The second leg of the Western Conference semifinal between FC Dallas and Seattle Sounders FC kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET in Frisco, Texas, with Seattle leading 2-1 (FS1, TSN1).
FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja wasn’t influenced by the capacity crowd at CenturyLink Field or the collection of World Cup veterans on Seattle’s roster in Sunday’s Western Conference Semifinal. He stuck with the formula that secured Dallas the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference: play the kids. FCD’s starting XI had an average age of 24.5 and featured only one player north of 30 – a stark contrast from Seattle’s 29.6 average age. Jesse Gonzalez, a 20-year-old Mexican youth national team standout and Homegrown Player, stood tall between the pipes in his first career playoff appearance and turned in five saves. Fabian Castillo, the winner of this year’s MLS 24 Under 24, opened the scoring for FC Dallas and was flat-out dominant throughout the match. Even at just 24 years old, Mauro Diaz might be considered a veteran of this FC Dallas squad, and he’s certainly playing like one. Dallas funnels its attack through the No. 10, and the former River Plate product exhibited mastery on the ball several times on Sunday night. Dallas’ youthful lineup went toe-to-toe with Seattle’s veteran-laden squad and emerged with their hopes of advancing to the Western Conference Championship very much intact.
FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja wasn’t influenced by the capacity crowd at CenturyLink Field or the collection of World Cup veterans on Seattle’s roster in Sunday’s Western Conference Semifinal. He stuck with the formula that secured Dallas the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference: play the kids. FCD’s starting XI had an average age of 24.5 and featured only one player north of 30 – a stark contrast from Seattle’s 29.6 average age. Jesse Gonzalez, a 20-year-old Mexican youth national team standout and Homegrown Player, stood tall between the pipes in his first career playoff appearance and turned in five saves. Fabian Castillo, the winner of this year’s MLS 24 Under 24, opened the scoring for FC Dallas and was flat-out dominant throughout the match. Even at just 24 years old, Mauro Diaz might be considered a veteran of this FC Dallas squad, and he’s certainly playing like one. Dallas funnels its attack through the No. 10, and the former River Plate product exhibited mastery on the ball several times on Sunday night. Dallas’ youthful lineup went toe-to-toe with Seattle’s veteran-laden squad and emerged with their hopes of advancing to the Western Conference Championship very much intact.
Sunday night provided more evidence that Seattle’s summer shopping spree is paying dividends. Andreas Ivanschitz, a 32-year-old midfielder acquired from La Liga side Levante in August, equalized the match in the 67th minute with a gorgeous left-footed shot from outside of the box. This comes one week after Erik Friberg, a Swedish international reacquired by Seattle this summer, potted the game-winner versus LA Galaxy in the Western Conference Knockout Round. Two-time World Cup veteran Nelson Valdez, who signed a Designated Player contract this summer, also gave Sounders FC 28 minutes off the bench. The key for Seattle heading into the second leg might be the health of Osvaldo Alonso and Brad Evans, who missed Sunday night’s match with injuries. Even if Alonso and/or Evans can’t go, Seattle always has a chance to win so long as Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins are on the field. In last week’s pair of playoff matches, the duo have a combined two goals – including Dempsey’s thunderous game-winning free kick - one assist, and 10 shots.
By: Editor
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