There will be plenty on this site regarding the officiating of Baldomero Toledo, so my focus will be the tactical side of the match and how things played out. Did Toledo’s presence impact the outcome of the game? Possibly. I’ll let my colleagues dive into that one because from my vantage point, even without Toledo’s officiating, FC Dallas didn’t look convincing at all. Yes, that “penalty” sealed Dallas’ fate, but I wasn’t convinced Dallas was going to equalize given how they lined up and approached this one.
False Hope
The opening 10 minutes played about as anyone expected; Dallas paced themselves for a hot evening, sat deep and opted to pick their chances to launch the counter.