FC Dallas Stay Alive With 2-2 Draw in Portland
While the result has them fall just out of the playoff line, FC Dallas kept their unbeaten streak alive and found two huge goals to grab a point away from home against the Timbers.
I love the way the FC Dallas social media crew have been leaning into the storytelling as of late - this is a team.
And right now, they are living up to that hype, bodies on the line, pushed to exhaustion, for each other, for the postseason, to make something of this wild and unpredictable campaign.
On Saturday night, up in the “dangerous” Pacific Northwest, FC Dallas battled the Portland Timbers with huge playoff implications. Based on results elsewhere, Portland just needed a win at home to cinch their postseason berth, but FC Dallas, fighting for their own shot to extend the 2025 campaign, wasn’t going to have it. Both sides exchanged blows. This was entertaining soccer, end to end.
As the announcers said on the broadcast, this felt like playoff soccer.
The first half closed out with an unfortunate own goal off of Ramiro as he defended a dangerous cross. Despite that moment, FC Dallas looked the stronger team most of the half. They created plenty of opportunities, not that Portland rolled over.
The second half delivered on that action. Logan Farrington got fouled in the box, earning a clear penalty that Petar Musa dispatched with confidence his 17th goal of the year. Portland found an answer on a sequence of play that saw Paredes start an attack against the weary legs of the visitors and finish it. For a moment, with more and more of the Burn guys looking gassed, you wondered if FC Dallas had a comeback in them.
And, yes, they did. Anderson Julio found the ball at the top of the penalty box and laced in a shot that deflected past Portland’s keeper and into goal.
The team celebrated… together.
“These guys are warriors. They’ve turned the locker room into a brotherhood,” Quill said with pride after the result. “They care about each other, and they care about the club.”
Of course, Musa and the squad had opportunities to take the lead, even a late one for Petar that he was forced to elevate over Portland’s onrushing goalkeeper and over the goal. You could argue Dallas left points on the table, but you could argue that Portland also left points as they had chances on the fast break that were parried away by Jacob Jackson or just mishandled. This was a hard fought 90+ minutes for both teams.
In the playoff picture, FC Dallas have dropped just outside of the standings, but there is good news. Houston dropped points. Austin dropped points. Dallas also have a game in hand on some of the other teams vying for postseason play. With three games left, two of them against the Los Angeles Galaxy, there is an opportunity to keep this form going.
It’s going to be tight, but most importantly, it will take teamwork, which this squad is oozing out of their pores right now.