Soccer: Improved effort results in 2-0 loss for Sockers against MLS foe

MIDLAND The West Texas United Sockers were better this time.

Yes, the Sockers were again defeated by Major League Soccer's FC Dallas in an exhibition game - this one a 2-0 loss at Grande Communications Stadium on Tuesday - but there was a sense that they are much improved since their 3-0 loss at FCD on June 2.

Sockers head coach Jesus Enriquez thought so.

"We had a pretty good first half with our starters," he said. "This time, we held more possession of the ball. We were more in control of the game."

And FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman agreed.

"Throughout, they were more organized," he said. "They came out in a 3-5-2, which we weren't really ready for. We had some trouble in the midfield. But I thought they looked better. They were probably more inspired in front of their fans."

These are significant positives that the Sockers can take from the loss, which was scoreless at intermission and played before 3,571 fans.

FCD's goals - by Anthony Wallace from Dax McCarty in the 57th minute and by Andre Rocha from Eric Avila in the 87th minute, both against goalkeeper Austin Stevens - were not pretty, but FCD finally connected, which they could not do in the first half despite good looks.

That was partly because the Sockers' goalkeeper in the first half, Leif Craddock, gambled out of necessity when the ball neared the goal, coming out to challenge an open look in perhaps the best strategy to blunt an open shot.

It worked twice. In the ninth minute, FCD forward Brek Shea broke away from the pack, with the nearest defender almost 10 yards behind him, and he was gearing up for a shot before Craddock met him about 15 yards out and swallowed the ball.

In the 31st minute, FCD's Eric Avila had a very similar opportunity as Shea's, and again Craddock came out to meet him successfully.

In the 39th minute, Rocha struck a right-footed shot that hit the right post, the deflection becoming almost as scary when it deflected off Craddock's back. Fortunately for the Sockers, no FCD player was around for what would have been an easy goal.

The Sockers' best chance in the first half was forward Ben Everson's breakaway and shot from about 15 yards out that FCD goalkeeper Josh Lambo had to dive left to deflect.

The second half began with FCD taking control and they had it most of the half, often taking possession near the Sockers' goal.

In the 57th minute, McCarty passed on an open look a few yards away from the goal and sent it to Wallace, whose left-footed shot arched over Stevens.

In the 87th minute, Rocha was in the midst of a cluster near the goal and fired one in.

With four road games remaining in the regular season and in fourth place in the Premier Development League's Mid South Division standings, the Sockers will take this result as proof that it can hang.

"It gives us a lot of confidence to face the rest of the season," Enriquez said.