- Jesús Ferreira (9')
- Reto Ziegler (60' Pen)
- Cristhian Paredes (67')
FC Dallas survive late VAR review to beat the Portland Timbers
Jesus Ferreira scored early on, and Reto Ziegler added the deciding tally on a penalty kick in the second half, as FC Dallas held on to beat the visiting Portland Timbers 2-1 on Saturday in in cold, windy and rainy conditions in Frisco, Texas.
The win allowed FC Dallas (4-2-1, 13 points) to remain undefeated at home.
Portland (0-5-1, 1 point), the defending Western Conference champion, lost its fifth straight match.
Ferreira gave FC Dallas the lead in the ninth minute, though his goal had to be verified by VAR. Ferreira just stayed onside after corralling a pass from Michael Barrios, rushed into the box and beat Timbers defender Bill Tuiloma before unleashing a right-footed shot low and to the left of goalkeeper Jeff Attinella.
Dallas doubled its advantage in the 60th minute when Ziegler scored from the spot, after teammate Pablo Aránguiz was fouled in the box by the Timbers' Jorge Moreira.
Portland got on the board in the 67th minute, as Sebastián Blanco found Cristhian Paredes at the far post on a cross, and Paredes' header beat Dallas goalie Jose Luis Gonzalez. Diego Chara also got an assist on the goal.
Gonzalez had five saves in the win, four of them in the second half, with the most dangerous a Portland scoring chance in the 55th minute.
The Timbers thought they had secured a penalty kick five minutes into second-half stoppage time when Larrys Mabiala's header appeared to glace off the left hand of Dallas defender Ryan Hollingshead while in the box. The play was ruled not to be a penalty after VAR review, and FC Dallas closed out the match.
Portland ruled the second half and ended up matching Dallas in shots (13 apiece), with six on target to Dallas' five. Dallas held a 52.2 percent possession advantage.
FC Dallas return to the pitch on April 20 when they travel to Atlanta United FC. The Timbers remain on the road to play Columbus, also on April 20.
Game Information
MLS Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA Galaxy | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | +6 | 18 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | +8 | 16 |
| Real Salt Lake | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | +7 | 15 |
| Colorado Rapids | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | +2 | 15 |
| Minnesota United FC | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | +4 | 14 |
| Houston Dynamo FC | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | +1 | 13 |
| LAFC | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | +1 | 12 |
| Austin FC | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | -1 | 12 |
| St. Louis CITY SC | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | +1 | 12 |
| Sporting Kansas City | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | +1 | 11 |
| Portland Timbers | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| FC Dallas | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -5 | 5 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | -11 | 3 |
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