By: Anthony Miller
With the MLS regular season inching closer to the end, FC Dallas picks up a 1-1 tie against the Columbus Crew Saturday night.
The first half saw FC Dallas have their fair share of opportunities that would either work in their favor or ended with a tough break. Getting to the bad part first, Nkosi Tafari got caught in the box as Columbus had a cross that bounced off Tafari and into the back of the net for an own goal in the 24th minute. Columbus took a 1-0 lead.
Jader Obrian had an eventful first half winning two free kicks and had two shots saved. Obrian had a third shot that was a beauty of a header thanks to a great pass from Jesus Ferriera in the 43rd minute that finally scored FC Dallas an important goal before the half. Both teams went into the half tied at 1-1.
The second half saw Columbus as the more aggressive team offensively despite not being able to get goals. They ended the game winning the possession battle at 53 percent.
FC Dallas didn’t create as many opportunities, but had two shots in the last ten minutes that came up short. Paul Arriola had a shot that was blocked in the 90th minute and Ferreira had one in the 98th minute off a free kick that did not reach the goalie being blocked by the Columbus line.
Both teams had to settle for a 1-1 draw to give each team one point in the standings. FC Dallas finished with less shots on goal (two) and less shots (eight) in the game than Columbus. Maarten Paes came up big for FC Dallas saving four shots in the contest.
Key contributors in the game include Obrian who came out of the gates strong for FC Dallas in the first half leading the offensive and defensive attack. Dante Sealy came in late in the game with Jose Martinez being injured and immediately contributed with some nice passes and aggressive play.
Playoff Update for FC Dallas
The biggest question now is what did last night do for FC Dallas in the playoffs?
FC Dallas has yet to lose in September as they have one win and three draws earning six total points in the standings. What this means for FC Dallas is while they are far from being out of the woods, they are still in the playoff hunt.
Saturday night around MLS, Minnesota United FC suffered a 2-1 loss to St. Louis City SC keeping them two points behind FC Dallas in the standings. Sporting Kansas City picked up a critical 2-1 win over Houston to have them just one point behind FC Dallas.
The current standings have FC Dallas sitting in ninth place with 39 points which is good enough for a wild card spot. San Jose and Vancouver are ahead of FC Dallas by two points in the standings. FC Dallas would play San Jose in the wild card if the playoffs were today.
Five games remain for FC Dallas as they take on Philadelphia Union and Houston this upcoming week. Wins and draws are critical for FC Dallas to stay alive in the playoffs. Any losses puts them behind the eight ball and might be on the outside looking in.
Featured Image via FC Dallas