Dallas' season was highlighted by qualifying for the first MLS Cup Final in franchise history, where they ultimately came up short, losing to the Colorado Rapids in extra time, from an own goal by George John who inadvertently deflected a ball into his own net. In spite of the MLS Cup shortcomings, Dallas earned a preliminary spot in the 2011–12 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League, for next year.
During the regular season, the club set a team record for longest home unbeaten streak, with six matches. Additionally, during this unbeaten streak from May to October, Dallas set an MLS record for longest road unbeaten streak (11 matches) and overall unbeaten streak (15) before eventually losing to Real Salt Lake towards the end of the season. The unbeaten streak, gave Dallas their best regular season record since 2007. David Ferreira of Dallas was crowned the league's Most Valuable Player.
Outside of MLS, the club a short-lived spell in the U.S. Open Cup play-in proper. In an April 28 qualification match against D.C. United, the club, fielded primarily by reserves, lost 4–2.
Background
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Review
Preseason
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March
Dallas began their fifteenth Major League Soccer regular season with a 1–1 draw in a home match against the Houston Dynamo on March 27, 2009.[1]
April
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May
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June
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July
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The month of September saw Dallas obtain several landmark records for their club and for the MLS. As of September 21, 2010, those records are:
Longest Active Home Winning Streak – 6 Games – Club Record – ending with their tie at home to New York Red Bulls
Longest Road Unbeaten Streak – 11 Games – MLS & Club Record
Longest Active Unbeaten Streak – 15 Games – MLS & Club Record
In September, a heated match with New York Red Bulls on September 16 produced well-publicized controversy. New York Red Bulls forward & designated player, Thierry Henry injured FC Dallas goalie Kevin Hartman in celebration of the Red Bulls' first goal of the evening by Mehdi Ballouchy in the 48+ minute of the match.. Henry kicked the ball after the play had ended. FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was on the other side of the ball and suffered a knee injury as a result. The Disciplinary Committee determined Henry's action to be unsporting and issued a $2,000 fine.
As a result of Henry's actions, FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman spoke out against the referees decision; saying it showed a "lack of courage". Further controversy was ignited following the MLS Disciplinary Committee's decision to fine Henry with no suspension preceding New York Red Bull's next match against star-studded Los Angeles Galaxy. FC Dallas player Brek Shea, however, was fined $1000, red-carded and suspended for an additional game during the same match.
October
On October 2, the club qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2007. They qualified following a 2–1 victory at Gillette Stadium against the New England.
The regular season ended on a rough patch for the Toros, as they would have to travel for away games against Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake; at the time the first-place and second-place clubs in the league, respectively. The two game-trip ended in a pair of back-to-back losses for Dallas on October 17 and 23, and ultimately ended their chance for winning the Supporters' Shield.
Amid controversy surrounding the playoff's format,[3] Dallas was the third seed Western Conference bracket, drawn against the second-place West club and MLS Cup defending champions, Real Salt Lake.
The Conference Semifinals served as a two-leg, home and away aggregate series with no away goals rule enforced. Dallas hosted Salt Lake on October 30. Despite an early goal from Fabian Espindola in the fifth-minute, the Toros would rally with a pair of goals from Jeff Cunningham and Eric Avila, giving not only them victory, but a lead in the a series.
November
The first leg of the quarterfinals was played at FC Dallas' home ground Pizza Hut Park on October 30, in the northern Dallas suburb of Frisco. Early in the match, Salt Lake striker Fabián Espíndola bagged a fifth-minute goal to give the visitors a critical away goal and a 1–0 lead in the match and on aggregate. The team rebounded from the setback thanks to a 44th-minute equalizer from Jeff Cunningham. Shortly into the second half, things looked more promising for Dallas when a dangerous sliding tackle in the 49th minute from Salt Lake's midfielder Javier Morales resulted in an immediate red-card ejection from the match, resulting in the Royals having to play a man down. Kittian international, Atiba Harris was ejected in the 88th minute, causing a 10 vs. 10 match for the final two minutes before injury time. While things were looking to stay on parity for the first leg, a last-minute goal from Dallas' Eric Avila gave the Toros a needed 2–1 victory over RSL.[4]
Our midfield has been tremendous this year. We're getting the best out of Daniel Hernandez. He's not just the anchor back in the middle third, but he's also the captain of the team as well, a bit of an inspirational player and also my right hand on the field.
Dallas traveled out to Salt Lake City to take on the Royals for the second leg on November 6. Although Dallas had a 2–1 aggregate lead, they were playing in Rio Tinto Stadium, considered by many[who?] to be one of the most intimidating soccer atmospheres in the United States, where Salt Lake hadn't lost a match since May 2009. The match drew a near-capacity crowd of roughly 19,500 spectators. In the 17th minute of the match, a goal from Dallas midfielder and American international Dax McCarty gave the Toros a 3–1 lead on aggregate and a 1–0 lead for the match. For a majority of the match, deep into the second half, Dallas held this lead. A late equalizer from Robbie Findley leveled the game at 1–1, but it was too little, too late for RSL as the Dallas eliminated the defending champions, 3–1 on aggregate.[6]
November 6's victory over Salt Lake propelled Dallas into the Western Conference finals against the MLS Cup runners-up from last year, Los Angeles Galaxy. Heralding international superstars such as David Beckham and Landon Donovan, the Galaxy were coming off a run in the regular season, capturing the MLS Supporters' Shield with a 17–7–8 record. The Galaxy had defeated Seattle Sounders FC in their quarterfinal series to qualify for the championship.[7] Since the Galaxy were the top seed in the Western Conference bracket, while Dallas was the third, Los Angeles hosted the final.[8]
In front of a sold-out capacity crowd of 27,000 at the Galaxy's home ground The Home Depot Center, Dallas dismantled the Galaxy with goals from David Ferreira, George John and Marvin Chávez. The 3–0 victory for Dallas avenged their 2–0 loss at the Home Depot Center, and they handed the Galaxy their worst loss at home since a 4–1 defeat to the Puerto Rico Islanders in a Champions League play-in proper. The victory gave Dallas a spot in their first ever MLS Cup final.[9][10]
The MLS Cup final was held on Sunday, November 21, 2010, in Toronto, Canada. The match between the Colorado Rapids and the FC Dallas Bulls kicked off at 8:30pm EST. The final began slowly with the first goal not coming until the 35th minute. A strike from FC Dallas midfielder David Ferriera gave the Bulls a 1–0 advantage. The equalizer came from Colorado Rapids forward Conor Casey in the 56th minute. The game-winning goal came by way of a deflected shot from Colorado Rapids forward Macoumba Kandji. Kandji's shot deflected off the leg of FC Dallas defender George John and trickled into the net past keeper, Kevin Hartman. Rapids head coach Gary Smith commented following the victory, "Honestly, I don't mind how they come. If they're winners, it doesn't matter. The overriding thought is they must be under some pressure to make that mistake."[11]
Source: MLS Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored (C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield
Results summary
Overall
Home
Away
Pld
Pts
W
L
T
GF
GA
GD
W
L
T
GF
GA
GD
W
L
T
GF
GA
GD
30
50
12
4
14
42
28
+14
8
1
6
25
13
+12
4
3
8
17
15
+2
Last updated: March 30, 2011 Source: Major League Soccer Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference
Round
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Stadium
H
H
A
H
A
A
H
A
H
A
H
A
H
A
H
A
A
H
A
H
A
H
A
H
H
A
H
H
A
A
Result
T
T
L
T
T
W
W
T
L
T
W
W
W
T
W
T
T
W
W
W
T
W
T
T
T
W
W
T
L
L
Position
8
12
14
12
14
11
7
8
10
10
9
6
6
6
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
4
Updated to match(es) played on October 30, 2010. Source: MLS Results and League table A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; L = Loss; T = Tie
FC Dallas qualified for the 2010 MLS Cup playoffs following a 2–1 victory at New England on October 2. Amid the controversy surrounding the playoff structure,[3] Dallas was seeded as the number three team in the Western Conference bracket, drawn against the second-place West club and MLS Cup defending champions, Real Salt Lake. The draw took place at Major League Soccer's headquarters in New York City on October 24.
The Conference Semifinals served as a two-leg, home and away aggregate series with no away goals rule enforced. Dallas hosted Salt Lake on October 30. Despite an early goal from Fabian Espindola in the fifth-minute, Dallas would rally with a pair of goals from Jeff Cunningham and Eric Avila, giving not only them victory, but a lead in the a series.
RSL and Dallas played at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy on November 6 for the second leg. A 17th-minute goal from Dax McCarty gave Dallas a 3–1 advantage in the series, and not only jeopardized Salt Lake's chance for going on the Western Conference Championship, but the chance that Salt Lake would end their home-match unbeaten streak. A goal from Robbie Findley ensured the streak would stay alive, but the tie secured Dallas a spot in the Western Conference Championship, as Dallas would advance 3–2 on aggregate.[31]
Dallas played in Los Angeles against the Galaxy for the Western Conference Championship. Dallas shutout LA 3–0, becoming the final original MLS club to make it to the MLS Cup.
Dallas took an early lead over the Colorado Rapids in the MLS Cup, but the Rapids came back to score a goal in the second half and forced overtime. Early into overtime, a cross deflected off of Dallas defender George John and into Dallas' net. Despite several late chances for Dallas, the Rapids held on, win the MLS Cup 2–1 off the overtime own goal.
Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 21,700 Referee: Baldomero Toledo
U.S. Open Cup
With an 11th-place finish in Major League Soccer last season, Dallas did not automatically qualify for the 2010 edition of the U.S. Open Cup. Instead, they would have to qualify in a series of matches against unqualified MLS clubs to enter the tournament. They were paired against last year's 10th-place finisher, D.C. United; where they played the United at RFK Stadium on April 28.
Goals from Bruno Guarda and Dax McCarty would not be enough as Dallas would fall 4–2 to the United to end their short USOC campaign.
MLS, June 26 against Chivas USA → 2008 Away Shorts
Squad
As of August 21, 2010.[32]Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Clint Mathis is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward or midfielder. He appeared at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, scoring one goal. He also played in Major League Soccer for the MetroStars, where he scored five goals during a game in August 2000, a league record.
Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. Founded in 2004, the club began play in 2005 as an expansion team of the league.
The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Eastern Conference. As of 2023, the division of the Conferences broadly follows the path of the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, with clubs on, or west of the River in the Western Conference.
The 2007 Houston Dynamo season was the second season of existence for the Houston franchise. The Dynamo were the defending MLS Cup champions from the previous season and prevailed to win back-to-back MLS Cups as they defeated the New England Revolution for the second year in a row in the MLS Cup final. The Dynamo also competed in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, U.S. Open Cup, and North American SuperLiga during the 2007 season.
Marvin Antonio Chávez is a Honduran former footballer who played as a midfielder.
Toronto FC began play in Major League Soccer in 2007, and the club's first regular season match was on April 7, 2007, at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles away to Chivas USA. Toronto FC suffered a 2–0 loss. Toronto's first home match was on April 28, 2007, at BMO Field against Kansas City Wizards. The home side lost 1–0 on an 81st-minute goal by Eddie Johnson.
The 2010 Colorado Rapids season was the fifteenth year and season of the club's existence. It was Colorado's fifteenth year in Major League Soccer, and the fifteenth consecutive year for the club in the top-flight of American soccer.
The 2010 Los Angeles Galaxy season was the club's fifteenth season of existence. It was also the Galaxy's fifteenth season in Major League Soccer and their fifteenth-consecutive year at the top-flight of American soccer.
The 2010 Real Salt Lake season was the sixth year of the club's existence. It was also the sixth year for the club in Major League Soccer and the sixth-consecutive year for the club in the top-flight of American soccer.
The 2010 San Jose Earthquakes season was the club's thirteenth season of existence. The Earthquakes finished 8th overall in MLS and finished in the Eastern Conference finals of the MLS Cup playoffs before losing to the Colorado Rapids. It was the first season the club made the playoffs since 2005.
MLS Cup 2010 was the 15th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-flight soccer league in the United States and Canada. The match took place on November 21, 2010, at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, the first Canadian city to host. It was contested by the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas to determine the champion of the 2010 season. The 2010 edition was the fourth MLS Cup to feature two teams from the same conference and the third played between two Western Conference teams.
The 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs was the postseason tournament subsequent to Major League Soccer's 2010 season.
The 2011 FC Dallas season was the sixteenth season of the team's existence. They tied the franchise record for most points in the regular season & made the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The season was marked by their debut in the CONCACAF Champions League, where they finished third in their group, behind UNAM Pumas and Toronto FC. Also in the Champions League, they became the first American soccer club to defeat a Mexican team on Mexican soil (UNAM) in a meaningful competition.
This article presents a detailed, year-by-year history of Real Salt Lake (2004–present). For other information about the professional soccer club based in Utah, please see the main article.
The 2013 Colorado Rapids season was the club's eighteenth season of existence, and their eighteenth season in Major League Soccer, the top tier of the American and Canadian soccer pyramids.
The 2007 Real Salt Lake season was the third season of the team's existence. After seeing slight improvement in 2006, the team struggled again under manager John Ellinger, opening the 2007 campaign with a 0-2-2 record. Ownership made a drastic move on May 3, firing Ellinger, and announcing that team captain, would retire and become the new head coach. RSL tied its next two matches against New York Red Bulls and the Colorado Rapids, but saw limited success the rest of the season. RSL finished the year with the league's second-worst record, ahead of expansion team Toronto FC.
The 2014 FC Dallas season was the club's nineteenth season in existence in Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer.
The 2016 Colorado Rapids season was the club's 21st season of existence, and their 21st season in Major League Soccer, the top tier of the American and Canadian soccer pyramids.
The 2017 Real Salt Lake season was the team's 13th year of existence, and their 13th consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top division of the American soccer pyramid.
The 2018 Real Salt Lake season is the team's 14th year of existence, and their 14th consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top division of the American soccer pyramid.
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