Defender Lalas Abubakar makes FC Dallas debut
FC Dallas Press Release
FRISCO, Texas – FC Dallas (1-2-1, 4 points) falls to Vancouver Whitecaps FC (4-0-0, 12 points) 1-0 tonight from Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
WELCOME TO DALLAS, LALASCenter back Lalas Abubakar made his FC Dallas debut tonight, becoming the seventh player to make their Dallas debut this season. Abubakar signed with the club as a free agent in December 2024 after spending several years with the Colorado Rapids.
THE BRAZILIAN ARMY KNIFENewcomer Ramiro Benetti led tonight’s match with three clearances and paced FC Dallas with 53 passes. He reached a top speed of 33.9 km/h (21.06 mph), the fourth-fastest for Dallas in his fourth-straight start.
SERIES HISTORYFC Dallas holds an all-time series record against Vancouver Whitecaps FC is 11-11-9.
SELLOUT STREAK CONTINUESFC Dallas extended its sellout streak to 19 consecutive home matches with an attendance of 11,004. Toyota Stadium is currently undergoing renovations on the east side. For more information, visit NewToyotaStadium.com.
FC DALLAS POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Eric Quill General thoughts on the match…
“We couldn’t find good rhythm with the ball, which is what we wanted to do tonight. We wanted to have long spells of possession because of what they have been going through. Part of the game plan was to chip their legs away. They are a great team and have a great team spirit. They didn’t look like a team that played Wednesday, so credit to them.”
On having a negative record…
“There’s a lot of football to be played. We have to dive deep on what happened tonight, diagnose it, and be honest with it. We’ll tweak some things. Anytime you drop two games, especially at home, you have to look at what you’re doing. If you’re a guy who hasn’t had a lot of minutes, it’s game on. We have to grow and figure things out. It’s unfortunate we dropped this homestand, but we can grow and we know we have quality. Next week is a new opportunity.”
Goalkeeper Maarten Paes
Thoughts on tonight’s match…
“Vancouver is a group with a lot of mentality. It’s not easy to go to Mexico, draw there, and then come with this intensity and force us to defend a lot today. We have to go see the clips on what we can do better. We had zero shots on target. You never win games if you don’t get any or test their goalkeeper. We definitely need to look at these clips and reflect.”
On Vancouver’s goal…
“Coming into the match, we knew that they were a super strong set piece team. We were a little bit late. He cannot have it that free. It’s a tough goal to concede.”
On Real Salt Lake next week…
“I think the match is super important. It will be a tough game and the altitude there, but I’m gonna cheer the guys on from the other side of the world. I have faith that we can come back to Frisco still unbeaten on the road.”
Defender Marco Farfan
On the defeat…
“Respect to them, they are a very good team. But we also have to be honest with ourselves, it wasn’t our best game. We didn’t come out and play the game we wanted to play. We know they came from a stretch of games, so it was our responsibility to be coming in at home and the intensity and just chop them off the part.”
On the goal Vancouver scored…
“We’re a team that’s gonna take accountability, especially this year, and for me, that I look at myself, it was my mark. You just gotta take accountability and show face when that type of stuff comes. I take responsibility for this, it was my guy who scored.”
