FC Dallas wins, 3-1, against Sporting Kansas City

FRISCO, Texas -- FC Dallas scored twice in the second half to break a 1-1 draw and defeat Kansas City, 3-1, Saturday night at Toyota Stadium, improving to 2-0-0 on the season.


Amadou Dia nearly put Sporting ahead in the sixth minute, when the right back came forward and took on Dallas’ Moises Hernandez on the fringe of the area. Hernandez’s slide tackle attempt slowed Dia down, but it did not dispossess the defender. Dia used another move to slip free inside the six-yard box, requiring FC Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz to change off his line and make his first save of the match.

Fabian Castillo and Michel both had chances for FC Dallas between the seventh and 11^th minutes. Castillo’s opportunity was similar to Dia’s run and Michel nearly beat Kansas City’s Luis Marin with a bending free kick but the goalkeeper did well to keep both shot attempts out of the back of the net.

A fast-paced first half saw its first goal in the 17^th minute when Castillo took the ball off of Dia’s foot and quickly got the ball to 2014 MLS Rookie of the Year, Tesho Akindele. The young forward posted up his defender at the penalty mark and pushed a short pass to his left, into the path of Blas Perez. The Panamanian took the chance well, firing a rising line-drive shot past Marin for the 1-0 lead.

The goal was Perez’s 33^rd in an FC Dallas uniform, tying him with Jeff Cunningham for third all-time in franchise history. 

Sporting Kansas City made it a 1-1 game just before halftime. With FC Dallas reorganizing following a Kansas City corner kick, Roger Espinoza received the ball from Benny Feilhaber 30 yards from goal and walked through the center of the FC Dallas defense before firing an uncontested shot on goal. Seitz was able to come across his line and get a hand on the shot but unfortunately for Dallas, the ball trickled into the back of the net.

Perez picked up where he left off in the first half, scoring just seven minutes into the second frame to give Dallas a 2-1 lead. Michel was the catalyst on the play, cutting by a defender on the right flank before delivering a spot-on cross to the chest of Perez, who just barely beat the offsides trap at the far corner of the six-yard box. Perez brought the ball down to his feet before finishing the chance off for his MLS-leading third goal of the season.

Kansas City nearly found its second game-tying goal of the match in the 70^th minute when Graham Zusi played a through ball inside the area to Paulo Nagamura. With a open lane to shoot Nagamura opted to find Dominic Dwyer, who was on the doorstep, but a sliding tackle by FC Dallas defender Zach Loyd put Dwyer off just enough for Seitz to make the save.

FC Dallas took a two-goal lead in the 73^rd minute on a goal scored by Castillo. Once again, Michel was involved in the buildup. The Brazilian saw Ryan Hollingshead making a run up the right flank and played a ball ahead of him into space. Hollingshead caught up with the long pass and played Castillo into the area. Castillo beat Marin to the loose ball and deposited it in the back of the net to make the score 3-2.

Kansas City had a chance to get back into the game snuffed out by Seitz in the 79^th minute. Referee Antonio Marrufo awarded Sporting a penalty kick after Zusi lobbed a free kick into the area for Bernardo Anor. The forward collided with FC Dallas captain Matt Hedges and Dwyer stepped up to take the penalty kick. Seitz read the forward’s walkup and went the same way as the shot. His diving save to his right side kept the scoreline at 3-1 in favor of FC Dallas, who improved to 2-0-0 on the season.