It will likely end up being too little too late, but FC Dallas continues to show that it has plenty of fight left in it. Counted out all season with a poor start to 2009, the amazing turnaround continued last night against a San Jose team that played hard but came up short to Dallas, 2-1.
Goals from David Ferreira and Jeff Cunningham were the difference last night as Dallas managed to grab three valuable points on the road. Cunningham was involved in both goals, setting up Ferreira for the first goal, then taking a pass from Dax McCarty and slotting home the winner into an empty net.
The win moves Dallas equal on points with D.C. United, and while playoffs are still a longshot — two more wins would perhaps get them close — it has certainly been quite the change. The win in San Jose was their third in a row and fourth in five games. Consider what might have been if they hadn't lost four out of their first five games of the season.
RSL draws with Chivas Guadalajara
One club that looks out of the playoff race is Real Salt Lake. Despite that fact, the club still hosted Mexican club Chivas Guadalajara last night out at Rio Tinto. A Fabian Espindola goal was enough to secure a 1-1 draw for the home club.
Salt Lake, on 34 points, face three winnable games to close out their season. They host both the New York Red Bulls and Colorado Rapids, with a trip to Toronto squeezed in between. Three wins are a must for the club if they hope to still make the playoffs?
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What do you think of last night's game? Think FC Dallas can make the playoffs? Will RSL make a run at the playoffs?
Share your thoughts below.
Madmax – they were speaking both. The mexican players were clearly verbally abusing him, and the mexican fans were yelling in english and spanish. I only understood “n*igger.” I assumed that since they were yelling that in english, they would be less reserved in spanish.
Olave looked like he flipped his lid after the first few confrontations with the players, and he was close enough to us to hear the mexican fans.
I am on the front row, so that is where my perspective is from. I found it … lame…
But, Olave needs to be more level headed…
I would not look forward to face Dallas in the first round of the playoffs!
FCD’s 2nd goal was CLEARLY onside. Dax was ahead of Cunningham with the ball and play it in front of Jeff and JC ran onto the ball for the easy goal. No questions about it he was onside. You really need to learn the laws of the game in SJ
Jimmie Johnson,
“The reason it got out of hand was bc the mexican supporters were calling Olave a n*gger. Really. My wife crapped the first time we heard it. It happened repeatedly. We suspect the Chivas players called him the same thing bc the way he acted.
Olave is from columbia and speaks spanish so he knows what they were saying.”
Were they speaking English or Spanish in the stands/field? What you quoted would be English, not Spanish.
FCD’s 2nd goal was blatantly offside. Not the through ball (that was splendid), look at the last pass from McCarty to Cunningham. Cunningham was miles offside, it’s not close in any dimension. The referees really need to explain that one.
Dax was through on goal, but he needed to shoot. Once he passes to his teammate on the wrong side of the last defender, the play is dead. Offside. Obvious on the MLS video: http://web.mlsnet.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7022943
Awesome.
I was at the RSL v. Chivas G game and it was awesome. Awesome fans, awesome game.
The reason it got out of hand was bc the mexican supporters were calling Olave a n*gger. Really. My wife crapped the first time we heard it. It happened repeatedly. We suspect the Chivas players called him the same thing bc the way he acted.
Olave is from columbia and speaks spanish so he knows what they were saying.
Red for Olave was deserved however. That is 4 red cards this year.
@ tim
It’s because RSL is in the middle of an 18 day span where they don’t have any other games scheduled. Thanks MLS…
Great result for FC Dallas. I think this is a great story. Dallas is riding the torrid form of Jeff Cunningham,…I happen to think they can beat Colorado and set a up tense match against Seattle.
I thought the RSL/Chivas game was very entertaining. The first half was ridiculous, but that seems to be par for the course for a US/Mexico club clash. If you switched channels at halftime you missed great 10-on-10, end-to-end stuff in the second half. Oh yeah, nice goal from Espindola, but the guy is a shameless baiter and flopper.
why is RSL playing friendlies in the home stretch for the playoff? Shouldn’t they be focusing on making the play-offs instead of playing games that don’t count for anything?
Ever Since Cooper left the FC Dallas Jeff Cunningham has been very productive and he doing a great job for Dallas, I’m a galaxy Fan and wow he did killed us in the last game with the Hat Trick, I’m glad that he getting back to his old firm and I would considered him for the National Team. He was there before and I think he can come back to put a good support at top and his Veteran leadership he can give a good help to Donovan. So Bob Bradley Give Cunningham a chance..
I believe Dallas still has a chance as their next two opponents, Colorado and Seattle, have been playing not to lose while Dallas has been playing fast and loose.
Dallas could change the MLS story of the year from the Sounders start to the Dallas finish on the last game in Seattle.
I could definetly see Sala in a telanovela.
@ bf
yea players like Eduardo will tell you how courteous everyone is. (SARCASM)
A cheap shot broke his leg!
BF,
Looking for ways to rationalize your ambivalence for MLS and MFL, I see. Keep up the good work. [DWS]
That website that Steve listed shows that if Dallas wins all three of their final matches, they have a 96% chance of making the playoffs. If they somehow managed it, it would be quite an impressive feat, considering where they were at after the first half of the season.
And MemRook… for me, stats aren’t necessarily the only way to pick and MVP. Like right now, if NE makes the playoffs, I think Joseph would win, based on how valuable (sure with goals and assists to an extent) he has been for NE.
If Dallas somehow manages to make the playoffs, I don’t see why Cunningham wouldn’t get the MVP award. His goals (and assists mind) would have carried Dallas back from the dead, in an impressive way.
FC Dallas I think will still need some help to get through. If they win out they will have what most people think are enough points but I belive the last playoff count still had the teams ahead of them being able to qualify by winning one game or maybe a couple of teams needed two wins.
With 17 goals and 8 assists, doesn’t Cunningham HAVE to be in consideration for mls MVP??? Especially if his team makes the playoffs??? The next closest MVP candidate I’ve heard has 12 goals and 3 assists (Schelotto). It seems to me that with those stats Cunningham is more essential to his team, especially making the playoffs, than Schelotto is. Columbus are still good w/o Schelotto, but are Dallas nearly as dangerous without Cunningham? I don’t think so.
I just watched the highlights of the Chivas – Real Salt Lake game. Why do USA teams playing Mexican teams always turn out so dirty? That tackle from behind by the Chivas player after the first goal should have been a Red. That is just ugly soccer. This may show bias, but I rarely see a Premiership game with such antics. That was a prime example of why to watch neither the Mexican league nor the MLS. When teams are more skillful they don’t have to resort to such crass play.
Ives,
Off topic, any comment on this story?:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/sports/soccer/08redbulls.html?_r=1&ref=sports
supposedly RBNY were negotiating with Avram Grant but wouldn’t give him enough authority.
(SBI-I’d suggest taking all such stories linking Red Bull to everybody in the soccer world with a grain of salt.)
Dario Sala has been the savior of FC Dallas!
Please start acting like Dallas has a major chance. They win next week and all of the sudden, that last game with SEA is huge. Heck, next weeks game is huge.
Jim,
I’m not sure any competition involving Mexicans/Americans on the soccer field are “friendly” anymore.
I watched the closing 20 minutes…….and it wasn’t that exciting, apart from a great save from Nick.
I turned that friendly off at half time, the game was completely out of control. Players were behaving like spoiled angry children, in a friendly no less, and the center did little to curve it until it was to late.
I was amazed at how chippy the first half of the RSL-Chivas game got. It was supposed to be a “friendly.” Not hardly. It was good to see things settle down in the second half.
two wins should do it for FCD, and three would definitely get RSL there. Odds broken down here:
http://www.sportsclubstats.com/USA/MLS/West/FCDallas.html
http://www.sportsclubstats.com/USA/MLS/West/RealSaltLake.html