As far as first impressions goes, it didn’t get much better for Sebastian Lletget than Saturday night at Toyota Stadium.
The US men’s national team midfielder, who is still getting acclimated to his new teammates after being acquired by FC Dallas in a trade with the New England Revolution, had a pair of assists in a critical 4-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes.
“It was amazing, amazing crowd, obviously the result. And we needed it,” Lletget said after his first home match with FC Dallas. “The boys did a really good job. Again, still getting used to everyone, but I think it's a step forward.”
FC Dallas are third in the Western Conference with eight matches remaining in the regular season and sit six points above the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs line.
“We know that from third place all the way down to 11th is pretty tight on the standings. Every time we are able to earn three points they are important,” said Marco Farfan, who scored his first MLS goal in the 20th minute. “It’s almost like earning six points because you are winning the games against the teams that are breathing down your neck. There are situations where the bottom half teams are able to beat the top half teams. It’s all in our hands now and we will continue to work to earn three points in every game.”
Lletget made the move to Dallas on Aug. 3 with $600,000 in General Allocation Money going the other way.
The 29-year-old’s time in New England was short, having spent just seven months there after a trade from the LA Galaxy last winter. He had two goals and five assists in 19 appearances (18 starts) with the Revs, but his impact in his first home game with FC Dallas was immediate and important.
Lletget first set up Farfan to double FC Dallas’ early lead after Jesus Ferreira’s opening goal three minutes after kickoff and then assisted on Alan Velasco’s fourth goal of the season in the 57th minute to extend the advantage to 4-0.
It was the first time in his eight-season MLS career Lletget recorded multiple assists in a game.
“It's just getting good spots, giving guys the opportunity to do what they do,” he said. “This is a very skillful group with a lot of ability. So it just gets me even more excited for the games.”
FC Dallas coach Nico Estevez emphasized being clinical in front of goal, something the club lacked in a 1-1 draw against the Portland Timbers a week prior. The heeded those words by scoring four goals in a match for just the second time this season.
“We’re players with a lot of skills, so it’s not that hard to have chemistry,” said Jesus Ferreira, who scored a pair of goals to increase his season total to 14. “I’m just excited that we can all be on the same page and connect, and that’s how we showed out today. When we can combine our skills and be on the same page, that’s how we get the results of goals and assists.”
