Final: FC Dallas 1, New England Revolution 1
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
MLS - Major League Soccer
05/10/2010
Dario Sala
FC Dallas, #44
Overall Grade: D-
Summary Statement
Sala was rarely tested in this match. I think there were only 4 saves that needed to be made, and all were fairly simple plays. An understanding of risk/reward is a major element of goalkeeping. For the most part, the reward of a risky goalkeeping play is not warranted. Sala made a horrible decision in this game that cost his squad a victory against a Revolution side that was down to 9 men. The reward of shielding the ball from an attacker to secure a goal-kick was not worth the risk of losing the ball and giving up an easy goal. It will be interesting to see how the FC Dallas coaching staff reacts to this performance by their aging goalkeeper with a recent history of injury.
Distributed long balls played from the feet. Goal kicks.
Weaknesses
Decision making. Speed & quickness. Timing on crosses.
Complete Scorecard:
Technical Abilities: C
- Hands: No Grade - There was one shot on goal from a 25+ yards out. Not enough information.
- Diving: No diving saves were attempted.
- Angles: Did not see anything to indicate great or poor angle play.
- Footwork: Caught out of position on a cross and on the goal.
- Diverting: Punched one ball out of the box. I believe a better decision would have been to catch the ball and keep possession, but the ball was diverted into a safe area away from goal.
- Foot skills: Played the ball out of the box effectively using body and feet on one occasion, played the ball very poorly on the goal.
Physical Attributes: C
- Speed: Not very fast.
- Reaction: Not very quick. Evident on goal.
- Size: About 6'3', but may benefit from less weight.
- Strength: Appears physically strong.
Aerial Intelligence: D
- Preparation: Positioning appeared to be good for airball situations.
- Decision Making: Poorly played a corner kick. If you leave your line, you must get the ball.
- Communication: Not enough information.
- Timing: There was one cross where Sala came off his line. He completely mis-timed and mis-played this ball. The result was the ball falling behind him into a dangerous area where New England got a shot off that hit the back post.
Distribution: C
- Punting/Drop Kicks: No grade, not enough information in my notes.
- Goal Kicks: long powerful goal kicks into opponents end of the field.
- Throwing: The one throw I saw was very accurate and fairly well played.
- Bowling: Bowling technique needs improvement. Balls were still bouncing once they got to the players' feet.
- From Feet: long powerful balls played into opponents end of the field.
Psychological: D
- Confidence: Perhaps he has too much confidence in past ability. Teammates do not appear to be confident in Sala, especially after a couple poor decisions.
- Leadership: Did not appear to provide any constructive leadersip to team or provide an example of working hard. Bickered with teamates after plays that were the fault of Sala.
- Mental Toughness: Only had to make 4 saves. Did not do well the one time under pressure.
- Courage: Had an opportunity to bail out teammate left in a vulnerable position. No action taken.
- Attitude: The reaction following the goal was deplorable. You lose all credability with your team, officiating crew, and fans when you make a case that the allowed goal was due to a bad call by the line-official. Accept the fact that you screwed up, accept responsibility and focus on redeeming yourself.
Tactical: D
- Knowledge: I'm giving Sala the benefit of the doubt on this grade (4/5). He has extensive experience and longevity in world football.
- Decision Making: In goalkeeping, the risk/reward ratio is always small. On the play where the goal was allowed, the only reward in taking the risk to let the ball cross the end line was to avoid a throw-in. Only decision here needs be to be safe. Clear the ball and let your team defend the throw.
- Organization/Communication: Poor communication with teammate early in the match on a ball Sala needed to come off his line and grab before the opponent intercepted, or give direction to teammate to clear. The result was a corner kick given to NE.
Match Result: D
- Victory/Draw/Loss: Draw. Late goal by FC Dallas when New England was down 2 men.
- Shutout: Horrible, horrible goal.
- Significance in Result (+/-): Sala was instrumental in NOT getting a win for FC Dallas. The Revolution were down to 9 men due to ejections for much of the match.
Uniform Kit: Minus (-)
Fun category that can apply a plus or minus to grade.
- Style: Simple style. Acceptable. Why the #44, though?
- Coordination: The jersey and socks are two different, unacceptable shades of yellow.
- Color: Neon yellow, mustard yellow, and black.
Key Moments
4th min.
Poor comminucation between Sala and his defender (#3). Ball should have been captured by Sala coming off the line or cleared off to the side. Corner kick conceeded to New England.
4th min.
A cross directly at Sala was ball punched out of the box. Potentially could have been caught to retain possession. However, the puch was diverted into a proper area.
13th min.
Sala comes off line to secure a bouncing cross into the goal area. Subsequent distribution was a poor bouncing bowl to the ouside by Sala.
20th min.
30 yard shot. Sala moves to the right to get body in front of ball but falls to his knees.
29th min.
Sala comes out of the goal area to play a ball with his body. Nicely avoids an attacker.
40th min.
Corner Kick. Sala comes off his line to attempt a one handed slap/puch. Misplays the ball which falls behind him. One-time shot from NE goes off the post.
41st min.
Simple ball into box is poorly played by Sala who attempts to sheild the ball from the attacker to win a goal kick. The attacker steals the ball leaving Sala in no-man's land and the crossed ball is put into the back of the net.
42nd min.
Yellow Card. Sala given a caution for arguing with the official.
Other Match Notes:
10 yellow cards and 2 red cards given in match. Both red cards given to New England.
FC Dallas still does not have a 2010 win.
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