Right back Kofi Sarkodie had barely begun his first preseason with the Dynamo in February 2011 when he realized even friendly matches against FC Dallas could turn bitterly violent and nasty.

Sarkodie was stunned when a relatively mild exhibition match in Corpus Christi soured quickly when Dallas' Jair Benitez spit in the face of Dynamo midfielder Geoff Cameron, setting off a heated confrontation that almost led to fisticuffs.

Major League Soccer's Lone Star rivals had a bit of a cooling off period from 2011 through 2014 when the Dynamo were moved to the Eastern Conference, leaving only one regular-season match between the clubs annually.

MLS moved the Dynamo back to the Western Conference this season, pitting the rivals against each other three times this regular season, beginning Friday night at BBVA Compass Stadium.

"I think Dallas is probably the longest-standing rival," Sarkodie said. "In the past couple of years we've kind of been in and out (of rivalries) in terms of Kansas City because we were playing them and New York almost every year when it came to the playoffs. So those two teams started to grow into this rivalry type of matchup.

"But Dallas has always been between the lines in Texas a battle that we're always kind of up for. Even when we play them in preseason, for whatever reason the games in Dallas always get edgy. They just always do since I got here in 2011."

Ugly confrontation

Long before Benitez almost came to blows with Cameron and Brian Ching after the 2011 incident, one of the most infamous fights in MLS history occurred during the Lone Star rivalry.

Late in the 2007 season, the Dynamo's Ricardo Clark erupted against Dallas' Carlos Ruiz.

The Dynamo were well in control of the match late with a 3-0 lead when Ruiz tripped Clark inside the six-yard box while trying to reach a dangerous free kick that was going toward the Dynamo goal. Clark popped up and kicked Ruiz near his shoulder and face. To this day, some say Clark kicked Ruiz in the face. Clark claims he kicked the mercurial forward in the shoulder.

Ruiz and Clark were ejected for the play. Clark also drew a league-record nine-game suspension that knocked him out of the 2007 MLS Cup final.

"Yeah, obviously that was a pretty heated moment," Clark says. "Kind of told you of the intensity of the games between us. To be fair, that was more of a personal issue between me and Carlos. I made a mistake.

"I probably shouldn't have put my aggression toward him at that moment or probably should have done something more subtle. I've learned from it. We've moved on."

Differences patched up

Clark and Ruiz reconciled in March 2013 when Ruiz no longer played for Dallas. They exchanged jerseys after the Dynamo beat D.C. United 2-0 in March 2013.

Clark is reminded of the incident every once in a while from fans at home urging him to kick somebody in the face. His teammates tease him as well.

"It's part of the game," he said. "People make mistakes. I just laugh. Guys joke with me in the locker room, especially the medical staff. Everybody always says I kicked him in the face.

"I say, "No, I kicked him in the shoulder, the safest part of the body.' So I was actually using combative courtesy. We just laugh about it now."

It might be a stretch to claim combative courtesy has defined MLS' Lone Star rivalry. It has clearly been combative though.

Scouting report: vs. FC Dallas

When/where: 7 p.m today; BBVA Compass Stadium.

Records: FC Dallas 4-2-2, Dynamo 2-2-4.

TV/radio: Root; 1560 AM and 850 AM (Spanish).

Three things to watch:

1 If the Dynamo have a lead, they must figure out a way to kill off the clock to win the match. They blew a 3-1 lead Saturday in the final 20 minutes of a 4-4 tie with Sporting Kansas City.

2 Forward Giles Barnes is one of the most dangerous players on the attack in MLS and was nothing short of brilliant while scoring two goals last week against Sporting Kansas City. But his lapse with the ball proved costly when he made an ill-advised, cheeky pass back to goalkeeper Tyler Deric. The ball was intercepted by Dom Dwyer, who scored on the play to let Kansas City back into the match. Barnes took the blame and vowed to learn from his mistake.

3 Center back Jermaine Taylor will be available after an independent review panel rescinded the red card he received last Saturday. The veteran has been steady in the back all season for the Dynamo, and the club needs him.

Jose de Jesus Ortiz