FRISCO, Texas — The Columbus Crew took a 1-0 lead into halftime Wednesday night against FC Dallas, thanks to an 18th-minute goal from Gonzalo Tapia. Despite taking the early lead, Columbus needed several big saves from goalkeeper Patrick Schulte to preserve its advantage.
Tapia put the Crew ahead with a left-footed shot from the center of the penalty area, placing the ball into the bottom-left corner. Anass Zaroury provided the assist, with Santiago Rodríguez helping create the opportunity.
Dallas responded by putting pressure on the Columbus defense, forcing Schulte into three saves over a six-minute stretch. He stopped a header from Santiago Moreno in the 23rd minute, denied Shaq Moore in the 26th, and saved another header from Petar Musa in the 28th.
The Crew had opportunities to extend their lead, but shots from Rodríguez, Tapia, and Zaroury all missed the target. Sean Zawadzki also sent a header over the crossbar in the 45th minute.
Schulte was called upon again in first-half stoppage time, saving Ran Binyamin's attempt in the 45th+3 minute. Columbus will need to tighten up defensively in the second half after allowing several scoring opportunities despite carrying a one-goal lead into the break.
