October 28, 2012
GOAT RODEO
Hoops blow two-goal lead against Chivas, close season with draw

Jackson gave FC Dallas a lead, but they could not hold onto it. Photo by Michael Stephens

FRISCO, Texas—FC Dallas had the better of Chivas USA for 89 minutes on Sunday night, but the Goats owned the final ticks of the clock and came away with a 2-2 draw as the two teams closed out their disappointing MLS seasons at FC Dallas Stadium.

The Hoops ran rings around the Chivas USA defense for most of the game, but did not get on the board until the 73rd minute, when Jackson ran onto an artful pass from David Ferreira and used his knee to chip the ball over goalkeeper Tim Melia, who was making only his second-ever MLS start.

Shortly after FCD’s Jair Benitez and Chivas midfielder Ryan Smith had words on the bench-side sideline, and the rhubarb quickly expanded. When the dust settled, referee Matthew Foerster had given both Dallas forward Fabian Castillo and Chivas midfielder a stern talking-to, but not thrown any cards. When play restarted, however, Castillo took his revenge with a breakaway goal that left the Hoops up 2-0. Ferreira threaded a pass past Zemanski and Shalrie Joseph toward the penalty area for Castillo, who charged in on Melia one-on-one and got off a shot just ahead of the backtracking Zemanski.

By the 90th minute, it looked like Dallas would send their fans home happy, but Chivas had other ideas. Zemanski tapped the ball with the outside of his right foot to Laurent Courtois, who made it a one-goal game with a sharp, low shot past Dallas netminder Kevin Hartman. Four minutes later, Melia blocked a point-blank breakaway shot by Jackson and scrambled to keep the Brazilian from getting off a follow-up, and Jorge Villafana started the ball back upfield. After some back-and-forth, Villafana again ended up with the ball, and fed it from the left side to Ryan Smith at the top of the penalty area. Smith relayed it to Courtois, who was just outside the six-yard box and poked a centering ball to Juan Agudelo for the close-range finish.

For the Hoops, who finish the season at 9-13-12 (39 pts), it was déjà vu – they had failed to post a win in 11 of the 17 games in which they scored first this season. For Chivas (7-18-9, 30), the result was a measure of redemption. They still finish the season winless in 14 straight, but could say they pulled off one of the season’s epic comebacks, and took a point for their trouble.