Midfielder Sebastian Lletget scored his first goal for FC Dallas and third overall of the 2022 season. Forward Paul Arriola scored his career-high 10th goal of the season. MLS scoring chart
Frisco, Texas (October 9, 2022) – FC Dallas (53 points, 14-9-11) outscored Sporting Kansas City (40 points, 11-16-7) 2-1 on Decision Day at Toyota Stadium. It marks the most wins (16) and the most points (53) for Dallas since 2018. FC Dallas will host a playoff game at home for the first time since Oct. 31, 2018 when they hosted the Portland Timbers.
UNIQUE SEASON CHANGE
FC Dallas finished the 2022 regular season with 53 points, 20 more than the club achieved in the 2021 season. Twenty points is the biggest year-over-year improvement in club history, surpassing the 14-point improvement from the 1998 season. -1999.
SEBASTIAN’S FIRST
Sebastian Lletget scored his first goal for FC Dallas to open the scoring in the 33rd minute of the match. The cross came from Jesús Ferreira who recorded his sixth assist of the year. Lletget’s goal tally ends at three for the 2022 regular season and 26 for his career.
THE AMERICAN DUO
Paul Arriola (10) and Jesus Ferreira (18) are the first American duo to score 10 or more goals in a season since 2017 when Clint Dempsey and Will Bruin did the same for the Seattle Sounders.
PAUL ARRIOLA’S PERFECT 10
Arriola’s game-winning goal in the 61st minute helped secure the last three points of the season for FC Dallas and secured home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. It was also Arriola’s 10th goal of the season, capping a new personal record for a single season. His previous mark was six goals for DC United, which he scored in 2019 and 2021.
VENUE RECORD IN REGULAR SEASON IN 2022
FC Dallas goes 10-3-4 at home in 2022. The game against Sporting KC was the seventh sellout of the season at Toyota Stadium with 19,096 in attendance.
NEXT: FC DALLAS HOSTS MINNESOTA UNITED IN THE FIRST ROUND
FC Dallas takes on Minnesota United in the first round of the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs on Monday, October 17 at 8 p.m. The game will air on FS1 and Fox Deportes, Talk Radio 1190 and TUDN 1270AM.
FC DALLAS POST-GAME QUOTES
General thoughts about the season…
“It’s a lot of credit for the players. They have been working very, very hard since day one. They are committed to achieving the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the season. They put a lot of effort into the way we want to play, the way we want to attack, the way we want to defend. This season was very good for the club”.
On the matchup against Minnesota…
“I think it’s going to be a tough game, but I can’t wait to see our fans here. I can’t wait for this building to run down and fill up, having that energy will help us beat a good team.”
Midfielder Sebastian Lletget
On his time with FC Dallas so far…
“It’s a beautiful feeling. Ever since I came to Dallas I wanted to help make a difference. Today we meet one of our goals that we set at the beginning of the season. Now the fun begins, the playoffs are here and they will be interesting”.
On facing Minnesota in the first round…
“We know that there is no easy game in this league. We must be prepared for it and we will be focused. Our objective today was to secure a home game and I can happily say that we achieved it. Now we will work harder during the week.”
Upon his return from injury and eager to reach the playoffs…
“I am happy to be back. I finally got a few minutes under my belt and I feel great. Being able to host a playoff game is special. We will be able to play in front of our fans. We will prepare throughout the week and stay focused as we head into the first game of the playoffs.”
In his first season at the club…
“There are so many positives that I can take from this season so far. I’m happy with the way it’s going. Now we push to the final because that is our main objective. We will take this one step at a time.”
General thoughts on the match…
“I am happy to have left with the victory. I have to give credit to Alan who helped win the ball while he was pressing. In transitions I feel that we are dangerous. I saw Alan (Velasco) one on one and I made a run to the front and he was able to take me out. It was a crucial goal because he helped to get the win. As I mentioned, I have to give Alan credit for the assist.”
On the message heading into the playoffs…
“The message is quite clear and that is to win. We will look to compete and we know what the playoffs are like because the games are tougher. We’ll focus on Minnesota and then we’ll see what comes next. I am very happy and proud of the team that worked together to get a playoff game at home.”
Goalkeeper Maarten Paes
In the game…
“I knew his front five players are like-minded in making a shot. The first half was a good half for us, we scored from an accumulation which was a very good goal for us. They came out hot in the second half, unfortunately we conceded a goal there, but I was very happy that we bounced back.”
On facing Minnesota in the playoffs…
“That is a very difficult matchup. They have some very skillful players, so many key players for them. We have to play very well to beat them, we lost against them at home, so we have to play well to beat them”.
Defender Jose Martinez
In his second season at the club…
“Setting challenges and goals as an athlete is important in development. Last year I came from Spain and adapting to the style of play of the club and the leagues was a bit difficult. I needed to recover and have a better year this season. The coaching staff gave me goals to achieve and I am happy that we are working on them closely. I feel confident in my game, but I feel like I can offer more in my game.”
On facing Minnesota in the playoffs…
“I remember the last time we played against them at home we fell short. It was strange because defensively they were solid. We had to win this match to get a higher seed because we wanted to host. They had almost the same number of points and also wanted to host. We finished in great style heading into this game against Minnesota. We will have to win in order to reach our ultimate goal.”
Source: news.google.com