On a windy night in Dallas, MNUFC faced off against an as-yet undefeated Dallas squad that won the Supporters’ Shield last season and notched 60 points in each of the last two. Hoping to build chemistry with their newest additions, the Loons defense looked immediately better, but a bevy of scoring chances went begging as Dallas keeper Jesse Gonzalez turned shot after shot away in a 2-0 Dallas win.
Newcomers Sam Cronin and Marc Burch were brought in to shore up a shaky defense and they made an early impact. Cronin began the match with a lot of touches and a clear intention to direct players on the pitch to keep the defensive shape intact.