The Sounders earned a 2-0 victory in Game 1 on Monday in Seattle. Albert Rusnak and Jordan Morris notched in each half, and Stefan Frei made four saves to acquire his 12th career clean sheet in a playoff match.
With Seattle possessing 57 percent of the possession and a 19-10 advantage in shots, Game 1 was a continuation of the all-around quality the Sounders have displayed over the last two-plus months. Covering the regular season and Game 1, the Sounders are unbeaten (5-0-5) in their last 10 matches.
"I think the group mentality defensively is kind of what's led us to be a really hard team to break down and score goals against," Morris said. "Obviously it starts with Stef, he's unbelievable. ... But I think just the collective effort from the group to press well as a team, I think our pressing has really come a long way in this stretch."
To keep their season alive, FC Dallas will have to figure out a way to solve Frei and the Sounders defense. However, that task will be even more difficult for Dallas, which won't have without forward Alan Velasco after he suffered a torn left ACL in Game 1.
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"Everyone is sad because Alan is a delightful kid," FC Dallas coach Nico Estevez said. "We all love him, not only for what he brings on the field but off the field he's an amazing guy and teammate. ... I think the team has to use this as motivation to do something great for him."
Monday's loss ended FC Dallas' own unbeaten streak, as Dallas hadn't lost in its last nine (2-0-7) matches of the regular season. That streak included the Sounders' previous visit to Dallas, a 1-1 draw on Sept. 16.
FC Dallas was 7-3-7 at home during the regular season. The Sounders were 7-5-5 on the road, ranking fourth in the league in points (26) accumulated in away matches.
Should FC Dallas win Saturday, the decisive Game 3 will take place Nov. 10 in Seattle.
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Paul Arriola and Jesus Ferreira each notched within the initial 18 minutes to guide FC Dallas to a 3-1 triumph over the visiting Seattle Sounders on Saturday night in Match 2 of their first-round best-of-three MLS Cup playoff series.
The outcome sets up a winner-takes-all Match 3 in Seattle next Friday.
Jader Obrian also scored for FC Dallas, while Jordan Morris tallied Seattle's only goal of the match.
The Sounders took a three-match shutout streak into Saturday's action, including their 2-0 victory over Dallas in Match 1. Nevertheless, it took FC Dallas just six minutes to locate the back of the net in Match 2.
Bernard Kamungo sent in a perfect curving pass from outside the box that discovered an open Arriola in front of the net, and the Dallas captain's header beat goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
Kamungo was also involved in the setup of Dallas' next goal, as the striker was brought down in the box by Seattle defender Nouhou Tolo. FC Dallas were awarded an 18th-minute penalty kick after a video review, and Ferreira converted it for his first career MLS playoff goal.
Reflecting Dallas' brisk start, the Sounders responded early in the second half. In the 48th minute, an ill-advised back pass from Kamungo toward Sebastien Ibeagha was taken away by Morris, who raced into the box and converted a well-placed, right-footed kick.
Initially ruled an offsides play, the goal was validated after a brief discussion between the officials, giving Morris his second goal of the first-round series.
The next key ruling wasn't in the Sounders' favor, as Ferreira pulled the jersey of Raul Ruidiaz in the box when Ruidiaz was pursuing a cross in the 74th minute. Seattle wasn't awarded a penalty kick upon video review, as Ferreira's pull wasn't judged to have been an impediment to a true scoring chance.
Near-misses from Ruidiaz and Obed Vargas almost gave Seattle the equalizer before Obrian sealed FC Dallas' win in the 89th minute. Just six minutes after entering the match as a substitute, Obrian took the ball at midfield and raced downfield, taking the shot himself between two teammates acting as decoys.