By DAN KARELL
One day after publicly announcing his intent to resign at the end of the season, FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman received one of the best parting gifts he could have asked for.
Though FC Dallas have been eliminated from the playoffs, they played very well against an injury-ravaged Sounders side, winning 2-0 as the Sounders spiraled to their fourth consecutive defeat after winning five straight games recently. With the defeat, the Sounders can no longer earn the Supporters Shield title.
Early on, both Jair Benitez and Fabian Castillo had terrific chances to put the hosts up top but they couldn’t put their shots on target.
The second half was where all the action began, as the Sounders had two opportunities to take the lead within two minutes starting in the 51st minute. First, Brad Evans found himself wide open near the far post but put a volleyed shot high and wide, while a minute later, Clint Dempsey’s flick on header was fired wide with an overhead kick by Lamar Neagle.
A few minutes later, Hyndman brought on Brazilian left back Michel, who made all the difference for the team on the score sheet. In the 64th minute, a delightfully curled ball from Michel found the head of Matt Hedges, who headed past Sounders goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann to take the lead.
With the Sounders pressing forward for the game-tying goal, FC Dallas hit them on the break in the 87th minute, when a shot by David Ferreira was deflected into the path of Michel who finished into an empty net, securing all three points for Hyndman and FC Dallas.
The loss means that the Sounders could still potentially miss out on the playoffs, though they’ll clinch a place in the postseason with a San Jose Earthquakes defeat on Sunday.
Here are the game highlights:
