FRISCO, TEXAS– In a wild affair that has come to define the postseason rivalry between Seattle Sounders FC and FC Dallas, the Rave Green secured a 4-2 aggregate victory over the Texas side in the 2016 Western Conference Semifinals on Sunday evening. An away goal from Nico Lodeiro at Toyota Stadium, combined with the three goals Seattle secured on October 30 at CenturyLink Field, negated Dallas’ two strikes in this evening’s second-leg contest. Tonight’s result marks the second occasion in the past three seasons that Sounders FC has advanced past FC Dallas in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, avenging last season’s penalty-kick loss at the same stage of the postseason.
Following tonight’s result, Seattle is set to take on the Colorado Rapids in the 2016 MLS Western Conference Championship. The first leg is slated for Tuesday, November 22 at CenturyLink Field, where Seattle is unbeaten in 2016 postseason play following victories over Sporting Kansas City and FC Dallas. Kickoff for the first leg is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT, with a national broadcast airing on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes, as well as TSN in Canada. KIRO Radio 97.3 FM and El Rey 1360 AM are set to air the match regionally throughout Western Washington.
Dallas came out of the starting blocks with the type of vigor required from a team looking to erase a 3-0 aggregate goal deficit. Stefan Frei stepped up big for Seattle once again, saving a shot from Dallas player Atiba Harris from point-blank range in the 20th minute to keep the match scoreless.
However, the home side eventually found the back of the net off of a throw-in, as Michael Barrios located Harris on the right wing. A cross was delivered to the head of forward Tesho Akindele, with the third-year player vaulting FC Dallas into an early 1-0 lead in the 25th minute of play. Akindele’s goal cut Seattle’s aggregate lead to 3-1 overall.
Lodeiro nearly equalized before the halftime whistle, as the Uruguayan hit a free-kick from roughly 30 yards, banging the inside of Chris Seitz’s far post. Lodeiro’s shot careened off the woodwork without crossing the FC Dallas goalmouth, keeping the score 1-0 at the intermission.
The Rave Green finally found an away goal in the 54th minute through Lodeiro, as fullback Tyrone Mears pressed Dallas defender Walker Zimmerman, picking his pocket on the right flank. The Englishman served a cross into Lodeiro, who netted his third postseason goal in two matches against FC Dallas.
Oscar Pareja’s side scored the go-ahead goal just moments later, as Maximiliano Urruti converted a Mauro Rosales cross past Frei, cutting Seattle’s aggregate lead to 4-2 overall.
Dallas made a determined effort to battle back into contention during the remainder of the second half, keeping Seattle on its toes, but Brian Schmetzer’s men held strong and prevented the Hoops from further closing the gap. Frei recorded his third save of the evening in the 87th minute to keep the match at 2-1 at the final whistle, sending Seattle home with a 4-2 aggregate victory in the semifinals series.
Seattle now prepares for the Western Conference Championship, with the first leg against Colorado scheduled following the FIFA international break on November 22 on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field (7:00 p.m. PT / FS1, FOX Deportes, TSN, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360 AM). The return leg is being played at Colorado’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Park at 1:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, November 27. The Rapids qualified for the Western Conference title game by beating the LA Galaxy on penalty-kicks earlier on Sunday, advancing past the Southern California club after a 1-1 aggregate score-line. Seattle and Colorado have met just once before postseason action, a 2-0 Sounders FC victory on October 30, 2013 in the Knockout Round.
The Conference Championship is held over two legs, with aggregate goals determining which team moves on to the 2016 MLS Cup. In the event that both teams score an equal number of goals over the course of the two matches, the team with the greater number of road goals for the series advances. Should the series be tied for both total goals and away goals, the teams play two 15-minute periods of extra time at the conclusion of the second leg in which away goals do not count. This is followed by penalty kicks, if necessary, to determine the winner.
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 1 (4) – FC Dallas 2 (2)
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Venue: Toyota Stadium
Referee: Hilario Grajeda
Assistants: Jonathan Johnson, Adam Garner
Fourth Official: Juan Guzman
Attendance: 14,878
Weather: Showers and 52 degrees
SCORING SUMMARY
DAL – Tesho Akindele (Atiba Harris, Michael Barrios) 25’
SEA – Nicolás Lodeiro (Tyrone Mears) 54’
DAL – Maximiliano Urruti (Mauro Rosales, Atiba Harris) 56’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
DAL – Atiba Harris (caution) 27’
SEA – Cristian Roldan (caution) 27’
SEA – Stefan Frei (caution) 67’
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC – Stefan Frei; Tyrone Mears, Chad Marshall, Zach Scott, Joevin Jones; Osvaldo Alonso – captain, Nico Lodeiro, Erik Friberg (Brad Evans 77’), Jordan Morris (Oniel Fisher HT); Nelson Valdez (Herculez Gomez 58’)
Substitutes not used: Tyler Miller, Aaron Kovar, Román Torres, Tony Alfaro
Total shots: 8 (3 players, 2)
Shots on goal: 2 (Friberg/Lodeiro, 1)
Fouls: 9 (3 players, 2)
Offside: 2 (Gomez, 2)
Corner-kicks: 5 (Lodeiro, 5)
Saves: 3 (Frei, 3)
FC Dallas – Chris Seitz; Atiba Harris, Walker Zimmerman (Carlos Ruiz 62’), Matt Hedges – captain, Maynor Figueroa; Kellyn Acosta, Mauro Rosales (Carlos Lizarazo 74’), Carlos Gruezo; Michael Barrios (Ryan Hollingshead 75’), Maximiliano Urruti, Tesho Akindele
Substitutes not used: Jesse Gonzalez, Norberto Paparatto, Victor Ulloa, Getterson
Total shots: 23 (Figueroa, 5)
Shots on goal: 6 (Urruti, 2)
Fouls: 18 (Harris, 4)
Offside: 3 (3 players, 1)
Corner-kicks: 5 (Rosales, 5)
Saves: 1 (Seitz, 1)
MATCH NOTES
- Sounders FC is set to host the Colorado Rapids in the first leg of the Western Conference Championship on Tuesday, November 22. Seattle now has a 10-9-4 record all-time in the MLS Cup Playoffs, and beat Colorado by a score of 2-0 in the 2013 Western Conference Knockout Round at CenturyLink Field.
- Sounders FC played FC Dallas five times across all MLS competitions in 2016, recording a 2-3-0 record. However, Sunday’s 2-1 loss sent Seattle to the Western Conference Championship for the third time in club history. This season marks the first time Sounders FC has reached a third round of the MLS Cup Playoffs, with both previous Conference Championship appearances coming in the same years as first-round byes.
- Midfielder Nico Lodeiro netted the lone goal for Seattle in the second half. His three tallies over the past two matches set a new club mark for most goals in a single postseason. He has seven goals and eight assists in 16 MLS appearances since signing with Sounders FC on July 27.
- Sounders FC used the same Starting XI as the first leg of the series, with midfielder Osvaldo Alonso serving as captain.
- Interim Head Coach Brian Schmetzer has posted a 10-3-4 record since taking over managerial duties on July 26. He has led the Rave Green to two series wins in a single postseason for the first time in franchise history.
