With a Late Goal and PK Win, Vancouver End FC Dallas' Playoff Run

For 90 minutes, FC Dallas were poised to give their playoff run an extra leg until disaster and a missed clearance undid all the hard work. The 2025 season for Dallas has come to a close.

With a penalty kick blasted over the goal, FC Dallas’ 2025 playoff run ended late Saturday night in Frisco.

I am going to echo what fans are already saying - this final match exemplified the strange year it has been for FC Dallas. This was a year that saw a blockbuster signing in a former league MVP, Lucho Acosta, only for that failed multi-million dollar experiment to end abruptly. This was a year that welcomed a new coach with a fresh mentality to Frisco, an approach that took six months to really begin to bear fruit. This was a year that witnessed a variety of lineups, formations, and personnel on the field, as a frustrated coaching staff tried to get something positive out of the squad. This was a year that was uneven - filled with moments of promise and plenty of reminders that the roster has holes.

And it was year that saw this work-in-progress squad pull together to claw into playoff contention. Wild stuff.

All of that was on display tonight against the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps.

After a dismal showing in the first leg in Vancouver, FC Dallas came out intent on pushing their opponents from the opening whistle. It took them just minutes to get their first shot on goal, something they failed to do in 90 minutes last week in Vancouver. Musa’s free kick, though, was parried by Vancouver, and a follow-up shot by Ibeagha was ruled offside.

But eventually, Petar Musa found the breakthrough on a counter-attack that had him get on the wrong side of the Vancouver defense. He slotted the shot home, and a collective sigh of relief erupted from FC Dallas faithful. They were, at least for the moment, back in it.

Musa celebrated his 19th goal of the season.

Bernard Kamungo was active throughout and had a shout for a second goal, but it was called back as Bernie was at least a step offside.

The euphoria, unfortunately, would get deflated. Vancouver, even after forced to deal with some injuries, had too much depth, and the game plan for Dallas looked precarious as the home side spent most of the second half defending their slim lead than looking for another goal. That led to corner kicks and free kicks and dangerous crosses time and time again. Michael Collodi was stellar again in fending off the worst of the opportunities.

But if you give a team like the Whitecaps those opportunities, they are going to make you pay.

In the 91st minute, Vancouver found the equalizer, a ball that was initially saved in a valiant effort by Collodi but found the feet of defender Pirso who poked it home.

Vancouver nearly won it outright if not for another spectacular save from Collodi, but it was clear that one team had more energy and enthusiasm than the other after the whistle blew.

In penalty kicks, that energy gap was evident. FC Dallas failed to convert two penalty kicks, both too high, and Vancouver celebrated in Frisco. It was a disappointing end to a stellar, physical, dawg-like match.

Quill was disappointed and sad for the season to end. “I had such a blast coaching them tonight and watching the pure desire and honesty. These guys are fighting tooth and nail. It’s hard to imagine it being over now. It’s been a blast to be on this run with them. What I take solace in is that I know we are going in the right direction. We should feel really good about that direction right now.”

He acknowledged, too, the incredible performances from some of the guys, from Michael Collodi to Nolan Norris. He urged fans not to gloss over the performance to focus on a penalty kick blasted over the bar.

Ultimately, Quill wants the fans to focus on how the team improved.

“We grew,” Quill said. “There is nothing I am going to say to these guys to make the guys feel better. We are going to be better because of this. We are going in the right direction.”

With the rollercoaster nature of the season, I still maintain that Dallas was happy to just be in playoff contention. Other teams struggled down the stretch. Dallas, despite so much drama and difficult results, pulled together. That’s all a good sign for who this team can become, especially with reinforcements, depth, and some key signings. They showed tonight they could go toe to toe with one of the league’s best, but in the end, one mistake stood between them and a shot to advance. Such is soccer.

And really, we wondered about the future of plenty of players, but Eric Quill is getting buy-in from young guys who could form the backbone of a squad that is deep and hungry.

There is a lot to be excited about for the future.

We’ll begin to wrap up the season on our weekly podcast on Monday to talk about the result, what we liked, and what we are looking forward to in a busy offseason ahead.