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Javier Morales’ presence helps FC Dallas end winless run

 

FC Dallas was waiting quite a long time to celebrate a victory again.

After 10 games and over two months of play, Oscar Pareja’s men finally captured three points against the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday night at Toyota Stadium.

The victory combined with a draw by the Houston Dynamo and a San Jose Earthquakes loss boosted FC Dallas back over the red line into sixth place in the Western Conference with 41 points.

“I think we felt good tonight because it’s been a long time waiting for the three points,” FC Dallas midfielder Roland Lamah said. “I think tonight is a very good win and we have to keep going.” 

FC Dallas got off to a nice start, scoring in the sixth and ninth minutes by way of Maynor Figueroa and Lamah.

Pareja credited veteran midfielder Javier Morales with getting the attack going from the first whistle.

“Today we needed a pain killer. That was Javi Morales tonight,” Pareja said. “He glued us together. He put his personality on behalf of the team.

“He got the touches we needed in order to upgrade everybody else’s performances,” Pareja said. “That change in the lineup helped us tremendously today. I’ve got to say it was the highlight of the win.”
Wednesday marked the first start for Morales since May 20 and it was just his 11th appearance of the 2017 campaign, but it came at an important time. Morales started alongside Mauro Diaz, who had two assists, and Carlos Gruezo in the FC Dallas midfield.
“I like playing with good players. To share the field with Mauro Diaz is special for me because I consider him one of the best playmakers in this league,” Morales said. “I try to help Gruezo in the middle and when we win the ball, I try to find Mauro. That works for me. I like it a lot because I was able to find him a lot today and he found a way to break their defense.”
However, Morales wasn’t willing to take all the credit himself, as he delivered praise for all of his teammates.

“I feel like the team played much better today, especially in the beginning of the game,” Morales said. “The first 20 minutes I think was really good. And everyone was on the same page, touching the ball, moving everywhere we find space. But that is not because of me, it’s because of the team being on the same page.” 

As important as ending the winless run was, FC Dallas can’t rest on their laurels now with a difficult test ahead on Saturday at Orlando City Stadium.

“It’s the MLS. We know our schedule and the next game is Saturday,” Lamah said. “We are ready to keep going. We have to work hard and we’ll be ready for Saturday. Every team you play at their home is difficult. Orlando is a big team with big players so we have to be ready.” 

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