Dallas Falls moved to Minnesota United.

• Sebastian Ibeaga, Giovane Jesus and José Mulato made their debuts for Dallas.
• MLS box score

FRISCO, TX (February 25, 2023) – Dallas (0-1-0, 0 points) lost 1-0 to Minnesota United (1-0-0, 3 points) in the 2023 MLS season opener Saturday night at Toyota Stadium.

RECORD OPENING OF THE SEASON
Dallas’ unbeaten streak in the season opener came to an end after a 1-0 loss to Minnesota United. A 13 match unbeaten streak (W7 D6) began at the start of the 2010 season. Dallas’ last season-opening loss was a 3-1 decision against the Chicago Fire in 2009.

2023 SEASON DEBUTANTS
Defenseman Sebastian Ibeaga made his debut for Dallas as a starter. Giovane Jesus made his MLS and FC Dallas debut, coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute of the match. Former North Texas SC forward José Mulato also made his debut, coming on in the 82nd minute.

CAPTAIN ARRIOLA
Striker Paul Arriola wore the captain’s armband following the departure of Matt Hedges. The FC Dallas players voted him captain, while Jesús Ferreira and Paxton Pomikal voted vice-captains.

NEXT
FC Dallas hosts the LA Galaxy for an ’80s night presented by UnitedHealthcare on March 4 at Toyota Stadium. The match starts at 19:30 and will be streamed on the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Lineups
Dallas – Maarten Paes Ema Twumasi (Jeovan Jesus – 67), Sebastien Ibeaga, Jose Martinez, Marco Farfan; Facundo Quignon (Edwin Serrillo, 67 minutes), Sebastian Lletget (Tsiki Nzabeleng, 67 minutes), Paxton Pomikal (Jose Mulato, 82 minutes); Paul Arriola, Jesus Ferreira, Alan Velasco.

Substitutes are not used – Jimmy Maurer, Isaiah Parker, Nkosi Tafari, Nolan Norris, Bernard Camungo.

Minnesota United – Dane St. Clair Zarek Valentin, Michael Boxall, Miguel Tapias, Kemar Michael Lawrence; Wil Trapp, Kerwin Arriaga; Bongokule Hlongwane, Robin Lod (Tanitoluwa Oluvaseyi – 89 minutes), Franco Fragapane (Joseph Rosales – 71 minutes); Mender Garcia (Hassani Dotson – 63′)

Substitutes are not used – Cameron Dunbar, Patrick Weah, DJ Taylor, Eric Dick, Fred Emmings.

Scoring Summary:
MIN: Mender Garcia – 48′

Brief description of misconduct:
MIN: Will Trapp (caution) – 24′
MIN: Miguel Tapias (careful) – 50′
DAL: Marco Farfan (careful) – 62′

Weather: Cloudy, 48°F
Attendance: 19,096 (on sale)

QUOTES AFTER THE PLAY FC DALLAS
Head Coach Nico Estevez
General thoughts on the match…

“Typical first game of the season. A bit crazy, you can see some of the results that have happened and how some games have changed a bit. I think we did everything we could, in terms of effort, struggle. , the desire to fight this game. But I think we were in a hurry at the worst moments. I think we had a bit of patience building up when we broke the lines, then we were a bit rushed on the last pass, the last cross, the last decision. We didn’t make it.”

“Usually in the first games (when) this happens, the players are very worried. We had a post from Paxton, a couple of crosses in the first half, which ended in nothing. We won the game on the expected number of goals. , from 1 to 0.06, but in the end, you have to score and execute, and today we didn’t.”

“It should get better for us because we had 11 shots but only one shot on target and we had eight shots from the box. Usually you have to do better. I think we’re a bit lacking in quality in the last third. today, and that’s why we couldn’t score goals. Sometimes you don’t have to show the perfect game. It’s just necessary for the right performance to be on top, and today we didn’t have a day.”

Making corner kicks…
“We were very dangerous. We had Lletjet’s header, Paxton’s header, a straight shot that almost scored the Olimpico from Alan, and I think that was the deflection that went to Paxton, and that was the kick. I think we were better in the first half than in the second half on set pieces. But I think we were very dangerous in those actions. I think they had a tough time and that’s something we need to keep working on because it’s an important part of the game that can give us points.”

Forward Jesus Ferreira
General thoughts on the match…Defender Marko FarfanLooking forward to meeting the LA Galaxy…
“We are home for the next match and the goal is always to score three points. We need to have a short memory and forget about this game. We have another big game ahead of us against LA Galaxy and we’re going to be fighting for three points at home against a tough team.”

What was missing today…
“Today we had a decent game and we tried our best to leave with three points. Our team play today was not at its best, as it was last season and this year’s pre-season. This is the first game and the only way to move forward is to improve and work hard.”

Midfielder Tsiki Nzabeleng
In today’s presentation…
“I think we need to go back and review the game to see what we did wrong and what we did right. We need to improve this (performance). It’s still early, but that doesn’t mean we should relax. This is a wake up call for us. I’m glad he came so early so we could bounce back and get him out of there.”

On Minnesota’s defensive form…
“Space was mostly in front of their lines, so it was difficult to play between them. That’s why I had the ball when I was in front of them, and not where I like to be – between the lines. But you have to adapt to the demands of the game, and I think I’ve adapted pretty well. Obviously, I would like to help the team more, create scoring opportunities and be more dangerous, but as I said, they were very compact and made it difficult.

About the lack of scoring chances …
“I think it was a combination of them sitting so deep and it was early in the season. We had glimpses in pre-season that we could get the ball into dangerous areas. And when we do that, we need to take risks.”

Defender Ema Twumasi
In today’s presentation…
“This is the first game of the season, the emotions were running high and obviously we wanted to win. Unfortunately, today we were not able to show our abilities. We felt like we dominated most of the game. It’s just hard that we didn’t get the result we wanted, so we just have to look forward to next weekend against LA and get back to the drawing board and fix what we can to get the win.”

About the inconsistency in the final third of the field …
“I think we are in good positions, but most of the time tonight the last ball was missing. There was no final run. It’s the start of the season and we need to come up with something. I’m sure next weekend will be better.”

Midfielder Paxton Pomykal
In today’s presentation…
“We need to work better. There was no lack of effort today, I think it’s just that quality wasn’t something we know we can bring to the field and to the game. All the guys in the dressing room knew after that that we had to play differently to win. It’s something we can take with us into the next game.”

On Minnesota’s defensive form…
“I felt they had tight lines, they played very well defensively and it was very difficult for us to play between them. Defensively we were more 4-4-2 and they had two defensive mids, so naturally when we won the ball I was a little deeper, maybe that’s why. But I think I need to get a little higher up the field, have the ball in more dangerous places and create more chances in the future.

On chances created by set pieces…
“This is a positive moment for the rest of the season. Standards are a huge battle. As a general rule, teams with positive goal difference on set pieces do well in this league. Last year we were one of the best defensive teams in the league. We tried to use and score more in attack from set pieces. This is something I think we need to work on a bit more this year and I mean the number of chances we created from set pieces today was good but at the end of the day we have to put it on the grid. So. I thought mine was pretty close, but this guy obviously topped it, though.

MINNESOTA UNITED FC POST GAME QUOTES
head coach Adrian Heath
About victory…
“I was so pleased with the efforts of the guys, we had a difficult off-season when a lot of things happened. We had three players who didn’t train, Kerwin and Joseph. And obviously Louis didn’t come back. Obviously, we were disappointed with the situation with Reynoso. So come here and show the defense. I thought the shape and structure were outstanding. I don’t think Dane had a lot of work, he made a big save, I think it was a great performance from the guys and I can’t fault him for their effort, desire and enthusiasm, everything we asked for. ”

On the efforts of his team…
“Well, we worked hard, obviously I always knew the game was going to be tight anyway. And I thought that if we didn’t outplay ourselves by giving something away, I thought we’d have a chance to counterattack, and that’s how it turned out. And I thought Tapias was outstanding for his first game. The real back four was great. And the understanding that we’ve been working on because it’s a difficult place to play. They have good attacking pieces. And at times we knew we were going to have to weather the storm, which we did in the second half. This is a big win for us.”

About Kervin Arriaga…
Yes, I thought Kerwin was at his best today. Last year he started the season the first eight or nine games, he was outstanding. And then he had a high ankle sprain. And he never made himself move, but tonight he was like a regular curve, covering a lot of ground, getting into good places. Obviously he’s back. So he wins. Good. But I thought he was composed and used the ball very well. He has every chance of becoming one of the best players in the league.