-1 loss to Columbus last Saturday.

Shea, tied for the team lead with three goals while leading the club with 24 shots and 10 shots on goal, posted an apology on Twitter. Dallas is 0-4-2 since beating expansion Montreal 2-1 on April 14.

Adu was assessed two yellow cards in the first half of the Union's 3-2 home loss to New York on Sunday. The second one was called for simulating a foul in the penalty box.

"When I went down I wasn't complaining to the ref or complaining to anyone," Adu told the Union's official website. "I just wanted to get right back up and the next thing I know the red card comes out."

His absence comes after Philadelphia (2-6-1) scored two goals in a match for the first time. The Union's seven goals in nine games represents the league's third-worst ratio ahead of winless Toronto FC and Chivas USA.

That attack will face a makeshift defense, as Dallas is missing two defensive starters. Ugo Ihemelu will miss his third straight game in the aftermath of a concussion while Zach Loyd is suspended for receiving a red card last week in Columbus.

The club has conceded 18 goals in 12 games, tied with Los Angeles for the second-worst ratio in MLS ahead of Toronto. Dallas has also been issued a league-high four red cards.

"We've had some bad luck with some late goals and bad luck keeping the players on the field," coach Schellas Hyndman told Dallas' official website. "You can say that's bad luck, discipline or intelligence, but those are things that are in our control."

Philadelphia, which ranks right behind Dallas with three red cards, traded defender Danny Califf to Chivas for midfielder Michael Lahoud and allocation money Thursday. Califf started four games, but would have been the odd man out with Gabriel Farfan set to return Saturday after a three-game suspension.

"We have enough speed right now," coach Petr Nowak said. "The trade is going to give us another option as well."

Lionard Pajoy had both goals for the Union on Sunday after scoring once in a 2-1 exhibition victory over German club Schalke 04 on May 9. Those games featured the inclusion of fellow forward Danny Mwanga in the lineup to give Pajoy support.

Dallas is 2-0-2 in the all-time series with Philadelphia, taking both home matchups.

Major League Soccer has suspended FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea for three games and fined him an undisclosed amount for deliberately kicking the ball at an assistant referee in the 24th minute of Saturday's loss at Columbus, the league announced.

Shea will serve his suspension during FC Dallas' next three regular-season games.

You can see a clip of the incident here.

Shea reacted to the suspension via his Twitter account Thursday:

I know that my recent actions have let everyone down, but I will learn from this mistake.

— Brek Shea (@BrekShea) May 17, 2012

I will use this time to get healthy and come back better than ever. Thank you for your support.

— Brek Shea (@BrekShea) May 17, 2012

FC Dallas has been shut out in two straight matches, part of a lengthy victory drought since its best stretch of the season.

That mirrors what's happened to the Columbus Crew.

Meeting for the only time this season, Dallas and Columbus will each try to snap a five-game winless streak Saturday night at Crew Stadium.

"It's going to be two desperate teams looking to get a result," Columbus goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum told the club's official website. "They're a very dangerous team and very potent offensively."

That hasn't been the case lately, as Dallas (3-5-3) has scored just twice -- both on penalty kicks by Brek Shea -- since its last victory, 2-1 over expansion Montreal on April 14. That was the team's second consecutive win after defeating New England 1-0 on April 5.

Dallas is 0-2-3 since those victories, but the team has reason for optimism heading into Saturday. Daniel Hernandez and Blas Perez will return from red-card suspensions, and Shea likely will be back in a starting role after being a second-half substitution Wednesday due to turf toe.

"I think the biggest thing we can do is to come together as a team and continue to believe in one another," defender Zach Loyd told Dallas' official website following Wednesday's 2-0 loss to Seattle. "For the next game, we'll have Daniel back, we'll have Blas back, and we will have Brek back in the lineup, so I think we're going to see a huge improvement with the team. Hopefully going forward we can see better results."

FC Dallas' last single-season, six-game stretch without a win was an 0-3-7 slide July 2-Sept. 10, 2005.

The Crew (2-4-2) are trying to avoid their first winless skid of that length since going 0-1-5 from Aug. 27-Sept. 28.

Columbus is 0-3-2 since winning back-to-back matches to close March.

"I've been very happy with the last three games, to be honest with you," coach Robert Warzycha said after Sunday's scoreless draw at Portland. "We were unlucky last week (a 1-0 loss to Vancouver), but overall, we're playing pretty good, pretty solid and steady games. We're making progress."

The Crew, though, have been shut out in three of their last four matches and have scored six times all season. With midfielder Dilly Duka and forward Olman Vargas questionable due to injuries, Columbus could get a boost Saturday if midfielder Chris Birchall makes his debut. He was signed this week after making 18 starts during Los Angeles' run to the 2011 MLS Cup.

Both sides could be without their captains as Dallas' Ugo Ihemelu and Columbus' Chad Marshall are dealing with concussion symptoms. Rookie Matt Hedges will likely get a second straight start if Ihemelu can't go, while Eric Gehrig could get the call again if Marshall is a scratch.

Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, a native of Athens, Ohio, made five saves in a 2-0 home win July 2 to end the Crew's four-game point streak in this series. Hartman's teams have not won in 13 consecutive games in Columbus since the Galaxy's 4-2 win there May 17, 1998.

Warzycha was playing for the Crew at the time.

FC Dallas will look to end its two-game losing streak and secure their first road win of 2012 on Saturday night against Columbus at Crew Stadium. Here are five quick hits on the game:

1. Shea starting or not -- Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman confirmed Thursday that Brek Shea will make the trip to Columbus. But the gaffer is unclear as to whether or not the Bryan native will start or come off the bench against the Black-and-Gold come Saturday. Gut feeling is that No. 20 starts, have nothing to base that on but just have a feeling he’s back in the first 11.

2. O Captain, My Captain -- Who will be wearing the armband come Saturday? Hyndman said the club will find out more about the scope of Ugo Ihemelu’s concussion symptoms on Friday and called the SMU product 50-50. If he can’t go for a second straight game, expect George John to again don the armband. Don’t look now but John is quietly putting together another solid season in the central defense for Dallas.

3. Thorn in their side -- If there’s one Crew player who has done his share of damage against Dallas, it’s defender Chad Marshall. Whether it’s attacking or defending set pieces or just the overall presence he brings to the Columbus back line, the two-time MLS Defender of the Year is definitely a difference maker in the back for the Crew. But like Ihemelu, he experienced concussion symptoms before his club’s last game and his status for this weekend remains uncertain.

4. Exorcising a demon -- To say FCD’s record at Crew Stadium is horrible (1-10-6) might be a huge understatement. Dallas’ lone win on Columbus’ home pitch came in 2007 under Steve Morrow. This is a Crew club currently in transition and FCD has to win on the road sooner or later, so why not this weekend? If they can exorcise that demon, it would give them a nice shot of confidence heading into a game with Philadelphia next weekend, a match that starts another run of several matches in a compressed time frame.

5. Perez Back in the mix -- After getting a questionable red card in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Colorado and sitting out Wednesday’s setback to Seattle on suspension, FCD figures to get a huge boost from the return of offensive cog Blas Perez to the field Saturday. Perez leads the team with three assists and is tied with Shea for the team lead in goals with three. Plain and simple, Dallas is a different team when he’s on the field, which is exactly why he was signed in the off-season. Perez’s presence alone makes leaving the Ohio capital with at least a point a distinct possibility this weekend.

After starting Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to Seattle Sounders FC on the bench, FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea came off the bench in the 70th minute and finished with one shot. Now, FCD supporters are wondering whether the 22-year-old Bryan native will play or even start for Saturday’s visit to Columbus.

Here’s what FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman had to say about Shea’s status going forward for the Crew game after a regeneration session Thursday.

“We took Brek through a test yesterday before the game and he did fine on it to put him on the bench. Like I said last night, it was interesting when we called him we just gave up the goal,” Hyndman said. “I was hoping that he would be able to be a difference maker on the other end and I think you saw the desperation in our team. And he was part of our desperation, but he’s such a handful that he’s one guy who does a good job finishing and that’s what I was looking for. I’m sure he’ll make the trip. How much he plays, if he plays, that will all be determined by how he’s feeling.”

And he also addressed those misguided souls in the media who said that he brought Shea on too late, right after FCD went down 1-0 following the first of a pair of goals by Fredy Montero.

“Everybody has an opinion and you know the phrase about opinions,” Hyndman said. “We weren’t sure Brek would even dress out. That’s the idea and then if we needed him, we would go to him. With 20 minutes left I think was the point in time where I said OK, we need to see what Brek can do, realizing we weren’t going to get his best. But you know, it’s do you continue to irritate an injury and then the player’s value start to drop because of his confidence and he’s not being productive. The fact of the matter is in all reality if we didn’t have so many injuries, he probably wouldn’t have even dressed out.”

FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman

It was a disappointing result. We were unable to score. I think that led into the pressure late in the game. Montero comes on the field. We know what he’s all about. He’s a very good player. He’s a difference maker and obviously tonight he scored two goals. For us, I thought we had probably 70 minutes of our best soccer of the year, getting the ball, moving the ball and I don’t want to emphasize the players we were missing. I thought the players we had on the field today were very good. They played hard, determined and, as you know, they had a very difficult game on Sunday that took a lot of energy out of them. I thought the first half Seattle was responding to us. I think we took the game to them. Rosales did have a great chance that (he) was unlucky not to finish, but if you look at the number of opportunities we had, the number of times we got behind the defense, we should have done better with it.

On the two Seattle goals…

The first goal I thought we were a little bit out of shape and then when (Fredy) Montero got the ball we had two guys who were right on him trying to make a tackle and somehow he got free. I think the players were almost in each other’s way at a point. He got free maybe 10 yards away from the goal and hit it to the near post. He hit it with so much power that Kevin (Hartman) couldn’t get a hand on it.

The second goal was really goofy. This is just us being a little bit naïve. We doubled up on the player with the ball and we left an open space in the zone. When we didn’t win the ball, we were out of shape. The ball went into the left side of the field. The guy came in and I think Montero probably beat George to the ball and that’s what Montero does. He’s a shark. He’s a finisher. He made a difference in the game. I thought we did a very good job with (Mauro) Rosales, who is probably their best player, and in comes Montero.

FC Dallas defender Zach Loyd

On the team’s overall performance during the game…

I’m disappointed, obviously, with the result, especially being at home. I thought the team played well, but we didn’t capitalize on our opportunities. With the few chances they did get, they capitalized on us. At the end of the day, we got beat 2-0.

On how to rebound after losing two disappointing games in a row…

Our backs are against the wall right now and we haven’t won a game in several weeks. I think the biggest thing we can do is to come together as a team and continue to believe in one another. For the next game, we’ll have Daniel [Hernandez] back, we’ll have Blas [Perez] back, and we will have Brek [Shea] back in the lineup, so I think we’re going to see a huge improvement with the team. Hopefully going forward we can see better results.
On how he can individually contribute to the success of the team…

I can continue to work hard in practice, I can continue to develop and I can get better individually. I think the most important thing is to come together as a group. I think the team needs to continue to grow and continue to progress. Our sights are the playoffs, and we still have our sights on that. This weekend would be a big swing for us if we can get three points.

FC Dallas defender Matt Hedges

On his first career start with the team…

It felt really good to get the start, but I wasn’t too pleased with the result. When I was out there, I didn’t feel like we really changed the whole way we played, and it felt good.

On how tonight’s performance can affect his future with the team…

Whenever the team needs me to get on the field for a start, I’ll be ready. I think I’ve defined my role with the team, and they know what I can do and that I can help the team, so I’m just trying to do whatever I can.

FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea

On his health… My body felt really good. It’s just that my toe was a little sore. It’s more annoying than anything. It feels like there is something in your shoe, just poking you all the time. It did feel a lot better than it had after resting it this week. I’m wearing an insert in my boot that helps take a lot of the pressure off of it.

General thoughts on the match…

We were unfortunate to lose. I don’t think it was a 2-0 game. In the first half the chances were going both ways, but in the beginning of the second half I thought we really dominated, but that’s soccer. They had two chances and they put them away.

Are the recent struggles just a matter of the ball not bouncing the right way?

It’s not going our way right now in anything. Soccer is like that. Once you get things going in the right direction… Once things start rolling… We had it rolling at the beginning of the season. It’s not rolling right now. We have a lot of guys out, but I do think a lot of guys stepped up and played well tonight. It’s unfortunate we lost 2-0.

Seattle Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid

On five straight victories…

It’s great. Today was tough for us because it’s our fourth game in 10 days, so we had a lot of tired bodies out there you know, but you try to get people through it. That’s why we tried to cut the minutes for Rosales. We tried to cut Montero’s minutes as well to keep us as fresh as possible because we have another game on the weekend. But I thought our team responded well. I thought we defended well, which we’ve done all season.

I thought Jeff Parke was superb. I thought Meredith came up with a big save at a big time for us and then obviously Montero finished two good goals. There was a lot of good work by Cordell Cato on the first goal. You know so I was pleased for him in his first game.

On three straight shutouts…

Well they work for each other you know. They get in the way. They block shots. They help each other. They cover for each other. You know they take a lot of pride in keeping things away from goal. I think our goalkeepers don’t have to make a lot of big saves because we’re doing a lot of saves in front of them and when they do they’re able to come up with it and do well with it. So it’s a mindset and the mindset is with our midfielders and forwards as well in terms of making plays predictable.

On second half play vs. the first…

I think the first half we were too stretched out. I thought Rose and Evans played too deep together and so there was a big hole there. Also Strata and Johnson are big forwards that like to stay high a little bit, so we had a big hole in the middle of midfield. So basically in the first half (James) Marcelin ran the whole show and he was able to put balls to the next guy. Who then play into (Fabian) Castillo and people like that. We talked about that at halftime, and the second half Evans pushed into that hole a little bit. Montero drops into that hole, so now all of the sudden we were able to play and connect some passes into that hole and hold the ball for longer sequences and that forced them back a little bit.

Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Bryan Meredith

As a team this is our fifth win in a row, which is a franchise record for us. It’s very exciting. It was a great game. Sometimes you have to grind it out defensively, but the defense again did a great job. You have to give most of the credit to the defense for playing from minute 1 to minute 90 at 100 percent.

On diving save to end the first half…

He hit it across the goal and I don’t even know who it was. The ball just got up and kind of floated to the upper 90 and I just did everything I could to get a little tip on it.

On stepping in to play…

It’s been fun. You’ve got to be ready to step in and done the job at any time, which sometimes makes a backup position tough. I was prepared correctly before every game and luckily I’ve been able to extend our win streak.

Seattle Sounders FC forward Fredy Montero

It’s a great feeling coming off the bench. I try to do my best and do what Sigi told me and it was a big surprise for me to score those two goals and get the three points. Obviously when you are winning games you want to keep working and doing the same stuff. We tried to jump into the field and just enjoy the game. Try to be honest with us and try to be honest with the team and work hard for each other. We had a great battle today. We scored two goals and we got three points, which was super important for us.

On the second goal…

It was a little touch by the defense and the ball came to me and I just jumped and guided the ball into the net.

On the first goal…

It was a really fast play. I was battling for the ball and when I got the ball I tried to fake one defender and when I looked up I was right in front of the keeper. Then I just tried to put the ball into the net. It was a goal and a big moment for me.

We’re a day, give or take, from FC Dallas hosting Seattle Sounders FC on Wednesday night in Frisco, so here are five quick hits on the game.

1. Hartman or Seitz in Goal? ---FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman said after Sunday’s
2-0 loss to Colorado that he’d like to give one of the next two games to Chris Seitz. Will this be the game where the ex-Maryland Terrapin gets the nod or will Hyndman wait until Saturday night when Dallas visits Columbus to face the Crew? That decision was likely made after a short training session on Tuesday morning on the FC Dallas Stadium field.

2. Shea Back or Not? ---Brek Shea missed Sunday’s loss with a case of turf toe that has been bothering him for the last few weeks. He didn’t train on Monday but could still be in Hyndman’s first 11 for Wednesday. However, for that to happen, the 6-foot-4 native Texan will most likely have to have gone through Tuesday’s practice with little or no issues. If Shea was to miss the Seattle game, he would have to be considered a near lock to return to the pitch on Saturday night against the Crew.

3. Who’s in for Blas Perez Up Top? ---Hyndman may or may not have a tough decision on his hands. It all depends on how one views the situation. Conventional wisdom says the Dallas gaffer sticks with veteran Scott Sealy here even though Sealy’s results haven’t been all that notable since he returned to full health. Hyndman rolling the dice with a youngster like Ruben Luna would be an interesting move, but is likely not one he’d be willing to make, especially in the wake of having two starters out on suspension.

4. Is Marcelin Ready for Prime Time? ---Newly signed Haitian midfielder James Marcelin made his FCD debut on Sunday night, playing the entire second half at holding midfield and did well enough to earn solid reviews from Hyndman. The ex-SMU coach admits Marcelin isn’t match fit, but what other choice does he have than to start him at d-mid with starter Daniel Hernandez serving a suspension for this game? Not much of a choice at all, does he?

5. How Much Will FCD Have in the Tank for This One? ---Forget the fact that Dallas has just under 72 hours between games. Sunday’s loss took a lot out of FCD in several ways but playing two men down for the final 56 or so minutes will do that. And now that Hyndman’s club will hit the pitch on Wednesday night minus two starters, this is clearly an uphill battle for them to get any kind of favorable result against a team that is playing some good football right now. Schellas labeled Sounders FC as a tenacious team that is like a shark when they smell blood in the water. If that doesn’t describe FCD right now, then it’s hard to say what does.

6. (Bonus) Who Starts for Ugo Ihemelu? ---The captain is out with concussion symptons, either Matt Hedges or Hernan Pertúz will take his place. Earlier this year Pertúz would have been the obvious choice, but of late Hedges has done well filling in. Best guess at this point is Pertúz... or it could be Hedges... wait...

With Blas Perez suspended for Wednesday’s game with Seattle Sounders FC, FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman has a decision to make as far as who’s going to replace “Super Raton” in the first 11 at striker or does he?

On one hand, Hyndman could go with the proven, veteran commodity in Scott Sealy. Sure, the native of Trinidad and Tobago hasn’t done all that well since returning, but he is a veteran presence who has the benefit of a strong and successful track record behind him.

“He’s done OK,” Hyndman said of Sealy’s performance to date. “He didn’t have much of a preseason. He’s a fighter. He’s out there because we need him out there. If Brek Shea was healthy and so forth, Scott would be a great guy to bring off the bench and building his way into the first team. He’s just kind of been thrown out there and I don’t think he’s at his best whether it’s game sharpness, match fitness or whatever it might be, he’ll tell you the same but hey, I’m awfully glad he’s here.”

Then again, the FCD gaffer could go with young homegrown striker Ruben Luna, who has yet to see any time with the first team this year. Luna has been playing well of late for the Dallas reserve team, but has he done enough to earn a shot, much less a starting role, even if it is only for one game?

“Maybe, I don’t know if I need to see more [from Luna],” Hyndman said. “I think what happens now is what are our options?”

After not playing in Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Colorado, FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea did not train in a Monday morning regeneration session. Instead, the Bryan native did some stretching and other drills with a trainer on the sidelines.

Dallas will have one final training session this morning (Tuesday) on the stadium field and how the 2011 MLS All-Star comes through that practice will likely determine whether or not he’s back in the first 11 for Wednesday’s visit from Seattle Sounders FC.

“Potentially, I think it’s one of those things where you hate to take a step forward and take two back, so we’ll just wait and gauge it. I know it pains him a lot to sit and watch,” FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman said on Monday.