The young Mexican-American goalkeeper for FC Dallas can't celebrate with a beer yet, but Jesse Gonzalez was crucial for his squad as they defeated the Seattle Sounders in penalty kicks to move on to the semifinals of Major League Soccer. Gonzalez stopped two penalty kicks by Sounders players to help his team advance. The penalty shootout was set up by a heart-stopping injury time header scored by Walker Zimmerman to force extra time by tying the goal aggregate against Seattle. The squads remained scoreless in extra time, then it came down to penalties.
In the other Sunday MLS playoff games, the New York Red Bulls defeated DC United, while the Columbus Crew ousted the Montreal Impact. The Portland Timbers also eliminated the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Under-20 Mexico goalkeeper Gonzalez has emerged as a star in the MLS playoffs, giving fans of Mexican soccer a reason to watch. For his part, the goalkeeper has said he hopes that new Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio is also playing attention.