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FC Dallas-Crew Preview

Aug 27, 2010 - 7:21 PM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

FC Dallas (9-2-9) at Columbus (12-5-4), 4:00 p.m. EDT

FC Dallas is riding a franchise-record 11-match unbeaten streak and hasn't lost on the road in more than four months.

Both streaks could be in jeopardy as it faces the Eastern Conference-leading Columbus Crew.

Dallas looks to set the league record for longest road unbeaten streak Saturday afternoon when it takes on a Crew team that's been dominant at home.

FC Dallas (9-2-9) improved to 7-0-4 in its last 11 matches with its season high-tying third straight win last Saturday, 1-0 over Chivas USA. Dallas now looks to extend its road unbeaten streak to an MLS-record 10.

FC Dallas, which is also trying to match Los Angeles' league-best 12-match unbeaten streak in 2010, is 3-0-6 in its last nine on the road. Schellas Hyndman's team, however, has dropped its last two visits to Crew Stadium.

"It is going to be a tough game. Columbus is a very good team," Hyndman told FC Dallas' official website. "It's hard to get a result there. They're a mature team. They seem to play with a lot of confidence and the ball bounces right for them in that environment."

Columbus (12-5-4), the two-time reigning Supporters' Shield winner, holds a six-point lead over New York in the East and trails the Galaxy by three points for the league's best record. The Crew have outscored opponents 8-1 while winning three straight at home.

"We just want to win every single time we go out on the field, and that's probably even more the case when we're at home," midfielder Eddie Gaven told the Crew's official website following the team's league-best ninth home win, 3-1 over Colorado last Saturday.

Looking for double-digit home wins for the second time in three seasons, the Crew could face a stiff challenge against FC Dallas' Kevin Hartman, who owns a league-best 0.69 goals-against average. Hartman, though, allowed a season high in goals in a 2-all draw with visiting Columbus on April 10.

Dallas forward Jeff Cunningham, who converted a first-half penalty kick in that matchup for his third career goal against his former club, is four goals shy of matching the league record of 132 set by D.C.'s Jaime Moreno.

"Jeff is pure speed," coach Robert Warzycha, Cunningham's former teammate with Columbus, told the Crew's official website. "He wants the ball in channels. He can beat you with his speed and is a pretty good finisher."

So is Crew forward Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who scored his team-high sixth goal last Saturday off a first-half penalty kick. The 2008 league MVP gave Columbus a 2-1 lead over Dallas in the 82nd minute in April before Eric Avila scored the equalizer in the 93rd.