Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Justin Meram and Sebastian Miranda both scored
their first goal in Major League Soccer in a five-minute stretch of the second
half Saturday as the Columbus Crew edged 10-man FC Dallas, 2-1.
Dallas held a one-goal edge on a first-half goal from Fabian Castillo, but the
second yellow card for defender Zach Loyd in the 63rd minute changed the game,
as Meram scored in the 67th and Miranda followed in the 72nd at Crew Stadium.
Columbus (3-4-2) snapped a five-game winless skid as it won for the first time
since April. Dallas (3-6-3) saw its winless run reach six games as it lost its
third straight and for the fourth time during the stretch.
Castillo opened the scoring midway through the opening half, but he received a
little help from Columbus midfielder Tony Tchani. Castillo had the ball on the
sideline, and Tchani thought the ball went out of bounds.
While Tchani stood with his hand up to ask for a throw-in, Castillo - who kept
the ball from going completely across the line - drove into the box and scored
before Columbus defender Eric Gehrig could recover.
Dallas held the 22-minute lead until midway through the second half, when Loyd
was sent off for a foolish foul to earn his second yellow card and an ejection
to spark Columbus.
Meram took a pass from Gehrig in midfield and drove a shot from 30 yards into
the bottom-left corner, and the Crew added their second goal just five minutes
later as Dallas struggled to settle in with just 10 players.
Miranda converted an incredible header off a corner kick from Nemanja Vukovic,
as he met the pass two yards outside the area and powered a header inside the
left post.
Both teams play next May 19, with Columbus visiting the San Jose Earthquakes
and FC Dallas hosting the Philadelphia Union.
GAME NOTES:
The Sports Network