No team had gone into Rio Tinto Stadium and beaten Real Salt Lake in more than a year, but FC Dallas didn't need a victory to keep its MLS Cup dreams alive.
All FC Dallas needed was a draw after a first-leg victory, so when Dax McCarty scored a first half goal to give the visitors a two-goal cushion, all the pressure went on RSL and the defending MLS Cup champions could not recover.
Even after a dramatic second-half surge, and a Robbie Findley goal to pull RSL to within a goal, Real Salt Lake couldn't beat Kevin Hartman again as FC Dallas held on for a 1-1 tie and 3-2 series vicory on Saturday night.
The win puts FC Dallas into the Western Conference final against the winner of the Los Angeles-Seattle series, which concludes tonight at Home Depot Center. The Galaxy posted a 1-0 victory in the first leg.
Hartman was the star of the show for Dallas, making countless clutch saves. David Ferreira and George John were also stellar for a Dallas side that looked more like the team that rattled off a 19-match unbeaten streak during the regular season.
Here are the match highlights:
What did you think of the match? Disappointed with RSL? Think Dallas can win the title?
Share your thoughts below.
Oh, I’m sorry Einsten, I didnt mean to offend you. You only had two punctuation errors and one spelling error. That’s not bad for a two sentence post. And I’m not talking as I type, although you are probably reading this with your lips moving. Boo freakin yeah .
@Tim, yes Dax took a little boot to the chest, which happens often in soccer and the card can come out or not. Beltran took a solid shot last night in the first half, took the foul and shook it off. I don’t care for shenanigans like that, even as some of our own guys do it occasionially.
Still, congrats to FCD on a well-played series.
As an rsl fan , I’m disappointed with the result, but Dallas had a great 1st and 2nd leg. Hartman was a beast last night. I still love what rsl is building. The playoffs this year have been excellent…
Weeknight games, sure it’s an hour. But on Saturdays that’s a 30 minute drive. It’s about the same distance to Rangers and Cowboys games. The drive isn’t ideal, but it’s hardly an excuse for bad attendance.
Well I wouldn’t mind it, but since people are complaining about (in part) the current 2-game series format, the point seemed to be to look for something different from that, rather than double down on that format by using it in 2 different rounds. That’s all.
Well since they did it before and it didn’t last…let’s bring it back? It just seems like overkill and severely unbalanced to have the first round be 3 games and then the 2nd round only 1 game. If you’re gonna go to the trouble of compressing the regular season to fit in one more playoff game, why not make the 2nd round a 2-game series. That way, teams like San Jose and (most likely) Dallas this year would get a 2nd home playoff game with which to further build up the media and fan frenzy.
1 hour drive for a playoff game isn’t that far of a drive.
OK, because… ?
(Actually someone has already noted below that the MLS used to have such a 3-game first round.)
No kidding. There was a lot of crowing about the RSL dynasty and how this team was going to win the double…guess fans jumped the gun a bit. Now they now how it feels to be a higher seed and lose out.
If anything RSL should have known that playoffs are a crap shoot after some #8 seed won the cup last year…forgot which one it was.
Sad? It’s a young evolving league.
Leave the hyperbole to eurosnobs with German style names…..oh wait.
Uh, if you’re gonna add an extra game to the playoffs it has to be to make the 2nd round a 2-game series rather than some weird 3 game first round series.
1. Credit goes to FCD who’ve had a tremendous season.
2. I’m one of those guys who picked RSL to win the series. But my rationale was based on two facts:
–FCD wasn’t playing well to end the season (certainly not as good as they were earlier)
–Rio Tinto is a very tough place to get a win.
So this just goes to show how good of a team FCD is. They aren’t a team that just “got hot” but really deserve this result.
3. I know we like to say we need to adjust the playoffs (single table, 1v8, everyone plays home and away, top seeds get a bye, etc.) but there are challenges to all of those options given MLS’ current situation:
–playing home and away in the first round is generally a good thing for ticket sales
–playing home and away in the conference finals gets tougher even though it’s only one week later due to schedules and further reduces the advantage of being a top seed
–MLS used to play a 3 game series (best of 3 really) and while that would satisfy the argument of giving the top seed a big advantage (2 home games) it was a scheduling nightmare
–giving top seeds a bye to the next round has a disadvantage. Many top seeds lock up the SS early or cruise through the last month. Then taking a week or 10 days off before you play the next game (while some of the lower seeds went on a run to make the playoffs and are “hot”) actually works against the top seeds.
I think you first have to decide what’s the priority here:
–rewarding the top seeds?
–selling tickets?
–getting national exposure to the playoffs (so they are more meaningful)?
Ultimately, I think the best answer is expansion. As MLS gets bigger, it gets harder to make the playoffs. You don’t have situations where a team with a losing record backs in and gets hot. Instead, every team in the playoffs has played well for a season and deserves to be there. And with more expansion, hopefully there is more of a national presence to the playoffs so there is less need to play home and away. You just give the top seeds the home game, play one game per series and team with the best record is host.
I agree. It’s stupid. But think of it this way – teams can try for an quirky back to back year in which they win one year as the Eastern Champ and the next as the Western. Unfortunately for RSL they weren’t able to pull it off by winning as West Champ this year.
Really happy for the few FC Dallas supporters, but hopefully it’ll be another long time after this season so we can avoid yet another “first” moron.
Still touting that loss against Brazil that occurred over two years ago? How does that almost trophy look on your wall?
Man, Bradley-homers are funny. Will you still be talking about that lucky tournament when he drives us out of the WC again?
This is sad. Next season either Dallas or San Jose will hang an Eastern Conference champions banner in its stadium. This isn’t March Madness. Imagine if the Oakland Raiders or Denever Broncos were the AFC East champs,….Gimme a break MLS!
Well I really don’t think there’s much danger, after yesterday’s results, of any Eastern team having the arrogance to try facing the Galaxy (or Dallas) in the final.
Happily. 🙂
The Galaxy will soundly defeat Dallas on their way to humbling whichever lowly Eastern team is arrogant enough to join them in in the final.
This kind of post-season format is exciting. Why would people want to get rid of this?
“MLS play-offs are a lot like the NHL play-offs any team that make it has a chance to win. And play off soccer is like play-off hockey very exciting and entertaining.”
I was thinking the same thing this morning, only it’s almost like college hockey, where just abou anybody makes the playoffs.
What if MLS goes with the away goals approach? That would at least free them up logistically to give the first game to the seeded team. Unfortunately then any case of PKs (though those would be reduced) would still have to take place at the home of the lower team…
If they want more matches and more crowds, maybe extend the first series to a best of 3, even (with the first and third at the home of the seeded team, of course). American crowds are much more used to that best of [odd number] series sort of format. And if it makes the season run too late, well it seems like there can be some compression in the schedule, somehow. You could even let ties stand until you needed to go to extra periods and PKs to resolve them, I guess…
You are not very bright are you. I feel your soccer knowledge is severly lacking and you talk out of ignorance.
I was impressed by McCarty’s box-to-box running. He’s always played as a deep-lying playmaker(Pirlo) or a linking midfielder(Xavi), but he very frequently did a good job of following up the play while providing his usual pinpoint passing. He could have had a second goal if Chavez goes square on his narrow miss.
Yeah. That clown who almost got us a Confederations Cup….DAMN HIM!!!!
I think they make the first round 2 games for two reasons. The first being that it’s one more game and it’s more money for the league. However the 2nd and more realistic I think is that it gives every playoff team a chance to have a home playoff game. Thus giving their fans a chance to experience a playoff game (can’t fault them for this). Many teams sort of promise playoff tickets in their season ticket packages as well.
I agree these playoffs have been wonderful. Ok I am a Quakes fan.
he didn’t fake the kick. he faked getting kicked in the face but Morales did kick him in the chest, which still warrants a card
Live by the Findley, Die by the Findley. Never has a team created so many chances for him to mess them up. (OOps, I almost forgot about the WC team!!)
Let us not overlook that Findley, who Bradley inexplicably gave more time to than Buddle in the World Cup, has worked his way to the bench.
Can’t believe we have 4 more years of that clown.
1) First of all, credit goes to Dallas and Hyndman. They played a smart, excellently executed game of torrid counterattacks. Ferreira (who is much faster than I thought) and our old nemeis Cunningham caused fits for the RSL back line.
2) RSL’s first 65 minutes were horrid, the worst I have seen them play in a long time, which is saying something because they have been off their last 4 games they have played. RSL’s defenders were individually and collectively terrible, giving up the ball continuously, especially Russell.
3) RSL’s midfield had no creativity. They really missed Javi. Too much standing and purposeless passing. No one was moving, making cutting runs.
4) RSL never figured out that they couldn’t just float in crosses (and corners) instead of whipping them in (like Javi normally does).
5) JK waited too long to make changes. Saborio was totally ineffective, probably from his injury, and should have been subbed at halftime. The crowd was flat for most of the game, probably as a result of watching the Utes play earlier and the team’s sluggish play through the first half.
For next year, I think RSL should upgrade at its wingbacks, find upgrades/replacements for Wingert and Russell who are effective crossers and try to find another good attacking midfielder.
They had a great year, just peaked a month too soon.
Congrats to Dallas, they have a good team who is deadly on the counterattack. If they can grab a lead in their remaining games they should have a good chance of winning it all.
And make every series 1 game. Win you mov eon, lose you’re out.
I liked what Kreis said on a local radio station. Give the top seeds a true advantage and have all series a 1 off!! Why make the first series 2 games and the rest 1?
And I don’t know why so many people complain about the playoffs this year or last? These have been some great matches imo.
Congrats FCD!!! You earned it.
agree with you somewhat but the matchups should be
1 v 8
2 v 7
3 v 6
4 v 5
yup. to bad the stadiums in frisco and people aren’t willing to travel an hour plus from downtown Dallas and Fort-worth to get there.
I think the 2010 playoffs (regardless of result tonight) really prove the need to redo the playoffs seeding. Only give the conference Champion a top-2 seed, and seed the rest according to record. So this year would have been:
1. LA 2. NY
8. SJ 7. COL
4. CLM 3. RSL
5. DAL 6. SEA
Thanks for the thought. I like the idea of a third star on the ol’ jersey.
Kreis is crying about playing scared and how tough their schedule has been. Well boo hoo!
DC didn’t play scared when they won back to back, Houston didn’t say they were tired from playing CCL when they won back to back.
Wake up RSL, you got lucky winning 4 playoff games last year (by PK no less) after a sub .500 year. Go on and join the one hit wonders of this league.
what would be exciting is a san jose vs galaxy final! this would resurge the rivalry!
Not all RSL fans think that. Most people tend to get too confident and jump the gun. Our team has been shaky the last month or so. But, it was a big upset. FC Dallas was in form and riding a hot streak, kind of reminds me of RSL in the playoffs last year.
Oh well, hopefully RSL brings in some better finishers in the off season. That is what killed us last night. Hartman had a monster game too.
San Jose and Dallas in the final, not a prediction just a random thought
I wonder how MLS HQ feels about match ups.
It could LA/Sounders/Dallas vs SJE/Rapids
Thats not a very exciting looking final.
Where are all the Salt Lake fans saying this was the best team in MLS history now…
MLS play-offs are a lot like the NHL play-offs any team that make it has a chance to win. And play off soccer is like play-off hockey very exciting and entertaining.
This is one part of the US culture that is better than Europe. Play Offs for the league title.
IF Sounders can get past La…. IF… I like our chances better against FC Dallas than Salt Lake. We’ll see tonight.
Typical playoff-type series, where the away and/or team that is up bunkers down and tries to keep the ball out of the net while offering little tactical soccer except a quick counter attack. RSL was unable to figure it out until late in the 2nd half, and it was too late too little. Even still, RSL shoulda had a few more, except Hartman was a beast back there making some ridonkulous saves. Hats off to him and the team, except Dax for faking the kick to the face that cost us Morales. You suck Dax.
Great year for RSL, just peaked a month or so early. We still have CONCACAF and a great season this year.
What Dallas really needs for LA/Seattle is for some fans to go to your games.
oops
I really think for the series against la/seattle, FC Dallas needs to start loyd at RB. Its obvious that their were having some communication problems with Jackson and he was caught out of position at times, but mostly recovered well.
and i might add that hartman should’ve been glk of the year.
also if najar can be rookie of the year on a horrible team, beating tim ream, then sebastian le toux certainly should’ve received at least a nomination for MVP
wrong.
whats been well “documented” was most people had RSL winning the west and least of all their series with FC Dallas which is exactly what i was talking about. whats been said and noted of recent is the trend that lower seeds were winning out against the higher seeds. nobody though SJ would be NY and everyone thought RSL would beat FCD, so i don’t know what your talking about
you’re the only one who doesn’t know sh*t.
it’s well documented that the regular season means nothing, even 8th place teams can go on a run and win MLS Cup even though they had been nothing but inconsistent over the course of the season
A few notes… The quality of playoff matches are excellent. The league
Has really improved. Hartmann was big.
Can’t wait for sea v la tonight
FC Dallas proves all the naysayers and pundits don’t know S**t
FC DALLLAASS!! its been a loooooong time coming! really excited.
btw. yeah i know know…
FIRST!!!