Instead of buckling, FC Dallas was inspired and pulled one back less than 10 minutes later after a lovely team move by Mauro Diaz and JeVaughn Watson, David Texeira finished in front of the Portland net for a vital away goal.
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Dallas was dealt a blow this week with the death of coach Oscar Pareja’s mother in Colombia on Thursday.
“Obviously we know it’s a two-legged affair”, he told the club’s official website.
Timbers are desperate to clinch their first ever conference finals and took their first step towards the realization of this dream in the 23 minute when Liam Ridgewell scored before the home fans in Oregon.
It leaves Dallas with work to do in the second leg on November 29 as the Timbers closed in on their first appearance in the MLS Cup decider.
But when the dust settled and the emotion of the moment wore off, I thought back to the season that has been for FC Dallas…and this all looked familiar.
The second match is Sunday in Harrison, N.J.
FC Dallas returns home to Toyota Stadium, where it posted the best home record in MLS, a record that included a 4-1 victory in Portland’s only visit to Frisco, back in July. The team wore black armbands in her honor.
The 31-year-old Englishman’s first goal in MLS competition follows 17 goals over 11 English Premier League seasons with Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion. They would finish the series at least 2 goals better than NY in this scenario.
Ridgewell, a defender, barreled in on a diving Gonzalez for his goal in the 23rd minute. Last year, they failed to defend their home field in the first leg and ultimately fell to New England. Zach Loyd tracked down a ball intended for Adi but then played it straight to Asprilla, who pushed it forward and struck a wickedly swerving shot that glanced off the underside of the crossbar on its way into the side netting. But as Portland scrambled to regain its equilibrium, FCD squandered several chances at a second goal. That showed when Norberto Paparatto replaced an injured Ridgewell in the 61st minute. Dallas, meanwhile, got it done at home after some chaotic playoff soccer against the Sounders, winning in penalties despite its much-discussed youthfulness.
– NY & Columbus Draw: Just like a Columbus win, a draw would give the Crew a 2 goal aggregate series win. It is a tall order that now has the Red Bulls looking like the biggest long shot to win the 2015 MLS Cup after having been considered the biggest favorite to win it just a day earlier.
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Both teams were well rested after a two-week break for global play.
