FC Dallas gets win over St. Louis in interim manager Peter Luccin’s debut

The first match for FC Dallas under interim manager Luccin was a rollercoaster of a win.

Last Sunday, FC Dallas announced the departure of third-year manager Nico Estévez after a start to the season that saw them second from bottom in the MLS’ Western Conference and without a singular road win.

Looking for a new manager bounce on Saturday, and their first win since May 12, FC Dallas got that with a 2-0 win over fellow Western Conference bottom dweller St. Louis City SC.

The win was far from pretty, as with just 20 minutes gone in the match, St. Louis’ midfielder Célio Pompeu suffered a gruesome ankle injury that stopped the match for multiple minutes. Pompeu left the field on a stretcher and with an air cast affixed to his foot. Both sides were visibly shaken afterward.

In the 28th minute, FC Dallas’ Paul Arriola went down after a physical challenge in the St. Louis penalty area, winning a penalty kick. FCD’s Jesús Ferreira stepped up to bury the penalty past St. Louis’ Roman Bürki.

The same St. Louis defender that gave up the penalty, Joakim Nilsson, left the match in the 36th minute shortly after he pulled up with a hamstring injury.

In the second half, FCD was thoroughly outplayed by St. Louis, having to bunker in and rely on keeper Maarten Paes to make heroic save after save to keep the visitors at bay and their narrow one-goal lead intact. Through the 2024 season, Paes has been incredibly reliable in goal, despite FCD’s poor form.

Against the run of play, FC Dallas’s record-signing Petar Musa found the back of the net in the 72nd minute, only for the goal to be ruled out after a brief VAR review.

St. Louis struggled to take advantage of their stranglehold of possession for the remainder of the second half. Spurning chance after chance, with seldom opportunities coming for FCD on the break. That was until the 81st minute when FCD defender Nkosi Tafari headed in a cross for Dallas’ second goal on the evening. Tafari after scoring sprinted over to the FCD touchline and celebrated with interim manager Peter Luccin.

FC Dallas’ win on the season brings them to 17 points — one shy of St. Louis’ 18 — and more importantly, starts Luccin’s reign on a positive note.

The real test for FC Dallas will come this upcoming Wednesday when they face Minnesota United at Toyota Stadium. Minnesota is in third place in the Western Conference. The last time the two clubs matched up was former manager Estévez’s final game in charge, ending in a 1-1 draw at Allianz Field.

Find more FC Dallas coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.