Columbus, Ohio: Crew Beat FC Dallas 2-0 in Frisco to Take the Final MLS Playoff Spot

The Columbus Crew moved into the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday night, beating FC Dallas 2-0 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, behind goals from Gonzalo Tapia and Santi Rodriguez and seven saves from goalkeeper Patrick Schulte.

Tapia opened the scoring in the 18th minute at the end of a counterattack. Schulte started the move with an outlet pass to Steven Moreira, Moreira found Rodriguez near midfield, and Rodriguez sent Anass Zaroury down the left flank. Zaroury crossed into the box and Tapia slid in to redirect the ball home. It was Tapia's third goal in as many league matches. He started in place of Brais Mendez, who missed a second straight game with a leg injury picked up in the Crew's loss on penalty kicks in the U.S. Open Cup Final.

Schulte holds the line

Dallas pushed hard for an equalizer and Schulte kept Columbus in front. Deep in first half stoppage time he made a sharp save on a strike by Ran Binyamin from the center of the box. Dallas thought it had tied the match in the 60th minute, but Shaq Moore's goal was overturned after a four minute video review found Petar Musa offside in the buildup.

Ten minutes later the Crew put the match away. In the 70th minute Rodriguez scored off the rebound of a Tapia header that Dallas goalkeeper Daniel De Sousa Britto had saved, and that goal was also reviewed before officials confirmed the ball had fully crossed the line. Tapia finished the night with a goal and an assist.

What the win does to the table

The Crew are 12-15-5 with 41 points, ninth in the Eastern Conference and two points ahead of Red Bull New York and Toronto FC, who sit on 39 points each just outside the playoff cutoff. New York lost to New England on Wednesday and Toronto beat D.C. United 2-1, but Columbus passed both clubs later in the evening. The Crew have won four straight matches and six of their past seven, and they trail Orlando and FC Cincinnati by two points. Columbus closes the regular season at home against D.C. United on October 31 and at Chicago on November 7.

Dallas streaks end

The loss ended several Dallas runs at once. FC Dallas, 15-8-9 with 54 points and second in the Western Conference, two points behind the Vancouver Whitecaps, lost at home for the first time since May 13, ending a 168 day unbeaten streak at Toyota Stadium. The Crew's first goal also snapped Dallas's club record tying run of four consecutive home shutouts. The crowd of 10,925 was Dallas's 50th consecutive regular season sellout. Anderson Julio returned in the 76th minute, his first appearance since August 5. Dallas wraps up the regular season at Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, October 31, with kickoff at 2 p.m. Central.