FRISCO, Texas — In a highly anticipated matchup between two of the Western Conference's hottest teams, the Seattle Sounders grabbed three points and overtook FC Dallas for sole possession of second place after a 1-0 victory at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday.
The win marked the first for Seattle at Pizza Hut Park in three games and gave them an edge in the race for the Supporters’ Shield.
The Sounders and No. 10 Mauro Rosales got on the board early after capitalizing on a defensive miscue from Dallas center back Ugo Ihemelu. In the 15th minute, Lamar Neagle — playing in his first league start since late June — collected a poor touch from Ihemelu and kick-started the Sounders counterattack.
After Fredy Montero took the pass from Neagle, he led a streaking Rosales down the right flank, who in turn fired a low shot from 18 yards out to beat goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. The tally was Rosales’ fourth of the season and, for Dallas, it was the third-earliest goal they had conceded this year.
Seattle nearly doubled their lead moments later when Jhon Kennedy Hurtado headed past Hartman off a free kick, but the sideline referee whistled the play offside.
Down a goal, Dallas turned on their offensive engine and fired off 11 shots, including Brek Shea’s blast from just outside the box that grazed the outside netting. But trouble struck their back line when center back Zach Loyd left with an injury in the 25th minute.
Loyd — filling in for George John, who was serving a one-game suspension — collided with Montero and appeared to injure his right leg in the process. Head coach Schellas Hyndman was forced to adapt, moving right back Jackson to Loyd’s central position and subbing on new acquisition Jeremy Hall into right back.
The Sounders received a stroke of fortune in the 56th minute when Daniel Cruz — playing in his first start at Pizza Hut Park — saw his second yellow card of the game after referee David Gantar whistled him for diving outside the Sounders' 18-yard box.
Changing to a three-man back line, Dallas pressured the Sounders back four and brought on 19-year-old forward Fabián Castillo to threaten the visiting team.
Kasey Keller preserved the crucial three points with a stoppage-time fingertip save off a Bruno Guarda shot to help Seattle jump Dallas in the standings with eight games to play.
Each team next travels for midweek CONCACAF Champions League games, with Seattle playing Monterrey in Mexico and Dallas playing at BMO Field against Toronto FC.
In league play, Dallas take the short trip north to play Sporting Kansas City on Aug. 27 while the Sounders return to CenturyLink Field to take on the Columbus Crew.
Scoring Summary:
SEA -- Mauro Rosales 4 (Fredy Montero 6) 15
Misconduct Summary:
DAL -- Daniel Cruz (caution; Reckless Tackle) 3
SEA -- Erik Friberg (caution; Tactical Foul) 6
DAL -- Ugo Ihemelu (caution; Reckless Foul) 27
DAL -- Daniel Cruz (caution; Simulation) 56
DAL -- Daniel Cruz (ejection; Second Caution) 56
SEA -- Fredy Montero (caution; Reckless Foul) 60
SEA -- Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (caution; Tactical Foul) 62
SEA -- Zach Scott (caution; Handball) 94+
Lineups:
Seattle Sounders -- Kasey Keller, Zach Scott, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez, Mauro Rosales, Osvaldo Alonso, Erik Friberg (Brad Evans 63), Lamar Neagle, Mike Fucito (Pat Noonan 78), Fredy Montero (Alvaro Fernandez 68).
Substitutes Not Used: Roger Levesque, James Riley, Tyson Wahl, Terry Boss.
FC Dallas -- Kevin Hartman, Zach Loyd (Jeremy Hall 24), Jackson (Fabian Castillo 73), Ugo Ihemelu, Jair Benitez, Marvin Chavez, Daniel Cruz, Daniel Hernandez (Bruno Guarda 81), Ricardo Villar, Brek Shea, Maicon Santos.
Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Jacobson, Jack Stewart, Bobby Warshaw, Chris Seitz.
Referee: David Gantar
Referee's Assistants: Philippe Briere; Anthony Vasoli
4th Official: Tyler Ploeger
Attendance: 11,635
Time of Game: 1:53
Weather: Clear and 104 degrees
