FCD sees winless streak hit three

It was the first loss for the Hoops this season away from the friendly confines of Pizza Hut Park. Kenny Cooper had pulled FCD level early in the second half after Javier Morales took advantage of defensive confusion to give RSL a first-half lead, but Kyle Beckerman scored the game-winner in the 73rd minute.

Perhaps with their recent goal-scoring drought in mind, it didn't take long for the Hoops to get their first shot off. Only 48 seconds into the match Juan Toja shaved the top of the crossbar with a shot from 25 yards.

Toja continued to power the FCD attack early. In the fourth minute the Colombian midfielder sent a ball wide to Arturo Alvarez who sidestepped a few RSL defenders, working his way back to the top of the box, before his shot was blocked by a sliding Nat Borchers.

A clever sequence from Real Salt Lake led to their first chance at goal in the fifth minute. Morales sent a cross into the top of the penalty area that was brought down by Kenny Deuchar and into the path of Espindola. The RSL's front man's strike went wide of the post.

In the following minute Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala had to push a Beckerman bomb away from goal and over the endline. Then in the 10th minute Sala went airborne keep a header from Fabian Espindola from crossing the line.

The Hoops then squandered a pair of prime chances that could have given them an early lead. In the 17th minute Cooper slid to meet a cross from Alvarez at the six-yard box and completely missed the ball. In the 18th minute it was Alvarez's turn to whiff a shot inside the penalty area. The ball then squirted to Cooper, but he belted his shot into the stands over the goal.

A failed clearance resulted in FCD falling behind in the 28th minute. Sala attempted to clear away a dangerous ball running just in front of Morales. The Dallas 'keeper cranked the ball right into Andre Rocha. The ball shot off Rocha and then defender Drew Moor before falling back to Morales, for the Salt Lake midfielder to easily roll into the empty net.

The visitors nearly brought the score back to level terms in the 30th minute. Toja floated a free kick into the middle of the area that Adrian Serioux redirected toward goal with a glancing header, only for RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando to smother.

On the other side of the break Abe Thompson was put through on a snappy ball from Alvarez. Thompson rushed in behind the Salt Lake defense and quickly whipped a shot right at Rimando.

Five minutes later Cooper was sent into space on a long, bouncing ball from Rocha along the right edge of the penalty area. Closing in on the endline, and looking to have no angle, Cooper unleashed an incredible shot that beat Rimando and tucked under the crossbar to bring the Hoops level.

Dema Kovalenko beat Sala in the 61st minute by slipping a shot under the onrushing 'keeper. But before the ball could reach the goal, Duilio Davino cleared it away from danger.

With the score even Dallas began playing with a greater sense of confidence. In the 67th minute Alvarez got in behind RSL, but was too far into the corner to go at goal. He rolled a pass to Cooper at the top of the box who continued the ball to Toja waiting at the corner of the arc. Toja instinctively back heeled a pass into space, but no one was there.

The draw was not to be for Dallas. In the 73rd minute Andy Williams sent a cheeky chip into the box where Beckerman got enough of his toe on it to poke it past Sala and barely in to the net.

Beckerman came calling again in the 83rd minute, but Sala was there to answer. The FCD goalkeeper flew to punch a Beckerman volley straight into the air. Sala was instantly on his feet and jumping into the air to recover the deflection.

Dallas threw everything into a last-gasp effort to recover the tie in the closing seconds -- even having Sala push up to the center circle -- but the Hoops were unable to get the equalizing goal.

Scott McAllister is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.