DENVER - The value of the three points FC Dallas earned in Colorado Saturday afternoon can't be overstated. With the victory over the Rapids, FCD moved one point ahead of Real Salt Lake to claim third place in the Western Conference with just one game remaining in the regular season.
If Dallas can hold onto the third seed, the club would avoid the always-dangerous single elimination wild card match between fourth and fifth place and automatically qualify for the conference semifinals. It's the difference between having three days off between the regular season finale and the first playoff match (followed by a second playoff match four days later with a win), and having a full week to prepare for the team's first postseason game since 2011.
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"It’s huge," said FC Dallas captain Matt Hedges of his club's climb up the standings. "Salt Lake had a chance to secure third place last night, but they ended up drawing against Portland so we understood that three points for us here would put us in a really good spot."
FC Dallas could wrap up third place as soon as Wednesday night, depending on the result of RSL's final regular season match against Chivas USA. But even if Salt Lake moves back into third place after that game, Dallas could still clinch the three seed with a win over the Portland Timbers in their final regular season match next Saturday.
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"Getting three points was crucial," said head coach Oscar Pareja after the win over the Rapids. "Having it in our control, going against Portland at home next weekend in Frisco will be good. Our boys deserve it."
The win was also valuable because it put FCD out of reach of the Vancouver Whitecaps, which means Pareja's club can finish no lower than fourth in the standings. That guarantees that Dallas would host the potential wild card game at Toyota Stadium, where the team is currently on an eight-game winning streak.
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But for now, the team is focused on beating the Timbers next weekend and avoiding the knockout round altogether.
"Now it’s in our control," said Hedges. "We control our own destiny and that is a good feeling."
