• Recap
• Bleachers

Revolution hand FC Dallas its first loss

Apr 25, 2008 - 4:08 AM By Ken Costlow PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

FRISCO, Texas (Ticker) -- Khano Smith's 72nd minute strike from the left side proved to be the game-winning goal as the New England Revolution held off FC Dallas, 1-0, on Thursday night at Pizza Hut Park.

Smith took a short ball from Kheli Dube at the left sideline, dribbled around FC Dallas defender Dax McCarty and moved into the box before firing a right-footed blast past FCD goalkeeper Dario Sala to give the Revs (3-2-1, 10 points) a 1-0 lead.

FC Dallas (2-1-2), which had entered the game as the only unbeaten team in MLS, was shut out for the first time this season.

"I beat (McCarty) and it actually touched his hand, but the referee let the play go on, so I was able to get in front of him and get to the ball," Smith said. "I was trying to go outside and he kept shoving me inside, so that's when I got into the box and decided to have a shot with my right (foot)."

In the 85th minute, FC Dallas striker Arturo Alvarez appeared to have a possible opportunity at a penalty kick when he went down in the box after making slight contact with Revolution defender Amaechi Igwe.

However, referee Alex Prus instead showed Alvarez a yellow card for diving, which came as quite a surprise to the FCD player.

"(Prus) didn't say anything to me. He just gave me a yellow after I got hit," Alvarez said. "My quad is really hurting right now. It happens a lot of times, but it's just very disappointing that I got the card. There was, for sure, contact."

FC Dallas midfielder Andre Rocha had two attempts at the equalizer in the 87th minute, but hit the right post from 10 yards out, and then missed just wide of the same post on a header seconds later.

"We knew we had to keep it tight because they do throw men forward," New England coach Steve Nicol said. "So it was important that we didn't leave any holes. The objective was to come here and be solid. We wanted to find our feet in the game and get forward. I think we did that."

The first half had very few scoring opportunities for either team. In fact, New England had only three shots on goal compared to a single attempt by FCD in the first 45 minutes.

Wells Thompson had a near miss in the 14th minute for New England, but his diving header off a cross from Kenny Mansally flew wide of the right post. Three minutes later, FC Dallas' Marcelo Saragosa dribbled into the box, but fired wide from 14 yards out.

At the 20-minute mark, the Revs' Shalrie Joseph blasted a right-footed shot from 28 yards in front that Sala stopped easily. In the 24th minute, FC Dallas' Juan Toja sent a jump volley into the goal area that Matt Reis saved.

And two minutes from halftime, Joseph sent a long cross into Adam Cristman in front of the FC Dallas goal, but Cristman's header was grabbed by Sala as the two teams went in for halftime scoreless.

Six minutes into the second half, Rocha fired wide of the right post from 30 yards out, and Toja sent a right-footed blast from 25 yards out into the goal area that Reis saved two minutes later.

"We needed to get the ball in quicker at times, especially in the first half," FC Dallas coach Steve Morrow said. "We got a lot of good spots in the last third of the field and should have had a goal on a cross into the box. We talked about it at halftime, and I think we did better in the second half. We've had a good start (but) we're disappointed to give up our unbeaten run here at home."