SEATTLE — Seattle Sounders FC scored twice in the second half to take a 2-1 advantage over FC Dallas in the first leg of the two-match Western Conference Semifinals. Clint Dempsey’s 86th minute free-kick bullet broke a 1-1 tie. Andreas Ivanschitz accounted for the other Seattle score. Fabian Castillo notched FC Dallas’ lone goal in the first half.
The visitors took the lead in the 18th minute on Castillo’s goal. A through pass from forward Mauro Diaz allowed Castillo to outrun and beat Seattle defender Zach Scott to the ball. The FC Dallas midfielder placed a perfect strike past goalkeeper Stefan Frei to give his team an early 1-0 advantage.
Diaz nearly doubled FC Dallas’ lead in the 25th minute. Midfielder Andy Rose made a poor tackle at the top of the box that led to a free kick. Diaz’s shot missed the left post to the relief of the 39,599 supporters in attendance.
Seattle’s best chance to draw even in the first half came in the 33rd minute. Dempsey and Obafemi Martins combined on several crisp passes leading to an Erik Friberg opportunity from outside the box. The Swede unleashed a strike that brushed the right post.
Ivanschitz evened the score in the 68th minute. The Austrian midfielder ran from the center circle area to the top of the box. He uncorked a shot along the ground that rolled into the space between Gonzalez and inside the right post.
A foul from outside the 18-yard box led to a Sounders FC free kick. Dempsey’s rocket in the 86th minute sailed over the FC Dallas wall and high into the top right corner of the net. The strike gave Seattle a 2-1 lead in aggregate goals heading into the second leg of the series next Sunday in Dallas.
The Sounders played without the services of several key team members: midfielder/defender Brad Evans (hamstring pull), defender Leo Gonzalez (adductor strain) defensive midfielder Osvaldo Alonso (adductor strain).
