FC Dallas Defeat Sporting KC
FRISCO, Texas – FC Dallas (5-1-2, 17 points) came from behind thanks to goals by Michael Barrios and Mauro Rosales to defeat Sporting Kanas City tonight at Toyota Stadium.
FC Dallas forced a diving save out of Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia in the seventh minute of the match. The play began on the right flank with Michael Barrios, who feinted right before playing a cross in on the pitch to midfielder Kellyn Acosta. The Plano, Texas, native cracked a shot towards the near post with his first touch but Melia was in position to make a diving save to his left side to force a corner kick.
Dallas just missed on a second opportunity to take a lead in the 20th minute. Maxi Urruti played Fabian Castillo into space and the Colombian burst into the area before cutting back, splitting a pair of Sporting defenders and hitting a shot towards the back post. Unfortunately for Dallas, the shot split the back post and the run of forward Tesho Akindele and crossed the endline harmlessly for a Kansas City goal kick.
Against the run of play, Kansas City took a 1-0 lead on a corner kick taken by
Benny Feilhaber in the 22nd minute. Feilhaber drove a cross to the near post and the curling pass dipped away from a pair of FC Dallas defenders at the front post. FC Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz was unable to get a hand to the ball and Lawernce Olum arrived before his marker to head in the opening goal of the match.
Acosta set the table for FC Dallas to level the match in the 35th minute. The Homegrown midfielder collected a pass in his on third of the field, accelerated through midfield and played a 40-yard pass toward the far corner of the area. Urruti got a tiny touch on the ball to help it on to the foot of Barrios. The Colombian turned the corner and got off a hard shot that beat Melia and crawled across the end line to make it 1-1.
Seitz made a huge save on Kansas City forward Jimmy Medranda to keep the match level in the 61st minute. Medranda was in alone against the goalkeeper from 20 yards out following a one-two pass. Seitz charged off his line to cut down on the striker’s options and made a kick save with his right leg, his fourth stop of the match to keep the score, 1-1.
Seven minutes later, second-half substitute Mauro Rosales buried a free kick from just outside the area after Urruti was fouled at the top of the box. Rosales stepped to the ball and lofted a right-footed, curling shot over the wall and into the side netting. The strike was the veteran’s 14th MLS goal of his career and his first in an FC Dallas uniform.
Sporting won an identical free kick in the 90th minute after defender Atiba Harris was whistled for a foul just outside the area. Brad Davis took the kick, driving a hard shot towards the back post but Seitz was in position and made a diving save to his right side to preserve the result.
