FC Dallas made sure home-field advantage continued to mean little in the 2010 MLS Cup playoffs.
Major League Soccer Playoffs, Leg 2: Home Teams Are Not Faring Well
By eliminating Real Salt Lake, FC Dallas pushed the record of home teams to 2-3-2 this season. RSL did get a late goal to allow their home unbeaten streak to stretch to 33 matches across all competitions, but it was too little too late to overcome the Hoops' aggregate advantage.
Dax McCarty had put Dallas up by two on aggregate with a 17th minute strike and Kevin Hartman essentially took it from there.
Hartman improved to 12-1-8 this season and allowed one or fewer goals for the 20th time this season. On this day, Hartman made several spectacular saves, none of which were more impressive than when he stuck his leg out while diving the wrong direction on a Fabian Espindola shot.
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.
FC Dallas would host the Western Conference finals if the Sounders advance, but will visit Los Angeles otherwise.
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