It took three tries, but FC Dallas finally punched their ticket for the 2006 MLS Cup Playoffs courtesy of a 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake on Saturday at Pizza Hut Park. The Hoops scored twice in the first 15 minutes of play and surrendered a 48th-minute score to MLS leading scorer Jeff Cunningham but prevailed to become the second league side to clinch a playoff berth.
"It's about time," said FCD midfielder Ronnie O'Brien. "We had a couple games to do it, but we didn't do it. It's done now and we can just concentrate on winning this conference and getting home-field advantage."
FCD head coach Colin Clarke was equally ecstatic about making the postseason.
"You know, we've been sitting on 46 points for a couple of games," he said. "So it's nice to get it where the numbers say we have qualified even though we were in a good position."
FCD struck early, getting a ninth-minute goal from Carlos Ruiz, who sent a perfect header between Salt Lake goalkeeper Scott Garlick and the far post. Assisting on the goal was Hoops defender Greg Vanney, who sent a great bending ball from 25 yards out to the far side of the RSL net, where Ruiz was waiting.
Then, just five minutes later, FCD's Kenny Cooper scored to make it 2-0. The first-year player and Dallas native sent a ball toward Garlick from 15 yards out. Garlick thought the ball would sail away from danger, but it instead curved just inside the far post.
RSL's best chance of the opening stanza came in the 40th minute when midfielder Chris Klein got a nice look at the opposing net but FCD 'keeper Shaka Hislop, who was making his MLS debut in goal, was there to make the save.
At the break, FCD led 2-0 and had outshot RSL by a 10-3 margin. However, the second half brought a Salt Lake team that played with a bit more urgency. Cunningham got behind two Hoops defenders in the 48th minute after getting a great ball from rookie defender Willis Forko and beat Hislop to make it 2-1.
Salt Lake did outshoot the Hoops 5-4 over the final 45 minutes but none of those efforts were considered serious scoring chances.
"We expected it," said FCD defender Drew Moor. "Any team that is down at halftime is going to regroup and put some more numbers forward, play a bit more direct and see what they can make of it."
Once the final whistle sounded, FCD had become the first West team to clinch a playoff spot and only the third league side to make the postseason. Incidentally enough, the victory marked the second consecutive year that the Hoops had clinched a trip to the postseason on their home field with a win against RSL, doing it with a 2-1 win last Sept. 18.
"That (clinching a playoff spot) was our goal for tonight," said Moor. "We wanted to get the three points at home, which is a place where we feel we play well."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
