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FC Dallas Clinch Playoff Spot With Win Over Houston

By Curry Goff

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The Rangers aren’t the only Dallas/Fort Worth team that beat out an in state rival this week. FC Dallas bested their rivals as well.

While you weren’t looking, FC Dallas became the second team in the Western Conference to clinch a playoff spot with four games still remaining on their schedule. This came courtesy of a 4-1 thrashing of our friends down I-45, the Houston Dynamo. 

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The first half, even though relatively even on the scoreboard, was dominated by FC Dallas. Our boys enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and created the majority of the chances. The biggest came when Castillo cut in from the left and was taken down in the box, earning a clear penalty. Diaz stepped up to take it and made no mistake.

The Dynamo found an equalizer not long after on their only shot on target in the first half. To be fair, the buildup of the goal alone deserved praise. Houston flowed inside and outside with patience and precision, then fired a beauty past Jesse Gonzalez in the Dallas goal. Thankfully, that would be about the only thing that Houston created on the night.

The second half was a pure onslaught of attacking power from FCD.

FCD can “100% win the MLS Cup”.

The second goal, remarkably, came from the right foot of David Texeira. The Uruguayan received the ball about 30 yards out from Zach Loyd, took one touch toward goal, and fired a cracker at goal. The shot caromed off the underside of the crossbar and found the back of the net to put FC Dallas up for good.

A third quickly followed from FC Dallas’ most improved and, arguably, most important midfielder, Kellyn Acosta. Texeira grabbed a fourth in stoppage time to put a cherry on top of a season sweep of the Dynamo.

The win leaves FC Dallas in second place in the Western Conference, behind the LA Galaxy by one point. However, FCD still has two games in hand over LA, which leaves them in the driver’s seat heading down the home stretch of the MLS season.

A home and away series against the Vancouver Whitecaps is up next with both teams poised to assert their place atop the Western Conference. Vancouver doesn’t quite have the advantage FCD does, as they have three games remaining compared to FCD’s four.

Despite that, whoever comes out on top over the next two games will be in pole position to win the West, and potentially, the Supporters’ Shield. If FC Dallas secures a point or two over the next two games, their main competition will come in the form of the New York Red Bulls.

The perennial Eastern Conference stalwarts, NYRB are, in my estimations, the main threat to FC Dallas’ Supporter’s Shield quest. With a relatively easy schedule remaining, their trickiest tie coming against Toronto, the Red Bulls will be tough to catch for the season long race for the league’s best record.

Even if we don’t catch New York, what a year this has been. Oscar Pareja and his bunch of young boys have found a way to put FC Dallas back on the MLS map and have earned the proper national headlines. Partially thanks to our game with Houston being covered by ESPN, FC Dallas got a massive shoutout from Taylor Twellman, who believes FCD can “100% win the MLS Cup”.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Dallas sports fans! We have more than one legitimate title contender in the Metroplex.

Next: Player Ratings versus LA Galaxy

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