FC Dallas oust Sounders on penalties to reach West final
FC Dallas rose to the top of the Western Conference this season by relying on young players and trusting them in big spots. They repaid that faith in spades by claiming a 2-1 victory over Seattle to send this gripping Western Conference semifinal to extra time and then converting all four penalties to eliminate the Sounders on Sunday.
Walker Zimmerman offered the decisive blow from the spot after pushing this match into extra time during a frenetic closing period. FCD grabbed the lead inside the final 10 minutes when second-half substitute Tesho Akindele nodded inside the near post, but Seattle defender Chad Marshall equalized on the stroke of full time. Zimmerman turned home his header in second-half stoppage time to tie the series 3-3 on aggregate.
FCD created more chances in extra time, but the hosts could not procure the goal required to avoid penalties. It did not matter as FCD goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez saved from Andreas Ivanschitz and Chad Barrett and his teammates stroked home all of their attempts to dispatch the Sounders once and for all.
The final result reflected the balance of the tie on the whole. FCD deserved its victory on the night after an impressive second-half display, while Seattle held out gamely without influential figures Osvaldo Alonso (groin) and Brad Evans (hamstring). In the end, the energy and the endeavor of FCD won out to seal a place in the West final.
Seattle spent most of the opening half hour setting out its stall and trying to manage space accordingly. The decision to deploy Clint Dempsey and Nelson Valdez forced Dempsey to accept more defensive duties on the left flank. Those issues ironed themselves out as the Sounders dictated the cadence of the game and stopped FC Dallas from locating space on the break.
Those efforts left Fabian Castillo and Mauro Diaz to devise other ways to present danger. Castillo sliced inside from the left and thrashed over the bar after 21 minutes as he attempted to find the game, while Diaz scurried about earnestly in search of the latitude to create chances.
Diaz eventually found it when FCD engineered a direct, incisive move through the middle. Matt Hedges stepped up, won the ball and picked out Diaz near midfield. Diaz played quickly and accurately over the top for Barrios and Castillo. Barrios eventually latched onto the service and watched Frei produce a fine block.
Seattle posed more of a threat as the half wound to a close. FCD goalkeeper Gonzalez adjusted wonderfully to push Nelson Valdez’s effort over the bar on the stroke of halftime. The intervention ensured the half ended on level terms and left FCD with ample work to do after the interval.
FCD increased the tempo and the urgency when play resumed. Those measures gradually pinned Seattle inside its half and prompted desperate actions from Frei to keep the Sounders on level terms.
Barrios constructed perhaps the best opportunity when he reached the end line seven minutes after the break. The speedy winger picked up his head and pulled back for Castillo’s late run at the back post. Castillo slid low to the far post, but Frei kicked it away.
Frei’s steady work in goal provided the baseline as FCD piled forward and Seattle showed its proclivity for last-ditch defending. Sounders defenders spent much of the second half flinging themselves toward the ball and halting moves inside the penalty area.
The pressure built and built as FCD pushed forward. Blas Perez added a more robust, combative element after replacing David Texeira, while Akindele and Zimmerman supplied further reinforcements as the desperation grew in the late stages.
All of the toil eventually paved the way for a frantic conclusion in regular time with both teams destined for the conference final before settling for extra time.
Akindele started the madness with the opener six minutes from the end. Je-Vaughn Watson exploited the gaping chasm on the right and swung a tempting cross toward the top of the goal area. Akindele arrived at the perfect moment and tucked inside the near post to place FCD in control.
The celebrations lasted for only a few minutes before Marshall restored parity on the night. Marco Pappa curled his corner kick toward the back post. Marshall climbed over his man and diverted the cross into the net to place the Sounders on course for a place in the West final.
Zimmerman dashed those dreams and sent the match to extra time instead with his winner in second-half stoppage time. Perez worked himself onto the end of the initial clearing header and flicked it back toward the near post. Zimmerman twisted his header inside the near post to send the match into extra time.
FCD posed more of the threat in extra time without landing the killer blow. Frei once again produced a fine block to deny Akindele as the home side pushed and pushed. Obafemi Martins forced Gonzalez to collect in the late stages, but it proved too late to prevent this match from heading to penalty kicks.
There were no doubts from the moment FCD stepped to the spot. Gonzalez mustered two fine saves, while his teammates thrashed home all four attempts. Zimmerman smashed home the decisive goal to send FCD through and eliminate Seattle from the playoffs.
