"It took a moment of brilliance from Kaick to win the game," FC Dallas coach Eric Quill said Wednesday night after his team beat the Seattle Sounders 1-0 and sealed a return to the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Santiago Moreno's corner in the 63rd minute was punched clear by Seattle goalkeeper Andrew Thomas. Osaze Urhoghide met the clearance with his head and nodded it back toward the top of the box, where Kaick struck a right-footed volley from roughly 14 yards into the upper left corner, according to Field Level Media. It stood as the only goal of the night at Toyota Stadium.
The Brazilian midfielder had warned Thomas a minute after halftime, trying to squeeze a shot inside the near post from a tight angle before the Sounders keeper got down to parry it, per Seattle's match report.
The goal was Kaick's fourth of the season. He ranks third in team scoring and first among Dallas midfielders, according to the club. The Associated Press noted that he scored twice in 27 appearances as a 19-year-old rookie last year, so he has already doubled that output with five regular-season matches left. Urhoghide's assist was his third of the season.
Clinched, and earlier than last year
The win moved Dallas to 14-7-8 and 50 points, third in the Western Conference. The club said it clinched in its 30th match this season after needing 34 last year, and it is the second straight playoff berth under Quill.
Dallas has also locked in a winning home record and a winning road record this season, something the club says it last managed in 2010, when it reached MLS Cup. The AP put the Toros at 7-2-5 at home.
Seattle arrived on a four-game winning streak and a nine-match unbeaten run that included five draws. The Sounders' own report credits Daniel with denying Dejan Joveljić twice in the opening half hour and keeping out a Snyder Brunell drive in the 75th minute.
Daniel finished with seven saves. The club counts it as his second shutout this year, while the AP counts it as his third clean sheet in six starts since arriving from San Jose. Field Level Media's count is eight clean sheets this season.
Quill said the final stretch was what pleased him most. "You could see that when their legs were gone and their minds were exhausted, they were still giving everything they had," he said. Dallas spent much of the closing 20 minutes defending corners, and Quill kept Petar Musa on the field for his size in the box rather than adding speed.
