First Touches is back for a double feature this week, as Minnesota travels southwards for a matchup in the Lone Star State and the high-flying attack of FC Dallas.

Stats and Notes

• Minnesota’s 1-1 draw with LA Galaxy on Wednesday night moved them to 15 points on the season and a four-way tie for seventh in the Western Conference with Colorado, Houston and Portland; Colorado, Houston and Minnesota are all tied on goal difference at 0, but Minnesota has scored (and allowed) one fewer goal than the others so they sit ninth.
• Dallas, meanwhile, had an opportunity to move to the top of the West on Wednesday, but lost 2-1 away to last-place Vancouver and remain one point behind LAFC and Austin.
• Dallas is one of eight MLS teams to score 20 or more goals so far this season, and is one of four with a goal difference of +10 or greater.
• After conceding a penalty to the Galaxy towards the end of their Wednesday match, the Loons are tied with six other teams for the league lead in penalties conceded with three.
• Minnesota finished the match on Wednesday with 2.8 xG (via Football Reference); their previous season best in one match was 1.7 xG against Seattle and Nashville.
• Robin Lod’s late equalizer was his 21st regular season goal for the Loons, tying him with Darwin Quintero, Kevin Molino and Christian Ramirez for the all-time MLS record.
• D.J. Taylor’s assist on that goal was his first assist for Minnesota and his first assist in MLS.
• Jesus Ferreira, with nine goals for Dallas on the season, is the current leader for the MLS Golden Boot, two goals ahead of any other player in the league.
• Ferreira’s nine goals have come on just 31 total shots and 12 shots on target; his 29% shot conversion is third best among players with four or more goals in MLS.
• Dallas has 23 assists as a team, good for fourth in the league; however, no single player has more than three.
• Dayne St. Clair’s 79.6% save percentage is second among goalkeepers with six or more appearances, and best of the five goalkeepers with 40 or more saves.
• Via Football Reference: shots that St. Clair has faced have a total xG of 15.2, and he has allowed 10 goals this season; the difference between the two of +5.2 is comfortably the best of any goalkeeper in MLS..

Minnesota Connections

• Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Tsiki Ntsabeleng are the only two active MLS players from South Africa.
• Jacori Hayes played for FC Dallas from 2017 to 2019. He also played for North Texas FC, which at the time was the club’s USL League One squad, and is now part of MLS Next Pro.
• Hayes, Justin McMaster and Brandon Servania all played for Wake Forest in college.
• Franco Jara played for CF Pachuca in 2019, facing Minnesota in a friendly at Allianz Field. Jara scored the second goal for Los Tuzos in an eventual 2-2 draw.
• Callum Montgomery was traded to Minnesota United ahead of the 2021 season from FC Dallas. He was drafted by Dallas in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft and was a teammate of Dayne St. Clair on the U23 Canada Men’s National Team.

MATCH INFO

FC Dallas vs. Minnesota United FC
Toyota Stadium | Frisco, TX
05.22.22 | MLS Game No. 13
6:00 pm CT (MLS LIVE on ESPN+, Bally Sports North, 1500 ESPN)