Soccer <\/p>\n
Lionel Messi<\/a>, Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/a> and Jordi Alba<\/a> were spectators, dressed in street clothes and sipping on mat\u00e9 in fieldside seats with their families as Inter Miami<\/a> head coach Javier Mascherano heavily rotated his lineup ahead of Wednesday\u2019s massive Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> semifinal second leg against Supporters’ Shield-leading Vancouver Whitecaps FC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Their absence, however, did absolutely nothing to diminish the shock, awe and exultation of FC Dallas<\/a> at Chase Stadium as they pulled off one of the more remarkable comebacks in recent MLS memory on Sunday afternoon \u2013 in fact, the gobsmacked expressions<\/a> on the faces of Miami\u2019s superstars only added to the spectacle.<\/p>\n Rallying from a 3-1 deficit with less than half an hour to go, the North Texans reeled off three goals in 16 chaotic minutes to snatch a 4-3 win<\/a> which inflicted the Herons\u2019 first league loss of the season and extended their own unbeaten road record in 2025 (3W-0L-3D). It\u2019s a signature result of first-year coach Eric Quill\u2019s fledgling tenure, while in turn dialing up the pressure on Mascherano & Co. as they prepare to attack Vancouver\u2019s 2-0 aggregate lead<\/a> in CCC at the same stadium in 72 hours or so.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not easy. It’s not easy,\u201d a crestfallen Mascherano told reporters in Spanish afterward. \u201cThe truth is that we played a very good game for 60, 65 minutes, during which we fell behind and rallied, which isn\u2019t easy. And nothing. Unfortunately, I’m responsible. I made a mistake in my reading of the game, and well, today I couldn’t help them.<\/p>\n \u201cThe players, of course, nothing to fault,\u201d the Argentine later added, pointing to his own formation and personnel changes as he repeatedly took the blame for the stunning turnabout. \u201cToday is my responsibility. It’s my fault, not being able to help the players with the correct changes, or reading the game correctly to be able to get the victory.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Even with Messi out, Miami remain the gold standard for much of MLS and the raw emotions of this game were palpable on both sides. Quill found his wife Susan in the Fort Lauderdale crowd and hopped the advertising boards to share a long embrace after the final whistle, then waxed philosophical in his postgame press conference.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just really proud of the collective. They\u2019ve been training so hard,\u201d said Quill, who helped spark the remontada by shifting from a 4-2-3-1 shape to a 3-4-3 and bringing on Brazilian attacker Pedrinho<\/a>, who bagged a goal and an assist in 32 minutes. \u201cThis is becoming a team across the board. They’re rooting for each other, they’re working for each other, they’re wanting the best for each other, even in the bad times. And that’s a true mark of a great team in the making.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got to stay humble and hungry now and not rely on just this emotion of the game, and we\u2019ve got to keep growing and climbing the table, keep getting better. But this was a win for the ages, and they deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s about more than just talent \u2014 it\u2019s about passion. pic.twitter.com\/WjYdN4cIEO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 FC Dallas (@FCDallas) April 27, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Dallas\u2019 resilience was interwoven with Miami\u2019s fragility, as the Herons\u2019 2024 patterns of recurring defensive breakdowns reared their ugly heads after some encouraging signs of growth under Mascherano. FCD fullback Shaq Moore<\/a> opened the scoring early via one such instance, and after nearly an hour of composed response, they cropped up yet again in the dying stages.<\/p>\n Notably, Dallas achieved this wild result with their star striker Petar Musa<\/a> still sidelined by an ankle injury and playmaker Lucho Acosta<\/a> mostly quiet on the night. Now they will seek to carry some of the magic home to Toyota Stadium, where they\u2019re just 1W-3L-0D thus far.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mentality in this team, this is a team that\u2019s never defeated, anywhere, against any opponent,\u201d Acosta told MLS Season Pass postgame. \u201cWe have a winning mentality, this team, and we’re on the right track.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a very different mentality than the one we play at home. We have to continue at home doing what we did today.\u201d<\/p>\n Quill called on his team to build their belief with this achievement.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope it gives us confidence to believe we can play with anybody. The narrative about Miami, the pundits, everybody crowning them the best team in MLS and yes, Messi wasn\u2019t there. Su\u00e1rez wasn’t there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cTake nothing away, this is a quality Miami team, even missing those pieces. This team is for real. And we went toe to toe. We had a bright start, and then we fell apart, and we regained ourselves, but never stopped believing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n For IMCF, the nature of the loss deepened its impact beyond the points dropped, though another dramatic CCC comeback like the one they pulled off against LAFC<\/a> in the quarterfinals would go a long way toward making Sunday a footnote.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are conscious that on Wednesday we have to play again and that we’re going to have to generate [scoring] situations. Today was a match where we made three goals and we left with our hands empty,\u201d said Mascherano.<\/p>\n \u201cLeo\u2019s fine,\u201d he noted of Messi\u2019s status. \u201cObviously we decided, with the rest of the players, to reserve him after a match like Vancouver, on a synthetic field, six or seven hours [flight from Vancouver]. He trained well [on Saturday], and he’s ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nUnbeaten no more<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Dallas dig deep<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Never give up<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Looking forward<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n