FRISCO, Texas — Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Fireworks were in no short display on Monday as Inter Miami stole 1 point in Frisco on Independence Day in the waning moments against FC Dallas.
Trailing 1-0 as the clock ticked away, Leonardo Campana scored the equalizer in the 88th minute for Inter Miami, locking up the 1-1 draw.
“Football is a game of moments and if they get a chance, maybe we go behind them," FC Dallas Goalkeeper Maarten Paes said. "We have to defend the lead, of course, and tie them up in spaces. Yeah, we just wanted a win really badly and that’s a shame at the end. We didn't get it.”
FC Dallas led for most of the match after Alan Velasco gave the club a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. Velasco scored his third goal and his second free kick goal of the season. FC Dallas leads the MLS with three free kick goals so far this season.
“Leading up to that free kick sequence, I noticed that their wall was full of tall people," Velasco said. "It would be difficult to place the ball over the wall but I had to trick the keeper because I felt like he was expecting it over the wall. I was able to sneak the ball in the bottom corner past the keeper. I am happy to have contributed with the goal.”
Each goalkeeper saved two shots in the match, but Paes narrowly missed out on his fifth clean sheet of the season.
“We are frustrated with the fact we haven’t gotten the points we have desired. We know summer time is a difficult time of the year, especially for the Texas teams," FC Dallas Head Coach Nico Estévez said. "We analyzed the stats and the heat does make an impact. There have been good moments throughout the last few matches but we need to dominate certain areas of the game. We have to dominate the opponents box to score goals and also defend our own box so opponents aren't able to score. Once we correct these aspects of the game, we will be able to control the outcome of the games.”
FC Dallas will play another Texas Derby match next, this time against Houston Dynamo. FC Dallas won their last match, 2-1, in April.
“We've been getting points on the road so for a derby, that means a lot for us, and for fans. With a lot of unity, with a lot of desire to win next Saturday,” said FC Dallas Midfielder Facundo Quignon.