What we learned in FC Dallas' 3-1 win over Seattle

Did they get a little lucky? Sure. But we'll take it.

Photo via MIke Brooks

Unlike the other playoff series in Major League Soccer that ended after two games in Round One¹, FC Dallas managed to extend their season’s life by another game on Saturday with their 3-1 win over the Seattle Sounders.

There was plenty to be happy with on Saturday night if you are FC Dallas manager Nico Estevez, but there are still some things that you will want to address before Friday’s decisive Game Three back in Seattle.

Let’s dive into some items we took away from Saturday’s win.

The plan comes to fruition

While going into the game, the defensive plan had to be containing Seattle along the wings. In large part, that plan was pretty stout all night. Ema Twumasi quietly had one of his better games of the year as he kept Leo Chu at bay. Sam Junqua got a starting spot in place of Marco Farfan, which turned out to be a pretty genius move on Estevez. Junqua continues to play at a higher level than any of us expected him to when he was brought into the club back at the start of the season.

Then, there was the addition of Liam Fraser in the midfield, with Asier Illarramendi and Paxton Pomykal floating in the center of the park. I know some would love to see Sebastian Lletget back out there now that he is healthy. But with the injury to Alan Velasco, this trio makes a ton of sense in disrupting play (both on Pomykal's and Fraser’s part) and calming things down to set up goals (Illarramendi).