Union miss big opportunity to improve playoff seeding, tie FC Dallas, 1-1

It was a rescheduled game on an increasingly chilly Wednesday night, and it largely felt the part. But it was important because it was the Union’s game in hand against Eastern Conference rivals, and they didn’t win it.

After Quinn Sullivan put the Union ahead in the 25th minute, Dallas star Alan Velasco tied the game with a terrific strike in the 36th, and those were the only goals of the night in a 1-1 tie — their fourth draw in a row.

The one standings point earned edged the Union into third place ahead of Columbus, which the Union will visit on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV, paywalled). But a win would have vaulted the home team over second-place Orlando, too, which would have been a big morale boost with four games left in the regular season.

With Julián Carranza watching from the owner’s box while in concussion protocols, Sullivan started at forward next to Mikael Uhre. It was merited based on Sullivan’s recent form, but it was still a call to start him over new signing Tai Baribo.

Jakob Glesnes and José Andrés Martínez also were out of action due to injuries, which was no surprise. Jim Curtin only barely hid their statuses in his news conference Tuesday, though he had said Martínez might make the bench.

Dallas had U.S. national team veteran attackers Jesús Ferreira and Paul Arriola on its bench, but that was by choice. They’ve got a bigger game coming Saturday, a Texas derby at Houston.

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The play started with Andre Blake doing a fine impression of one of American soccer’s most famous pieces of goalkeeping. Remember Tim Howard’s catch and long throw that launched the U.S. men’s national team’s famous 2010 World Cup goal against Algeria? It felt a bit like that when Blake leaped high to catch a free kick in his six-yard box, then uncorked a 30-plus-yard throw that rolled to Kai Wagner on the left wing.

It was so good that Wagner didn’t have to take his first touch until he was within 10 yards of the midfield line. The ball kept rolling right along with Wagner’s run, and his next touch came on the other side of the center circle: a swing for an outstanding long pass to Sullivan at the top of the 18-yard box arc.

Dallas’ Dante Sealy and Ema Twumasi utterly failed to defend the ball, which split a space maybe 1 ½ yards between them. But when it bounced to Sullivan, the Bridesburg native didn’t hesitate. He trapped the ball, then slammed it past Maarten Paes for a great finish. Jack McGlynn was first to embrace his fellow Union academy product in the celebrations.

Wagner’s assist led to the latest chorus of “Pay Kai Wagner!” from the River End stands. But it’s as true now as it’s been all along: if the Union give Wagner a Designated Player-level raise, it will stop them from signing a DP-level replacement for Carranza. Wagner and the Union front office know it, and it’s why he’s currently more likely to be in Europe than Chester next year.

Velasaco, Dallas’ star Argentine playmaker, was fouled four times in the first 35 minutes, and those were just the collisions that got whistled. Referee Fotis Bazakos understandably got tired of the Union doing that, and booked Olivier Mbaizo and Jesús Bueno when he’d seen enough. Then he booked Velasco for chirping back after contact that wasn’t a foul.

In the 36th minute, Velasco picked the best way to get his revenge: a 20-yard cannonball of a shot past a traffic jam and into the net. Blake had no chance at it.

Union fans spent the rest of the first half (or night?) booing Velasco’s every touch. But they knew that shot was terrific.

It was also one of just three shots Dallas took in the first half, with two on target. The Union took 10, with two on target.

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With the score still 1-1 in the 68th minute, Dallas manager Nico Estévez made his big move, sending in Ferreira and Arriola for Jesús Jiménez and Jáder Obrian. Curtin didn’t make his first moves until seven minutes later, sending in Chris Donovan and Baribo.

But the Union’s double-swap wasn’t simply changing strikers. While Uhre exited for Donovan, Alejandro Bedoya exited for Baribo, and Sullivan moved back to midfield.

While Curtin moved for the win, Estévez moved to hold on for the tie by withdrawing Velasco and Sealy for midfielder Asier Illarramendi and defender José Martínez (yes, there’s another one out there) in the 79th.

Dallas almost ended up getting more than that, thanks to an 82nd-minute free kick that Arriola got on the end of to bundle home. But it turned out that Arriola handled the ball along the way, and after a lengthy video review, the goal was disallowed.

Curtin then made his third sub of the night, pulling Mbaizo for Nathan Harriel. That left Joaquín Torres, who has played in just one regular-season game since July 9, and Matt Real as the main options remaining on the bench.

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