A wild turn of events negated a furious second-half rally by Toronto FC on Saturday, and forced the Reds to settle for a point after seemingly having the win sewn up.
Kenny Cooper converted a penalty kick in extra time -- on a second attempt -- for his second goal of the night and 18th of the season. With the 2-2 draw, Toronto remained in contention for a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Cooper had put FC Dallas ahead at halftime with his goal in the 34th minute. But Toronto FC scored two unanswered goals in the second half -- one by Marco Velez in the 72nd and another by Marvell Wynne in the 88th -- to take a 2-1 lead and set the stage for the late dramatics.
FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman went with the same starting 11 that played San Jose to a 1-1 draw at Pizza Hut Park last Thursday, when Cooper converted a penalty kick in the 89th minute that canceled out a second-half Earthquakes goal.
TFC head coach John Carver was forced to make several changes to his lineup that prevailed 3-1 at New York last Saturday. With five players away on international duty, Nana Attakora-Gyan entered the lineup in the back with Tyler Rosenlund and Johann Smith coming into the midfield.
For much of the opening 45 minutes, the Hoops controlled the run of play. In the 12th minute, Cooper found himself free after a great delivery from Jeff Cunningham, who was traded to FCD from Toronto FC in early August. However, the FCD striker took much too long to get his shot off and goalkeeper Greg Sutton was able to come out and close down the play for the Reds.
Andre Rocha was also active for the home side early on. In the 12th minute, his effort went to the right of Sutton and wide of the visiting goal. And in the 23rd, he took a free kick from about 35 yards out that was deflected away.
TFC didn't get their first shot of the night until 20 minutes in when Rosenlund got free inside the box. His shot was right at FCD 'keeper Dario Sala, who made the easy save. Another effort, by Chad Barrett in the 27th was also stopped by Sala.
The Hoops took the lead in the 34th minute on Cooper's first goal. After a well-placed throw-in from Adrian Serioux on the right touchline, the ball bounced around in the box, deflecting off at least one Toronto FC player before falling to Cooper's feet near the right post. The Dallas native quickly turned the ball into the far side of the net to give his side a 1-0 advantage.
Some four minutes into the second frame, Cooper tried to catch Sutton out and knocked a long ball over his head, but the visiting 'keeper was on his toes and backpedaled to make what proved to be an easy save.
For much of the night, the TFC attack was largely dormant. That changed in the 52nd minute when Rohan Ricketts benefited from sloppy play in the FCD midfield and saw a good chance, but his shot missed the far side of the net by inches.
Rocha took another free kick for FCD in the 65th. But once again, Sutton was perfectly positioned to play the Brazilian's effort and make his third save of the evening.
With FCD unable to hit for a second goal, it came back to haunt them in the 72nd minute. Marvell Wynne took a throw-in from the right flank -- at almost the same spot as Serioux earlier -- and his ball found Danny Dichio, who headed back it into the heart of the box. Velez got on the end of it and volleyed the ball into the right side of the net for his second goal of the season.
Then with the game headed for a draw, TFC scored what appeared to have been the game-winner. Barrett hit a great through ball from right at midfield and Wynne won a footrace with FCD center back Duilio Davino to reach the ball some 40 yards from goal. He launched a right-footed effort that beat Sala into the upper right corner and gave TFC a 2-1 lead.
But the fireworks were just beginning. Just after the 90-minute mark, FCD were taking a free kick when Julius James was whistled for pulling Serioux to the ground by the shirt. Serioux also got a hand on the ball, but the infraction occurred as he was being taken down, and referee Mark Geiger awarded a penalty kick for FC Dallas instead a free kick the other way.
Cooper stepped up to the spot, and after a couple of stutter steps, knocked the ball into the left side of the goal. However, his goal was waved off as one of his teammates entered the area too soon. So Cooper stepped up for another attempt and this time, although Sutton guessed correctly, put inside the right corner just under the goalkeeper's reach.
TFC was seeking to win back-to-back road matches for the first time all year. With the draw, the Reds are now 3-10-1 away from BMO Field this year. FCD are now just 1-2-2 at home in their last five matches and finishes the regular season with a home record of 5-4-6.
TFC play host to Chicago next Saturday at BMO Field in their home finale with their playoff hopes in real peril, while FCD travel to Rio Tinto Stadium to face Real Salt Lake, also on Saturday, after what is certain to be a nervous weekend of scoreboard watching.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
