Columbus Crew SC earned their first three points at MAPFRE Stadium under head coach Caleb Porter with Saturday's 1-0 win over FC Dallas in an inter-conference matchup.
The sole goal was a familiar sight, as center back Gaston Sauro grazed home a header from atop the six-yard box in the 10th minute. Portuguese winger Pedro Santos whipped in a corner kick, and Sauro executed the training ground-esque move – just like he did two weeks prior against the New York Red Bulls.
The result marked Dallas' first defeat of the 2019 season, as they largely lacked the final product. They were held without a shot on target in the first half, and only managed two the entire game.
Columbus now have two straight shutouts, and US national teamer Zack Steffen has 21 for his career. Meanwhile, Dallas goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez was forced into two saves.
Goals
- 10' – CLB – Gaston Sauro | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: The Crew have now taken seven of nine possible points to begin the Caleb Porter era. It's also Columbus' third straight season of starting with at least two wins and a draw. As for Dallas, this result marks the first loss under head coach Luchi Gonzalez, who took over this past offseason from Oscar Pareja.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Dallas only forced Zack Steffen into two saves all match, and the first was a big one. In the 57th minute, he sprawled to get a foot on Michael Barrios' shot. The Colombian winger was played through after some pressing from US U-20 midfielder Paxton Pomykal.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Gaston Sauro hadn't scored in his prior four seasons with the Crew. With Saturday's flicked header, the Argentine center back has two goals in three games to start 2019, both coming via a corner kick. Sauro previously missed the entire 2017 season due to injury, only making his return to the lineup last summer.
Up Next
- CLB: Saturday, March 23 at Philadelphia Union (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, DAZN in Canada)
- DAL: Saturday, March 23 vs. Colorado Rapids (5:30 pm ET | UniMás, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada; Streaming on Twitter)
