FC Dallas eliminated from Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with road loss to Nashville SC

FC Dallas saw its Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign end Wednesday night on the road.

While FC Dallas controlled possession for most of the contest, Nashville SC made the most of its second-half opportunities to claim a 2-0 win in a Round of 32 match at GEODIS Park in Nashville. Fafà Picault and Alex Muyl came up with timely shots, scoring 13 minutes apart to build an advantage that FC Dallas couldn’t overcome.

Wednesday’s showdown started a short road trip for an FC Dallas squad that had a little extra rest after its meeting with St. Louis City SC was suspended due to inclement weather. FC Dallas faced a Nashville side that didn’t feature regular starters like Walker Zimmerman and Shaq Moore.

After a slow first half, Nashville showed the first signs of danger when a Picault attempt on goal went wide to the right of Jimmy Maurer’s goal. Picault made the most of his next attempt, cruising down the left wing before sending a low shot past Maurer to give his team a one-goal advantage in the 63rd minute.

Muyl followed Picault’s goal up with a left-footed strike that angled past two FCD defenders to Maurer’s right-hand side. FCD looked to respond after falling behind by two scores, with Alan Velasco and Jesus Ferreira being the central figures on the attack.

FCD had no response for the deficit, closing out the match with one shot on target.

The loss brought FC Dallas’ all-time record in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play to 36-23-6. The road trip will continue Saturday with a regular-season showdown against in-state rival Austin FC at Q2 Stadium in Austin.

FCD will continue honoring victims of the Allen mall shooting during its next match in Austin. The team wore t-shirts and armbands that read “Allen Strong” on its trip to Nashville.

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