FCD continues late-season playoff push
FC Dallas sit two points shy of final MLS postseason berth
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- Highlights: FCD 2, SJ 1
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- Cunningham wins it for Dallas
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"We still have a little bit of breath in us to dream about a playoff opportunity," FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said. "We came in and played our best, and I thought the goals we scored were pretty good goals."
Both Dallas goals came from some nifty combination play. The game-winning goal came in the 81st minute, after David Ferreira slid a through ball to Dax McCarty racing up the middle. When San Jose goalkeeper Joe Cannon came out to challenge McCarty near the top of the penalty area, he laid the ball off to Cunningham for an uncontested shot on goal.
"I had two clear, good chances in the first half that normally, in the form I'm in, would have gone in," Cunningham said. "After that, you're taught as a striker to forget about those (missed) opportunities but I couldn't shake them. Finally, at the end, Dax rewarded me with a tap-in, and it's a game-winner. I'm not going to be too critical of my play tonight. We got the three points, that's all that matters."
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In the 13 games since Kenny Cooper's departure to Germany's 1860 Munich, Cunningham has struck for 16 of his league-leading 17 goals and six assists, including one on Ferreira's opener Wednesday.
"When he was given the opportunity to be the so-called 'man,' of the team, the difference-maker, he really stepped up," Hyndman said. "But you also have to identify what a great job David Ferreira has also done. The two of them have really been on the same page."
Cunningham and Ferreira combined to open the scoring in the 49th minute. From the right wing, Heath Pearce played the ball to Cunningham just outside the penalty area, and Cunningham flicked it on to Ferreira breaking towards goal. Ferreira dribbled around the San Jose goalkeeper and slid the ball into the empty net for his eighth goal of the year.
"I'm not going to take credit for that assist. I didn't know much about it to be honest," Cunningham said. "It was from a wide play, and ended up on David's feet, and he made it look easy."
But San Jose did not go down without a struggle.
"It was a hard-fought game on both sides, Hyndman said. "I think it was a great spectator game. Both teams were going at each other. There were a lot of shots. There were some great saves. I thought it was a competitive game where two warriors were trying to knock the other one out."
The Earthquakes tied the match in the 73rd minute when Shea Salinas released Quincy Amarikwa down the right side, and Amarikwa was able to chip the ball past an onrushing Dario Sala 10 yards from goal. It was the first goal Dallas had allowed in 263 minutes of MLS play.
"I was very concerned. The momentum, the home field, all the things that we talked about before the game came to life," Hyndman said. "For them to come back to come back and score, I was very nervous about a second goal coming."
But that second goal did come, with McCarty taking Ferreira's pass and setting up Cunningham.
"We're fighting. We're playing hard, we're playing for each other," Cunningham said. "Perfect example tonight. The boys did all the work, and gave me a tap-in. That's been what's going on the entire second half of the season for me. David is playing well, creating a lot of chances, as a result I'm just trying to stay active around the goal area and I'm getting the (goals)."
Dallas had one last scare in stoppage time, when Cannon came forward out of his goal to join a last-gasp attack and headed the ball on goal, only to see Jair Benitez clear it off the line in a goalmouth scramble.
"Fantastic," Hyndman said. "I didn't think any one of our guys wanted to mark (Joe Cannon). It just shows the competitive edge on him to want to come and make a difference, and I think our Jair Benitez is the one who saved it off the line. It was on its way in."
The win, Dallas' third in a row and fourth in their last five matches, puts FCD two points shy of the last playoff spot with two games left on their regular schedule.
"We still have the belief," Cunningham said. "We all believe we can get these next two results."
"Do we deserve to be in the playoffs?" Hyndman said. "Yeah. We deserve to be in the playoffs as much as anyone else who's going to get in. And I wouldn't want to be the team to play FC Dallas if we're in the playoffs."
Pete Ratajczak is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
