On Saturday, Santiago Moreno entered in the 65th minute with FC Dallas still locked at 0-0. By the final whistle, he had helped create the opener and scored the final goal in Dallas’ 3-0 defeat of the Earthquakes at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.
Moreno replaced Joaquín Valiente while the game remained goalless. His eventual goal and assist gave that substitution substance beyond fresh legs. Dallas still needed contributions from several other players, but Moreno participated at both ends of the late scoring sequence: helping the first goal arrive and supplying the last one himself.
The first breakthrough came after more than 80 scoreless minutes. Bernard Kamungo’s cutback found Petar Musa outside the box, and Musa drove a right-footed shot into the top-right corner. Moreno received the secondary assist on the goal. Kamungo’s delivery and Musa’s finish were the visible final actions, while Moreno’s credited contribution helped complete the sequence that finally turned Dallas’ pressure into a lead.
That goal mattered because Dallas had spent the evening producing chances without converting them. Joaquín Valiente sent a close-range attempt high after Musa’s setup late in the first half. Soon afterward, Angus Gunn saved Musa’s shot, and Daniel Job put the rebound over the bar.
In the 63rd minute, Kamungo’s low effort from outside the box missed to the left. Three separate opportunities had come and gone while the score remained 0-0, leaving plenty of room for one sharp San Jose counter to change the evening.
The Earthquakes created those danger moments. In the 18th minute, FC Dallas goalkeeper Daniel saved Beau Leroux’s header from the right side of the six-yard box after Timo Werner’s cross. Ten minutes later, Beau Leroux stole the ball and sent it forward toward Ousseni Bouda.
Daniel swiped the ball away before Bouda could attempt a shot. That was not another save, but it prevented a promising break from becoming a finished chance.
Those interventions kept the match from becoming a simple story about Dallas controlling everything. Dallas finished with 16 shots to San Jose’s four and held a 6-1 advantage in corners, yet possession was nearly even at 51%-49%. The numbers point to greater attacking volume without suggesting every Dallas attack was clean or that San Jose lacked a route into the match.
A team can generate more opportunities and still remain one bad moment from a frustrating result.
Moreno changed the late arithmetic in two separate actions. His secondary assist belonged to the move that produced Musa’s opener. His own goal arrived at 90+4, after Ramiro’s headed pass set up a left-footed finish from the right side of the box.
