The game in 100 words (or less): FC Dallas are good. They are really, really good. They’re at their best when their opponents think they can challenge them in a wide open game. Sporting KC went a goal down for the second time shortly after halftime, thanks to a dubious missed call from the assistant referee, and once they opened up to chase the game, FCD were devastating on the counter.
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Three moments that mattered
17' — FCD carve up the SKC defense, Perez with the finish — Fabian Castillo pounced on a poor back-pass from Amadou Dia, fed Tesho Akindele into space and the big center forward held off a defender and laid the ball off for Blas Perez, who hammered his first-time shot past Luis Marin.
44' — Espinoza hammers the equalizer past Seitz — Roger Espinoza put Sporting KC back on level terms with a powerful blast from just outside the penalty area that FCD ‘keeper Chris Seitz couldn’t get a hand behind at his near post.
52' — An offside Perez bags his brace — Look, he was miles offside — as were three other FCD players — on the incoming cross (below video). It’s a massively poor oversight from the assistant referee, the kind that can be attributed to a lack of focus and nothing more.
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Man of the match: Blas Perez — With Matt Besler suspended, it was a no-brainer to feed Perez early and often, and FCD did just that. His two goals make Perez the obvious choice, but he’s a beast and a handful to deal with on his day.
LINEUPS
FC Dallas: Seitz, Hernandez, Hedges, Loyd, Harris, Ulloa, Michel, Diaz (Hollingshead 69'), Akindele (Barrios 76'), Castillo, Perez
Goals: Perez (17', 52'), Castillo (73')
Sporting Kansas City: Marin, Dia, Ellis, Opara, De Jong, Feilhaber, Espinoza, Nagamura, Zusi (Peterson 88'), Dwyer, Nemeth (Anor 76')
Goals: Espinoza (44')