FC Dallas' three-goal rally against the Montreal Impact on Saturday was certainly eye-catching – but was it the comeback of the season?
The numbers say yes.
The Texas side's rally from a 3-0 deficit in the final 31 minutes of regulation (plus stoppage time) was the first time in 2019 that a team has come back from three goals down to get a result, in this case a 3-3 tie. It is also just the 15th time in MLS's 24-year history that a team has accomplished the feat per the MLS Fact and Record Book, and the second such occasion that Dallas have done so.
Biggest comebacks to earn a result in MLS history
| Date | Result (home team listed first) | Deficit |
|---|---|---|
| 8/18/19 | Montreal Impact 3, FC Dallas 3 | DAL trailed, 3-0 |
| 6/13/18 | Toronto FC 4, D.C. United 4 | TOR trailed, 3-0 |
| 6/2/18 | Columbus Crew 3, Toronto FC 3 | CLB trailed, 3-0 |
| 3/31/18 | LA Galaxy 4, LAFC 3 | LA trailed, 3-0 |
| 7/19/17 | Seattle Sounders 4, D.C. United 3 | SEA trailed, 3-0 |
| 4/29/17 | Seattle Sounders 3, New England Revolution 3 | SEA trailed, 3-0 |
| 4/22/17 | Philadelphia Union 3, Montreal Impact 3 | MTL trailed, 3-0 |
| 5/7/16 | Columbus Crew 4, Montreal Impact 4 | MTL trailed, 4-1 |
| 7/25/15 | Columbus Crew 3, Toronto FC 3 | TOR trailed, 3-0 |
| 8/29/12 | New England Revolution 3, Chivas USA 3 | CHV trailed, 3-0 |
| 9/7/11 | Philadelphia Union 4, New England Revolution 4 | PHI trailed, 4-1 |
| 4/2/11 | Vancouver Whitecaps 3, Sporting KC 3 | VAN trailed, 3-0 |
| 7/14/07 | D.C. United 3, FC Dallas 3 | DAL trailed, 3-0 |
| 7/12/03 | New England Revolution 3, NY/NJ MetroStars 3 | NY trailed, 3-0 |
| 5/4/96 | NY/NJ MetroStars 4, Tampa Bay Mutiny 3 (SO) | NY trailed, 3-0 |
No team has ever come back from four goals down to get a result in the history of MLS.
The comeback could also prove to be a watershed moment in FC Dallas' season. They currently sit tied with Portland for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference — on the wrong side of the playoff line due to the wins tiebreaker — but they have played a whopping three more games than the Timbers and two more than the sixth-placed team in the West, San Jose. But it's hard to argue that a rally like the one on Saturday night doesn't fuel a team's confidence, especially after their middling run of form this summer. There's still a lot of work to be done for Luchi Gonzalez's men, but one thing is clear: the belief is still very much alive in the Toyota Stadium locker room.
