Major League Soccer Playoffs, Leg 2: FC Dallas Dethrones Real Salt Lake

The health of Hartman was a major question mark heading into this series. He had missed the final six regular season matches after suffering a knee injury, but didn’t look rusty at all in either of the matches against RSL.

FC Dallas is the third lower-seeded team to win its playoff matchup this season. If the Sounders were to overcome their 1-0 deficit on Sunday, that would mark the first time that all four lower seeds won their first-round games. The only other time three lower-seeded teams advanced was in 2005.

Findley did not start and was not having a great game, but his goal in the 79th minute did keep RSL’s slip hopes alive.

Fabian Espindola has had three golden opportunities to score and neither has resulted in a goal.

The second of those chances came in the 48th minute when Andy Williams set Espindola free inside the penalty area. Espindola was able to get a shot off, but FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was able to kick the ball over the frame despite diving in the wrong direction.

FC Dallas has come out guns blazing at Rio Tinto, scoring an early goal to extend the FC Dallas lead to two goals for the entirety of the tie. Dax McCarty scored the goal, but it was truly a team effort.

In the 17th minute, David Ferreria picked out Brek Shea with a great ball. Shea controlled the ball with his chest, knocking it into the path of Dax McCarty on the edge of the penalty area. McCarty controlled the ball well with his feet, beat his defender, and finished coolly past Nick Rimando to give his team the lead on the night and a two goal lead on aggregate.

Life will be difficult for the hosts of leg two without their top notch playmaker. Thanks to a straight red card in the first match, Morales is unavailable for the second leg. FC Dallas are not without casualties of their own from the first leg, though. They had Atiba Harris sent off in the first match, and he will not be easy to replace.

Dallas take a 2-1 lead into tonight’s game, but most would probably agree that both teams are probably around even odds to win right now. Based on Real Salt Lake’s home record this season, Dallas will have a rough time getting a draw and it’s highly unlikely that they will win tonight’s match outright. When these two teams met at Rio Tinto Stadium on October 16th, Dallas were thoroughly dominated in a 2-0 RSL win. If that result is duplicated, Real Salt Lake will advance.

This wasn’t the prettiest game, but whatever it lacked in beauty was compensated with drama.

The game was just the latest example of how precarious one-goal leads are in the MLS playoffs. Of the 24 times that the first leg has ended with no more than a goal separating the two teams, the road team has now managed to advance in 11 of them. That includes the road team winning three of the four series that were decided via penalty shootout.

The first four Crew penalty takers scored easily as well, but Carroll’s shot was shanked badly and sailed over the crossbar.

This is just the fourth time a playoff series has gone to penalty shootout and first since 2006. The road team has emerged victorious in three of those.

The game tightened up considerably in the first overtime. Neither team had many opportunities as the two sides seemed content to wait for the other to make a mistake.

The best chance of the overtime came on a Steven Lenhart shot in which he was able to get ahead of his mark just outside the six-yard box. But Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens was able to deflect the ball over the goal.

That is the first goal from either Casey or Cummings in this series, but the two have combined for 26 goals this season.

On the goal, Cummings brought the ball up the right wing and then centered it to Casey, who was able to score despite being tightly marked.

Robbie Rogers has given the Crew the aggregate lead on a goal in the 70th minute. The Crew lead the match 2-0, and are up 2-1 on the Rapids in aggregate.

Rogers, dubbed Wonder Boy during the Telefutura broadcast, was sent free on a through ball, fought off a defender and slotted the ball past Matt Pickens.

Brian Mullan and Schelotto have each been issued yellow cards for hard tackles.

In stark contrast to the first leg of this series, the Crew have been dominating almost from the opening whistle.

That domination finally led to the equalizing goal when Eddie Gaven jumped on a free ball inside the six-yard box in the 22nd minute.

Just about everyone who saw the first leg of the Crew-Rapids series agreed on two things: the Rapids were the better team and the Crew should be ecstatic to be down only one goal.

As the Earthquakes showed on Thursday, a one-goal deficit really isn’t that big of a deal. Considering the Crew are playing at home where they’ve been a very good team, that is doubly true.