The end result of a 2-1 defeat on the road at CenturyLink Field isn't the end of the world for FC Dallas. It's how that match was lost that will sting.
The Seattle Sounders have all of the momentum in this home-and-home fray going into Sunday's finale in Frisco.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
FC Dallas +100
Seattle Sounders +220
Draw +250
Over/Under 2.5 (Over -115)
ODDS ANALYSIS
FC Dallas is an even money favorite on Sunday, and that more or less insinuates that this is a pick 'em proposition for these two teams to each advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Seattle won 2-1 in the opening match, meaning any draw or win for the Sounders would send them into the conference finals. A 1-0 Dallas win puts the hosts through, while a 2-1 win would send this one into a 30-minute extra time period and penalty kicks beyond if need be. If the Sounders score twice as they did in the first fray, FCD would have to win in 90 minutes by two goals to keep its MLS Cup dream alive.
KEY INJURIES
What's scariest for FC Dallas is that the Sounders are going to get healthy here as well. It's fully expected that Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans and Leonard Gonzalez, all of which were absent from the opening match of this series, will be ready to come back into the fray this Sunday.
FCD is holding out hope that Bakary Soumare can pass through concussion protocol and get back on the field, but the chances of that happening aren't fantastic.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"He leads by example. That's why he is who he is and why we respect him so much on this team. That's why he's the captain. It'll be great to get him back out there." – Sounders forward Chad Barrett on the impact Brad Evans will have on this team when he comes back in the lineup
THE FIRST LEG
Dallas really had the perfect game plan coming into Seattle. It was determined to play on the counterattack and let the Sounders get a wee too aggressive for their own good. It worked in the first half, as Seattle was frustrated for the full 45 minutes without much in the way of opportunities. The goal of the half belonged to Fabian Castillo, who broke down the wing and created a fantastic opportunity to put the ball past Stefan Frei to open the scoring.
The Sounders wouldn't be denied in the second half, though. They had signals of intent in the first 15 of the second half, but in the 67th minute, Andreas Ivanschitz finally opened up Seattle's account by slamming one home. It was in the 86th that the Link was really rocking, though. Clint Dempsey hit a cracker of a free kick into the top corner of the net past Jesse Gonzalez to give the hosts the crucial 2-1 decision.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
FC Dallas is just too young at this stage to be able to get past a veteran team like Seattle. The Sounders have too much talent up front with Dempsey and Obafemi Martins, and bringing back Evans and Alonso will only make this unit more dangerous.
Sigi Schmid knows exactly what type of game this has to be. The Sounders have to muck this game up and make it ugly. They're more suited to play in a low-scoring game than Dallas is. If FCD takes too many chances going forward, it will be punished, and we think that's exactly what is ultimately going to happen on Sunday.
Seattle 1, FC Dallas 0
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