A stoppage-time goal from Abe Thompson snatched a dramatic victory for FC Dallas, the only goal of the game as the Western Conference leaders defeated Real Salt Lake on Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
In the final minute of three minutes of added time, Kenny Cooper got the ball at midfield and sent a pass that split the RSL defense for Thompson to run onto. He escaped the tackle by Eddie Pope, raced into the penalty area ahead of Nik Besagno, and with Real 'keeper Scott Garlick at the penalty spot, rounded him before firing into the goal.
It was the 500th goal in Dallas club history -- the third team in MLS history to reach the total along with D.C. and L.A. -- and couldn't have come in more dramatic circumstances.
For much of the match, it looked as if the goal wouldn't come in Salt Lake City. Cooper created his own chance early on for the Hoops. Six minutes in he carried the ball some 30 yards -- cutting through a couple of RSL defenders in the process -- before hitting a shot that Garlick saved with little trouble.
Although Salt Lake created more shots in the early stages, Dallas pressed the home side into its own end for long periods. Yet the Hoops would often find their attack broken up before getting any kind of meaningful shot on goal.
Real couldn't do much better as none of their early chances were on goal. In the 18th minute Carey Talley got his head on the end of a long freekick from Chris Klein. From just outside the six-yard box Talley directed his header toward goal, but not close enough for Dallas goalie Dario Sala to need to make a save.
Early in the second half Cooper again used his strength and large frame as he zigzagged though a pair of RSL defenders. He uncorked a blast that forced Garlick to make a diving save to deflect the ball out of danger.
Arturo Alvarez followed Cooper's example a few minutes later as he drove through the Salt Lake defense on a long run. The difference, however, was that Alvarez couldn't get his shot on frame, putting it just over the crossbar.
Sala used every inch of his frame to keep RSL off the scoreboard in the 66th minute. Amidst a crowd of players Andy Williams whipped a shot from the top of the penalty area, forcing Sala to make a fantastic diving save to tip the ball outside the post.
Williams and Sala dueled again in the 73rd minute. Willams let go another midrange shot from just outside the box that Sala sprawled to his right to parry away from goal. The deflection looked to be heading to Jeff Cunningham, but FCD defender Bobby Rhine cleared the ball before Cunningham reached the scene.
Ten minutes from time Cooper skllfully brought down a tricky pass inside the box. Finding himself marked he dropped the ball back to Richard Mulrooney at the top of the box, who fired a chance that narrowly missed the upper right corner of the goal.
Then just as the match seemed destined to end scoreless, Thompson barreled his way past the RSL backline. After beating Pope and Besagno, Thompson found Garlick in front of him. Thompson cleverly sidestepped the RSL goalkeeper and drilled the ball into the heart of the goal to give FCD its third victory in a row.
Scott McAllister is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
