ESPN

Here’s the latest on the FC Dallas injury situation after training Friday according to FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman.

F FABIAN CASTILLO (left ankle sprain)

Hyndman’s take: We put him out there today. He’s a player that we could potentially dress tomorrow and have on the bench but we’ll make that final decision shortly.

D UGO IHEMELU (concussion symptoms)

Hyndman’s take: When you talk about player’s health, is it worth one game to get him back injured? Is it worth two games? He’ll let us know when he’s ready.

M CARLOS RODRIGUEZ (left elbow dislocation)-returned to training this week

Hyndman’s take: “I think his elbow’s fine. He’s OK with it but sometimes you pick up other injuries and right now, he’s straining a tender back. But I think he’s good enough to be out on the field sometime. Yeah, I don’t know how to gauge it [where he’s at right now mentally] except that he needs to play.

M RICARDO VILLAR (right foot strain)-returned to some drills this week

Hyndman’s take: We got him into our training, which is we’re only going 30 percent. I think it was good for him. I think the next couple weeks, he should be making strides.

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.

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.

FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman was asked about what is always a point of contention in Frisco these days, his injury situation. Here are some updates:

Captain Ugo Ihemelu (concussion symptoms)

Hyndman: He’s going through the protocols. We’ll get the final evaluation tomorrow. But I think it’s 50-50 right now [for Saturday].

Midfielder Carlos Rodriguez (dislocated left elbow)

Hyndman: Yeah, he really is (getting close). It’s again one of those goofy injuries, but he’s had a great attitude. Thank goodness it didn’t need surgery. It was just put back in place. I would hope next week when we start training. We’re going to take Monday off, we hope to start training on Tuesday and we hope that he will be able to now come into our training.

Midfielder Ricardo Villar (right foot strain)

“Well, we’ll wait and see. I haven’t got those type of reports yet, but I know Ricardo;’s wanting to get on the field. What’s funny with Ricardo is he’s such a positive team player, he thought he’d be back in a week. I told him it’d probably be closer to four to six weeks and it seems to be.”

The injuries continue to pile up for FC Dallas. This time it's defender and captain Ugo Ihemelu who mysteriously showed up on today's MLS injury report as being "out" with concussion symptoms. Here's FCD complete list:

FC DALLAS -- OUT: MF David Ferreira (R foot surgery); MF Ricardo Villar (R foot strain); MF Andrew Wiedeman (sports hernia repair); MF Carlos Rodriguez (L elbow dislocation); MF Bobby Warshaw (R foot fracture); DF Ugo Ihemelu (concussion symptoms); QUESTIONABLE: MF Brek Shea (L foot turf toe)

Concussion symptoms is not something you want to see in a player who has had a concussion before.

Either Matt Hedges or Hernan Petruz are likely to fill in for Ihemelu.

On the field, Drew Moor is combative, tough, and doesn't back down from anyone. Drew was traded from Dallas to Colorado for Ugo Ihemelu back in 2009.

Off the field, Moor is one of the true nice guys in sports. Nice to fans, a strong leader, good friend, quality teammate ... he's good people.

Don't believe me? Just take a look at this picture from Sunday's FC Dallas game.

That's Moor taking a moment at the Inferno's Bobby Rhine tribute banner.

Drew Moor, a class act.

After FC Dallas beat the Montreal Impact, 2-1 at home a week ago Saturday, head coach Schellas Hyndman acknowledged the recent strong form shown by George John at center back.

The native of Washington state came into this season at quite a disadvantage, having not been with the club for the bulk of preseason as he was on loan to second-division English side West Ham United.

However, Hyndman acknowledges that after a brief acclimation period, he is starting to see John deliver better performances with each start alongside captain Ugo Ihemelu.

“Yeah, I think it was [his best game since he’s been back, against LA],” Hyndman said.

“I thought both he and Ugo did a pretty good job there. I think it was an improvement from last game, not that last game was bad but there is a steady improvement and you could tell he wasn’t with us for preseason.”

One thing about FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman is that he’s never afraid to challenge his players. He did exactly that, asking his back line to play with a bit more bite in Saturday’s match with defending MLS Cup champion Los Angeles at the Home Depot Center.

FCD responded, being whistled for 14 fouls, which is short of their season-high of 17 against Montreal on April 14. The Impact are one of the most whistled clubs in MLS, so that’s understandable. But seeing his guys respond in similar fashion against the star-studded Galaxy definitely brought a smile to the gaffer’s face.

“One of the things that we were talking about before the game was guys, our defenders are good but sometimes they’re a little bit too nice," Hyndman said. "Defenders on opposition really kick the living daylights out of our forwards, so I told them not to be so nice. Get a little bit more physical, be courageous and have an agenda. Your agenda’s to not get turned and not to let your man get a shot off. I think the guys took it serious, so it was good.”

Ugo Ihemelu knows a thing or two about playing for the Colorado Rapids. After all, he was a starter in the Rockies, first for current FC Dallas technical director Fernando Clavijo, then the Rapids head coach, and then for Gary Smith, between 2007 and 2009 when he was in the Mile High City.

And even though the Cedar Hill product was traded to FCD in Sept. 2009 for Dallas native Drew Moor, he still has several friends playing for the current Rapids squad, which happens to be coached by former Dallas player and assistant coach Oscar Pareja.

“It’s always fun, playing Colorado for me because Omar Cummings, he was one of my good friends there. He plays up top for them, so the week before the game gets here we’re always talking, a little playful banter going back and forth between us. Conor [Casey], I’m not sure if he’s going to be back yet, good friends with him and then Kosuke Kimara, he’s another guy that I’m really familiar with, good friends with,” Ihemelu said.

He added: “Yeah, lots of guys on that team that I’m familiar with and then going back to 2010 MLS Cup, there’s always going to be that little extra. The fact that they have a guy that was here in Oscar [Pareja], that’s going to make it a little bit more interesting, another little story for you guys to talk about. It’s going to be an exciting game. I think there should be a lot of energy flying around on Sunday.”

Photos from the game between Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas.

Here's a direct link to the photos is you'er having trouble seeing them here.

When FC Dallas took Matt Hedges with their only pick in the 2012 MLS Super Draft, it was hard for FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman to contain his excitement over adding the 6-foot-4 defender from North Carolina in January.

Hyndman even went so far as to compare the 22-year-old Hedges to current FCD center back George John, a comparison that continues to gain steam in his eyes. The ex-Tar Heel has appeared in three games thus far and it’s a fair statement to say his new coach is impressed with his body of work thus far.

“Quite honestly, I think Matt Hedges is another George John. I think there’s a lot of similarities when you look at size and the success they had at the university, determination, the character, strength, courageous,” Hyndman said.

However, the only thing keeping the rookie defender from logging more minutes with the first team is the fact Dallas currently has a glut of center backs.

“We have so many center backs right now, so he may be suffering a little bit because there’s not an opportunity. But I thought putting him in late in the game, we felt like we were getting a lot of chances getting forward there at the end, which would create free kicks and create corner kicks,” Hyndman said. “The first corner kick we had, he had a great header on it and it was deflected by a defender. I think it might have gotten by the keeper. I think he’s doing fine. He just needs more playing time.”

And having your coach’s confidence is never a bad thing no matter the level of competition. “Feeling good, getting into a couple of games recently just shows the coach is starting to get more confidence in me and I’m glad. I’ve been performing well in practices. He’s always told us that if we’ve been performing well in practices and in games that we’ll get a chance and it’s true. I couldn’t be happier,” Hedges said.

He’s not the only UNC product currently playing in the back for Dallas as right back Zach Loyd is the other and while his fellow Tar Heel has helped him acclimate to the professional ranks, it two other fellow defenders who have been especially helpful.

“I think it’s Ugo [Ihemelu] and George [John that have helped me the most],” Hedges said. “They play the same position as me. They’ve given me some pointers and have been really helpful in adapting my game to the next level.”

But even though he has already appeared in three games, that doesn’t mean his adjustment process hasn’t been any easier. “You’ve just got to think faster, the speed of play is a lot faster than the college level. You’ve just got to be quicker thinking and you’ve got to anticipate a little bit better,” Hedges said.

Going from being in the first 11 on a regular basis at UNC to coming off the bench in MLS has been another adjustment, but playing in reserve games has definitely helped keep him game sharp.

“Yeah, they’ve kind of broken up the practices, but I’m not worried about not getting a lot of minutes so far,” Hedges said. “Every day’s a chance to get better, whether it’d be practices or reserve games. So I’m taking the opportunity to do that.”

Scoring Summary:
DAL – Ugo Ihemelu (Zach Loyd) 95+

FC Dallas – Kevin Hartman, Zach Loyd, Ugo Ihemelu, George John (Matt Hedges 71), Hernan Pertuz, Brek Shea, Ricardo Villar (Bobby Warshaw 66), Andrew Jacobson, Carlos Rodriguez, Fabian Castillo, Blas Perez.

Substitutes Not Used: Chris Seitz, Bruno Guarda, Bryan Leyva, Andrew Wiedeman, Ruben Luna.

TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Brek Shea 4);
SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Brek Shea 2);
FOULS: 12 (Blas Perez 3);
OFFSIDES: 0;
CORNER KICKS: 5 (Fabian Castillo 3);
SAVES: 5 (Kevin Hartman 5).

New England Revolution – Matt Reis, Florian Lechner, A.J. Soares, Stephen McCarthy, Chris Tierney, Kelyn Rowe, Clyde Simms (Pepe Moreno 79), Shalrie Joseph, Lee Nguyen, Saer Sene (Fernando Cardenas 65), Ryan Guy (Jeremiah White 88).

Substitutes Not Used: Bobby Shuttleworth, Darrius Barnes, Diego Fagundez, Jose Moreno, Alec Purdie.

TOTAL SHOTS: 7 (Kelyn Rowe, Lee Nguyen 3);
SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Kelyn Rowe 3);
FOULS: 4 (four players with one);
OFFSIDES: 2 (Ryan Guy, Saer Sene 1);
CORNER KICKS: 2 (Kelyn Rowe 2);
SAVES: 3 (Matt Reis 3)

Misconduct Summary:
NE – Shalrie Joseph (caution; reckless foul) 62
NE – Chris Tierney (caution; reckless foul) 80

Referee: Juan Guzman
Referee’s Assistants: Ian Anderson, Adam Garner
4th Official: Bladomero Toledo
Time of Game: 2:01
Weather: Clear, 72 degrees

Schellas Hyndman - FC Dallas Head Coach

General thoughts on the game…

“I thought it was a really exciting game. I thought we played well the first half. I thought Fabian (Castillo) was causing a lot of problems that they were not able to handle and we created some nice scoring chances. The second half, I thought we came out a little bit slower. I thought their tactic of getting a little bit more depth so Fabian wouldn’t be able to run by them was good for them. But, I thought in this game we probably created more quality chances. Looking at the clock going down to 90 minutes, it looked like it was going to be a tie, but both teams were really going after the three points.”

On Ricardo Villar’s status…
“We’re not sure. He twisted his foot. We’ll get an X-ray on it and see how he is.

On George John’s status…
“I think with all the recent studies on concussions, you always want to favor the protection of the player. I thought we did everything right and he will be evaluated by the experts.”

On Ugo Ihemelu’s game-winning goal…
“The goal was great. I don’t know if you all noticed or not, but he was cramping when he came over to the side and he and I had a discussion about pulling him out because he didn’t know if he was going to be able to get that cramp out of his leg and I shared this with the team after the game. One of the things we’d talked about (pre-game) was to challenge yourself tonight and to challenge your teammates and what a great example for a captain to stay in there and wanting to play to the end and then come out on top with the game-winning goal.”

Defender Ugo Ihemelu

On the ball played in by Zach Loyd that led to the winning goal...

You have to compliment Zach for stepping up and being brave enough to put himself in that position. He sent a ball in a little earlier that was really dangerous and got us a corner kick. Right before the one I scored on, he made eye contact with me so I knew he was coming to me. All the compliments go to him.

On playing through cramping late in the match…

I went off and Josh [FC Dallas Head Athletic Trainer Josh Watts] was trying to work out the cramp, but it wasn’t going away. I knew we had one more sub left and I didn’t want us to have to use it on another injury, so I just tried to stay out there for as long as I could. Fortunately, after Josh worked on it, it calmed down a little bit, I stayed in and it worked out for us.

On the team’s focus heading into tonight’s match…

Today, when the game started we spoke about putting in a solid 90-minute performance. We talked about staying positive, playing well the entire game. Tonight we were able to maintain our focus and work for each other. This puts us back on track where we want to be. It gives us something to build on moving forward.

FC Dallas defender Matt Hedges

Feelings on his first professional appearance…

It feels awesome. I am always ready to come in and help the team. It makes it even better that tonight when the opportunity came, we were able to get a win.

On how FC Dallas played tonight…

It was a good overall performance by the team. We kept the ball. We moved it around. We got some good opportunities. Again, it was a good overall performance by everybody.

On New England…

New England had put together two solid wins in a row against strong opponents, so we knew we were going to have to play well to pull out a victory. We had a good showing and we were able to get the result we wanted.

New England Revolution head coach Jay Heaps

General thoughts on the game…

I thought Dallas dodged just as many bullets as we did. We did a good job. We had 60 percent possession of the ball. Unfortunately at the end there, when it felt like we at least had a chance to get a draw, we didn’t finish it well.

Thoughts on deciding factors for the game’s outcome…

The chances [Dallas had] came from when we gave the ball away, when we made a few mistakes. Dictating the pace of this game was important for us. We are at a point where we need a little time to get our legs back.

Thoughts on the loss…

It is a tough way for the game to finish. It felt like we played well enough to get at least something out of the game whether it was a draw or three points. At the end of the game, we got ahead of ourselves a little with the momentum and we just couldn’t keep up.

Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph

On Kelyn Rowe…

From day one Kelyn came in and worked hard, you tell him what we need and he just puts his head down and works for the team. And that’s what we need. He’s good on the ball and he’s good when he is going against people. He can use both feet. He’s a good kid. He works hard and the sky is the limit for Kelyn.

Revolution midfielder Kelyn Rowe

On suffering a tough loss…

It’s tough that we played well. We really came out especially in the second half and played tough. We created some chances that unfortunately we couldn’t put away. We slipped up for five seconds and they did well to score a goal.

Were there any adjustments at half time?

Coach [Jay Heaps] made no adjustments position-wise or anything like that. He came in like, “look you guys are doing all right, just keep your heads up and let’s go out there and give them what we know we have. We saw it against L.A. We saw it against Portland. We need to see it again here and tonight.” And we did.

Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis

How did you feel about how you guys played in that first half?

We did all right. We definitely did not play our best game. We were a little bit off and we were not as cohesive as we needed to be. That being said, it was 0-0 at halftime. We came out in the second half and really turned it up a notch. We had them on their back foot for most of the second half. Unfortunately, we didn’t do the right things at the end of the game.

They had some good opportunities in the beginning of the game, and you made some nice saves, talk about how you did individually.

I did what I needed to do back there. I kept us in the game as long as possible.

What was your experience with the tornados that came in town?

The weather came in, the hotel got on the intercom and said there was weather coming our way and it would be best if we seek cover. The hotel was great. The staff was great and everything was very orderly.

Are you happy with the way you guys played up until the goal?

No, I think we definitely did not play our best game. We did enough to at least get a point, but it was not in the cards tonight.

First Touch: In a move made of necessity, Hyndman rolls out a new formation and hopes it works

Second Touch: Mostly a snoozer of a match that got interesting in the last ten minutes as a Villar-less FCD decided it wanted to win

The Finish: A team low on morale, midfielders and time, in a new formation, overcame all of that via the big hearts of several players who just kept on fighting and literally grabbed the three points from Matt Reis.

Grades:

Hartman: 8 - Made five saves, and made all five look rather easy

Pertuz: 7 - The kid is a burglar. Faired well despite playing out of position, continues to impress

John: 7 - A solid night, but his passing going forward needs some resharpening

Ugo: 8 - Recovered from last week's poor outing by dominating in the air and fighting through cramps. With a great header he captain'd his side to the win

Loyd: 8 - Not enough can be said about this kid's level of fitness. Also playing out of position on the left, Zack was not only solid defending and going forward, his perfectly floated free kick into the box was big time. But it was the display of effort late first half, when he made a 40 yard sprint to help attack, only to have to make a 50 yard super sprint to recover and steal the ball that makes a coach's heart flutter. Oh, then he immediately made another 40 yard sprint to get back into Dallas' counter.

Rodriguez: 5 - A quiet night, helped Pertuz a lot but also never really got into the attack as hoped

Shea: 6 - I don't know how he's pulling 90's. He was not to "Brek" standards for most of the match, but late had a few moments where he turned it on, displayed that next level and almost single handedly took over. Shellas has to find a way to get him a break, but injuries will likely prevent that

Jacobson: 4 - The lone holding mid spot is demanding and lonely. It wasn't a bad night for AJ, but a more aggressive opponent might prove to be more than he can handle alone

Villar: 4 - Very little play through the middle and his instruction to stay high left him with far too few touches on the ball. When he did have it, still turned it over too much. But the irony is that Dallas will hold its collective breath over the ankle injury as Dallas is better with him than without. Which is more of a statement about the roster than Ricardo.

Castillo: 6 - Hard to grade as the kid impacted the match so many times, but very little to show from it. He's like a 14 year old girl driving a Porsche Turbo. So much speed and potential, but rarely uses any of it correctly, or to successful result. We know he can get into the box with the ball, now what can he do with it? But watching him hit the pedal and cut at full speed is an amazing site to see

Perez: 7 - His single blown shot is worrisome only because there was only one shot. But that belies the amount of hard work and ground he covered in 90 minutes. Not to mention the foul he created that set up the free kick. To be fair to Blas, he has been very impressive in his attitude and play for FCD - does not at all play like his journeyman's resume hints.

Subs:

Warshaw: 6 - Dutiful and that's what Hyndman needs right now
Hedges: 7 - 15 solid minutes with almost a goal, and some confident defending and passing