FC Dallas had one eye fixed on a Supporters’ Shield, but Oscar Pareja’s group came from behind on Thursday night to seal a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.
Needing at least a draw to seal advancement, FC Dallas earned all three points by scoring five unanswered goals in a 5-2 win over Suchitepequez in Guatemala City on Thursday night. With the win, FC Dallas joins the New York Red Bulls and Vancouver Whitecaps as MLS sides in the quarterfinals.
FC Dallas went down just five minutes into the match via a Tesho Akindele own goal before a 22nd minute finish from Wilson Morales added to the team’s issues. Just five minutes later, though, FCD was back in the match as Carlos Gruezo pulled back a goal before Matt Hedges provided an equalizer heading into halftime.
Six minutes into the second stanza, FC Dallas jumped into the lead on an Atiba Harris finish, and they never looked back. A Kevin Ruiz own goal in the 87th minute was soon followed by a Carlos Lizarazo finish in the 90th, sealing a spot in the knockout rounds for FC Dallas.
Now, FC Dallas looks ahead to a February quarterfinal round clash with Panamanian side Árabe Unido. However, before that, FC Dallas must first take care of business in the league, as the club looks to wrap up the Supporters’ Shield with a win over the LA Galaxy on Sunday.
Here’s a closer look at the quarterfinal matchups, which are set for first legs on Feb. 21-23 before wrapping up on Feb. 28-March 2:
New York Red Bulls vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
FC Dallas vs. Arabe Unido
Saprissa vs. Pachuca
Tigres vs. Pumas
Too bad NYRB and the Whitecaps go against each other so soon. At least we’re guaranteed an MLS team in the semis!
It’s also set up that we could potentially have an all MLS final…