Petar Musa suits up as hat-trick hero, powers FC Dallas’ 5-goal surge vs. Minnesota United

FC Dallas has not scored five goals in a match since August 29, 2021 when they defeated Austin FC, 5-3, on the road.

At home, it has been even longer. Dallas defeated Minnesota United FC, 5-3, on August 10, 2019.

Star forward Petar Musa tallied three of Dallas’ five goals on Wednesday night against Minnesota, leading to another 5-3 win at Toyota Stadium, five years later.

“This is what we want from Petar,” FCD interim head coach Peter Luccin said post-game. “To be closer to the box and to have that energy and to be happy. He needs to be happy. We talked with him and said, ‘Petar, don’t worry. It is just a matter of time.’

“He has been fantastic today.”

The Croatian designated player had not scored in five games since his one-goal performance in FCD’s 1-1 tie against Houston Dynamo on May 18.

FCD’s last hat trick was more than two years ago when Jesús Ferreira scored three goals in 10 minutes in the team’s 4-1 win against Portland Timbers.

Dallas took the game’s first on-frame shot in the 12th minute. Left winger Bernard Kamungo made a penetrating run behind Minnesota’s defense, yet struck the ball at goalkeeper Clint Irwin’s hands.

Musa redeemed FCD five minutes later to take a 1-0 lead. The Croatian forward dribbled past outside defender Miguel Tapias toward the goal line and found the back post for his first goal in six matches.

Minnesota had an opportunity to respond in the 19th minute. Caden Clark slotted a ball across the 18-yard box to Robin Lod, who took a one-time shot right to goalkeeper Maarten Paes.

The Loons equalized in the 32nd minute with Bongokuhle Hlongwane’s jumping header off Joseph Rosales’ corner kick.

FCD regained its lead six minutes later. Midfielder Katlego Ntsabeleng played a through ball to Kamungo, who sped past Minnesota’s defense on the left flank toward the goal. Kamungo crossed the ball to Musa, who made a one-time finish for his second goal of the evening.

Dallas ended the first half with 47.3% possession. Despite the score, the team took just four shots compared with Minnesota’s 12.

FCD was careless with its own goal line, conceding three corner kicks in the first half and leaving Hlongwane undefended for two of them.

“We were happy offensively, but we need to clean up defensively,” Luccin said.

Minnesota tied it up again in the 57th minute. Hassani Dotson took a shot from just outside the box, which deflected off Paes’ right hand and hit both goal posts before going in.

“As soon as we scored the goals, you could see that we dropped,” Luccin said. “That is a behavior we need to change.”

Musa scored his third of the night in the 62nd minute, giving FCD a 3-2 lead. Dallas captain Paul Arriola chipped the ball to midfielder Sebastian Lletget running into the box, who laid it off to Musa for the finish. Musa leads the team in goals with eight.

The striker’s hat trick is the 11th in team history.

Ferreira added another in the 75th minute, darting past Minnesota’s defense before placing the ball into the bottom right-hand corner. The 23-year-old has four goals this season, second-most behind Musa.

“Offensively, it was very impressive what we did because we had a very good counterattack,” Luccin said.

Forward Logan Farrington closed out FCD’s scoring in the 90th minute, pulling a move on Minnesota’s backline before finding the net.

“[Farrington] is a beast, working hard at every practice, just being patient and waiting for his opportunity,” Luccin said. “Against St. Louis, he almost had a goal. Today, he was working hard, even defensively. Very happy, very pleased with him.”

Minnesota managed a penalty kick goal in the 99th minute. Farrington made the foul in the box, and Wil Trapp scored the goal.

Luccin is undefeated as Dallas’ new interim head coach. He led the team to a 2-0 shutout against St. Louis City SC on Saturday, his first game in charge.

He will manage the team throughout the rest of the season as an audition for a permanent position.

The match was also celebration of Juneteenth, a national holiday to commemorate the end of slavery. FCD welcomed a gospel choir to perform the Black national anthem before the match and held a musical performance at halftime.

FCD heads West this weekend to face Seattle Sounders FC, who beat Minnesota 2-0 on Saturday.

“We all know Seattle,” Luccin said. “We all know they are a top team, one of the best teams in the league. We respect them big time. We are going to go there very focused because we know that if we are not focused, they will punish us.”

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