Urhoghide's winner lifts FC Dallas past LAFC 1-0 at Toyota Stadium

Osaze Urhoghide supplied the only goal FC Dallas needed on Saturday night at Toyota Stadium. The defender finished a corner-kick sequence for his second goal of the season, and Dallas beat LAFC 1-0 to climb into second place in the Western Conference and stretch its unbeaten run to six matches.

FC Dallas reported the club moved to 13-6-8 and 47 points. LAFC sat at 11-9-8 and 41 points after the loss. Urhoghide's finish tied his career high of two goals, matching his 2025 total, the club said.

Corner, leap, lead

Midfielder Joaquín Valiente delivered the assist - his 13th of the season - on the corner that Urhoghide converted. Dallas is 9-0-1 when Valiente records an assist, according to the club release, and Valiente ranks tied for third in club history for assists in a single season alongside Jason Kreis (2000), David Ferreira (2010) and Mauro Díaz (2016).

The goal fit Dallas's aerial profile. The club said Urhoghide leads the team in aerial duels (98), clearances (30), challenges (105) and balls won (4). Dallas ranks second in MLS in headed goals with nine and has scored four goals off corner kicks this season. A defender leading those categories converting a set piece is less a surprise than a pattern.

Clean sheet behind the winner

Goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois made three saves in his 100th MLS regular-season appearance and posted his second shutout for the club. Dallas recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 2024, the club noted. Forward Daniel Job made his MLS debut as an 80th-minute substitute, becoming the 11th player to debut for Dallas this season after a half-season at Kongsvinger.

The 1-0 scoreline left little margin, but Urhoghide's finish and Sirois's saves were enough. Dallas did not need a late scramble; it needed one set-piece finish and a shutout, and it got both against a LAFC side that entered the night with 41 points.

Next stop Charlotte

FC Dallas next plays at Charlotte FC on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Bank of America Stadium. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. CT on Apple TV, the club said. The home win over LAFC will also re-air Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 7-9 p.m. CT on FOX 4 PLUS.

Urhoghide's night is simple to summarize for a second-place club: the game-winning goal, a career-high-tying second tally of the year, and the aerial volume that made the corner finish fit the season's tape. Dallas leaves Toyota Stadium with 47 points, a six-match unbeaten run, and a defender who decided the match.

Second place in the West with six matches unbeaten is the standing that traveled with Urhoghide's finish. The club release put the emphasis on the aerial and set-piece numbers behind the goal; the scoreboard put the emphasis on the one-goal margin Sirois protected.

Sources

fcdallas.com