FC Dallas defeated the Seattle Sounders 3-1 on Saturday night in their second match of a best-of-three opening round series in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Paul Arriola, Jésus Ferreria and Jáder Obrian scored for the hosts, while Jordan Morris tallied for Seattle.
Dallas opened the scoring inside six minutes when Bernard Kamungo swung in a cross that Arriola flicked into the far corner past Stefan Frei.
Ferreira doubled the lead in the 18th minute from the penalty spot after Video Review confirmed a foul in the box on Nouhou.
The Sounders’ best opportunity in the first half came in the 33rd minute when after a minutes-long spell of possession, Albert Rusnák had a one-timed effort go wide of the net.
Morris halved the deficit three minutes after halftime when he pounced on an errant Dallas back pass and found the near corner. After initially being called offside, it was overturned and the goal stood.
Morris found the back of the net again in the 56th minute, but he was whistled for offside once more.
The Sounders had a penalty shout of their own in the 75th minute when Raúl Ruidíaz had his jersey tugged from behind, but after Video Review, the referee elected not to award a penalty.
Dallas secured the victory in the 89th minute when Obrian led a 3-on-2 counterattack and pulled up for a shot from the top of the 18-yard box that went into the far corner.
The Sounders’ loss snapped a 10-match unbeaten run dating back to August.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Shutout streak snapped
The Sounders conceded for the first time in four matches on Saturday, after posting three consecutive clean sheets including the first match in this series.
Morris scores again
For the fifth time in his playoff career, and second in as many matches, Morris scored against Dallas. He recorded Seattle’s first postseason hat trick in a win over Dallas in the 2019 playoffs.
Rubber match in Seattle
After splitting the first two matches in this best-of-three opening round, the Sounders will host FC Dallas on Friday, Nov. 10 (7 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV | TICKETS), in a winner-take-all contest. There is no aggregate scoring, and if the match ends tied in regulation, it will go directly to penalty kicks to determine who advances.
