Recap: Playoffs in reach of FCD as they down RSL, 2-1

SANDY, Utah — David Ferreira's clinical blast in the 94th minute gave FC Dallas a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake on Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium. 

An FC Dallas goal in the 61st minute from a Fabián Castillo and Ferreira give-and-go looked like it just may give the visitors three points, but Real Salt Lake's Álvaro Saborío headed in a goal in the 76th minute off a corner from Javier Morales to draw even.

Dallas struck first against the run of play when Castillo took a ball down the left wing. After getting to the attacking third, he made a simple pass in to Ferreira, who knocked it one-time back to his fellow Colombian just inside the penalty area. With Tony Beltran trailing, Castillo took a tough-angle shot that hit the back-right corner of the net.

FULL LINEUPS AND BOX SCORE
HIGHLIGHTS: RSL 1, DAL 2

Real began throwing numbers forward, and it finally paid off on the team's seventh corner of the night. Morales hit the ball toward the back post, and like he has done many times in his career, Saborío jumped high to get his head on the ball and send it into the back corner.

Perhaps it was a tactical mistake, but RSL proceeded to throw huge numbers forward looking to capture the full three points in a game in which they dominated possesion. The result was a counterattack that saw Brek Shea and Ferreira on a two-on-one break against defender Nat Borchers. Shea drew Borchers close and hit the ball to the middle to Ferreira, who took a couple of controlling touches before firing a blast to the top-right corner past a helpless Nick Rimando.

The game had a definite intensity to it, and began to get a bit chippy at about the quarter-hour mark. First, RSL's Beltran was shown a yellow for a dangerous tackle. Five minutes later, Kwame Watson-Siriboe was given the caution for a challenge in the air. A couple of more fouls going both ways gave the game an atmosphere of contention. Fabián Espíndola picked up a yellow during a stoppage of play in the 25th minute for dissent.

COMPLETE OPTA CHALKBOARD

Real Salt Lake have now dropped four straight matches in all competitions and three consecutive in MLS play — their last win came at home against Vancouver on July 27 — and will look to break that streak on August 21 when they play host to Tauro in CONCACAF Champions League play. Their next league game is on the road at Philadelphia three days later.

FC Dallas have now taken full points in their last three matches and sit just five points outside the fifth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They visit the LA Galaxy — the current fifth-place team in the West — on August 26.

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