SEATTLE — Welcome back to Keeping Score: Your complete FC Dallas match day experience.
FC Dallas needed to do something it had never done before to advance to the second round: Win a playoff game in Seattle. FC Dallas was 0-5-1 all-time playing playoff matches at Lumen Field.
Further more, FC Dallas had only won a single match in Seattle in club history: a May 2011 1-0 victory, courtesy of a Brek Shea goal. FC Dallas was 1-14-6 in 21 all-time meetings in Seattle.
The clubs tied in both regular season matches this year, home and away (1-1 in each spot).
It all came down to one game. And FC Dallas' starting XI didn't include their best offensive player, Jesus Ferreira, who was out with a lower body injury. Paxton Pomykal was called upon to move out of the midfield and into an attacking position.
Here's what happened in Game 3:
Seattle dominated possession in the first half, getting it upwards of 70%-30% split at the peak. The Sounders kept the pedal to the metal until finally breaking through in the 36th minute. João Paulo intercepted a pass and played a through ball behind the Toros back line, which was finished off with a left-footed shot by Albert Rusnák.
FC Dallas did not register a single shot attempt, let alone shot on goal, for the entire first half. Seattle led FC Dallas in xG 0.89 to 0.00 at half.
In the 57th minute, Maarten Paes made a diving, one-handed save from point blank range to keep the game deficit to one goal.
Every single one of FC Dallas' second half substitutions were bringing on forwards and attacking midfielders: Eugene Ansah for Bernard Kamungo, Jesus Jimenez for Jader Obrian, Dante Sealy for Liam Fraser, Sebastian Lletget for Paxton Pomykal and Tsiki Ntsabeleng for Ema Twumasi.
FC Dallas didn't generate a corner kick until the 88th minute of the match. The first shot on goal didn't come until the 89th: A header by Nkosi Tafari off a cross by Paul Arriola.
The game culminated with one final long ball into the box from half field, with even Paes forward in the attack. After that play didn't yield any results, the final whistle blew. Seattle advanced to the next round to take on the defending champions, LAFC.
Frisco Foodie Fun
Check out all the new mid-season additions here.
Here's my breakdown of the Toyota Stadium new concession rankings this season:
- Hot Chicken Mac N Cheese
- Double Patty Cherry Pepper Relish Burger
- Double Stack Quesadilla
- Jerk Chicken Wings
- Funnel sticks with cherry sauce
- Monster Taco
- Elote on a stick
- Vegan tenders
- Birria Grilled Cheese
#DTID Man of the Match
Maarten Paes made numerous saves to keep the match within reach at 1-0.
What they said
Head Coach Nico Estévez
On tonight's game…
“Well, first of all, I would like to congratulate the Seattle Sounders on winning this best-of-3 round. It was a really good battle between both teams throughout these three games. I congratulate them because I think they did a good job and they were able to beat us. We are disappointed.”
On the challenges of playing at Seattle…
“It makes it difficult for attacking teams to play on turf, to be honest and I think we struggled with that. I think the subs that we made, it gave us a lot of energy and physicality and quality. We put ourselves in a great position until the end. We created some dangerous plays. We created some corner kicks at the end of the game and we stretched them. Maybe we score a goal, we will be taking the PK's and have a chance to go on but we knew it was going to be a really difficult series that always benefits the team that plays at home.”
On goalkeeper Maarten Paes…
“Goalkeepers have their tasks and we are lucky to have a guy like Maarten (Paes). You see all around the world, even champions like Manchester City, they need their keepers to make big saves, even though they're the best team in the world. Obviously we had to take risks in the second half and open up a little bit more and we exposed ourselves a little bit more in the back. We trust in our players, and we trust a lot in Maarten, and we know in the moment that he has to show, he's going to show up. I'm happy to have him on the team and really, really proud about his season.”
Midfielder Sebastian Lletget
On the season ending tonight…
“It’s a tough one, and it shows you how tough it is to win away from home in this league. Every year it keeps getting tougher. I am proud of this team and proud of the steps we are taking forward. We reached a new ceiling and we want to break that. We had a tough road to get here collectively and individually with injuries. We couldn’t have Jesús (Ferreira) tonight and he is a key player for us. It’s a shame for our fans and for our club. We put in the work behind closed doors, in the training field and on game day. It’s a shame that we came up short.”
On the adversities faced this season…
“It’s always a tremendous achievement to get this far in the season. Of course everyone wants to be champions at the end of every season. When I joined this club, that was the ultimate goal I set for myself and the club. It is a failure, but we take a step forward in that direction. We want to win it and we know we have the talent, potential and staff to win the league. It’s all about certain things lining up for us but it just didn’t happen.”
Forward Paul Arriola
On the emotions at the moment…
“I can say that the group and I are very disappointed. The goal is never to just make it to the playoffs, but also win the title. Overall I am very proud of the group for the season that we’ve had. We always talked about facing adversities and coming back. We dealt with off the field and on the field stuff. We put ourselves in this position and you can look at it from a good or bad perspective. I am really proud we made it to this third game and we all wish we could’ve had more games. We wish things would’ve gone our way but that is just how soccer is. There were a lot of things that we could’ve done better. We needed to focus more on our physicality which we had talked about. It’s a tough atmosphere to play in, but it’s a great place to play at. They have great fans and they are a team with experience. We give them credit, but at the same time this one stings. We will have to use this as motivation for next season.”
On the team’s mentality to never quit…
“This year was tough, and there is no denying that. It felt as if every week we had something happening. Someone would go down injured or someone had to leave, it was just all different things. We just kept going and trusted our guys. There was a time in the middle of the season where I was gone, I was looking at the team and every guy up there was ready to go. Every player played their part and did the best they could. At the end of the day we have a humble group of guys who want to be there and fight for one another. If we can get that and continue to get better on the field and make differences in games , it will get better for next season. That’s our question and it’s what we will be looking to do next year.”
Injury update
- OUT: Alan Velasco (season-ending knee injury)
- OUT: Geovane Jesus (season-ending knee injury)
- OUT: Tarik Scott (season-ending knee injury)
- OUT: Jesus Ferreira (lower body)
- OUT: Marco Farfan (lower body)
What's next/8 ball prediction
FC Dallas' season is over.
"8 ball" bold prediction tracker:
At the beginning of the season, I said FC Dallas would have three players score 12-plus goals this season: Jesus Ferreira, Paul Arriola and Alan Velasco. At least I got Ferreira correct! (major shrug)
- Ferreira: 12/12
- Arriola: 3/12
- Velasco: 4/12
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