FC Dallas Defeats RBNY in Opener of Torneo de Tejas

On Saturday, Feb. 7, Red Bull New York fell to FC Dallas in the club's opening match of the Torneo de Tejas preseason tournament at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX. 

The match ended 3-0 in favor of Dallas after 90 minutes, but New York scored twice in an additional 45-minute period to make it a respectable 3-2 defeat.

Michael Bradley started what looked like the strongest eleven New York has trotted out to this point of preseason, once again opting for a natural fullback in the center of defense with Justin Che slotted alongside Robert Voloder.

While the match was not televised/streamed, it was an attendable event for FC Dallas season ticket holders and media members, who reported the match as being played on the Red Bulls' terms. New York's pressure forced Dallas to play against the ball, but it would be the Texans' counterattack that took advantage of a weak New York defense.

In the 22nd minute, Dallas winger Anderson Julio was sprung in behind and assisted striker Logan Farrington for his first of two goals on the day. 

Right before the halftime whistle blew, Julio would add a second on a clean breakaway that Voloder did not look so interested in tracking back to defend. Ethan Horvath made an initial save but could not keep out the follow-up.

Things went from bad to worse in the second half for New York. Debutant Designated Player Jorge Ruvalcaba was shown red in the 57th minute, but was replaced by Rafael Mosquera anyway, so RBNY remained at eleven men. Despite the early dismissal, Ruvalcaba reportedly showed signs of why Julian de Guzman invested in the Mexican-American winger, as the 24-year-old showcased his abilities to take defenders on one-vs-one.

Dallas, however, would add a third goal in the 80th. Sam Sarver drew a penalty on late sliding challenge from Omar Valencia that Farrington converted from the spot, despite a decent effort from Horvath in goal.

To make matters worse, New York was denied an 88th minute consolation goal as goalkeeper Michael Collodi made a spectacular fingertip save to keep out an Emil Forsberg penalty, his first spot-kick miss since joining RBNY ahead of 2024.

Bradley later instituted additional modifications to the lineup as the clubs embarked on an extra half of free soccer. New York played their best football in this portion of the match, scoring twice off the feet of substitutes Julian Hall and Andy Rojas in the 94th and 100th minutes, respectively. It was each of the youngsters second goals of preseason.

A match with plenty of lessons for Bradley and the Red Bulls as they continue their preseason in Texas this week with matches against Atlanta United on Wednesday, Feb. 11 and the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, Feb. 14.

RBNY will officially kick off the season on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Inter & Co. Stadium against conference foe Orlando City.