Score: Sounders FC 3 @ FC Dallas 2
Site: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Tex.
Records: Sounders FC (3-2-1, 10 points); FC Dallas (4-1-1, 13 points).
Man of the Match: Clint Dempsey does it again. Deuce just can’t be stopped and on Saturday he netted two more goals and played the ball across the front of the goal that earned Seattle an own goal as well. He leads MLS with six goals now and helped Sounders FC climb from a deficit twice in a match for the second consecutive week after his hat trick got Seattle a road point against the Portland Timbers in a 4-4 draw last week.
Telling Stat: 11. After getting outshot 11-2 in the first half, Seattle made up most of that margin in the second half. Sounders FC had 11 second-half shots to just five for Dallas, climbing back from a 2-1 halftime hole to earn three points and remain unbeaten on the road at 2-0-1.
What You Missed: The wind was definitely a factor in the match and Seattle saw just how much in a tale of two halves. Stefan Frei made four first-half saves and Dallas dominated first-half possession. Frei needed to make just two saves after halftime – and they were both extremely vital – and the final possession number was nearly 50-50. With winds that were gusting over 30 miles per hour, it wreaked havoc on teams defending one goal and, not coincidentally, four of the five goals scored were in that direction.
So What: Seattle remains unbeaten on the road at 2-0-1, scoring nine goals in those three matches and with one more road contest before returning home, the Sounders are riding high. Dallas is the only team above Seattle in the standings now, as Sounders FC sits in a three-way tie for second with 10 points, joined by the Colorado Rapids (3-1-1) and Real Salt Lake (2-0-4). The loss was the first of the year for Dallas, who had an unbeaten streak halted by Seattle for the second consecutive season after Sounders FC won 4-2 on May 18 last year to end a nine-game unbeaten run.
That’s What He Said: “It’s always good to perform well in Texas because that’s where I developed my game in Nacogdoches and driving to Dallas playing my club ball. A lot of friends and family were here and it’s nice to perform well, but like I said, the most important thing is we got the win for the team and we need to keep getting points like that, and I think you’ll see us start to put in better performances and we’ll tighten up and we’ll get it right,” said Clint Dempsey, whose family and friends made up a good portion of the 17,070 fans at Toyota Stadium.
