Paul Arriola leveled from the penalty spot in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time and FC Dallas escaped a trip to face the New England Revolution with a 1-1 draw on Saturday night.
Arriola’s third goal came on the first shot on goal of the night for Dallas in a match that suffered from the absence of attacking players on both sides.
Team scoring leader Petar Musa (yellow card suspension) and veteran forward Jesus Ferreira (thigh) were among those missing for Dallas (8-11-6, 30 points), while the absence of Carles Gil (lower leg) and Giacomo Vrioni (calf) meant New England (7-14-2, 23 points) played without its top two attackers.
Dallas’ Maarten Paes made one stop in what could be his final MLS game, with the 26-year-old Dutchman linked in reports to summer a move to Empoli in Italy’s Serie A.
The draw marked only FCD’s fourth point earned away from home, the lowest total in MLS.
New England had only one shot on target, and took the lead in the 65th minute when Dallas defender Nkosi Tafari was pressured into turning the ball into his own net.
Tafari’s touch took a goal away from lurking striker Bobby Wood, who was originally credited with what would’ve been his first since June 2023.
The Revs halted a three-match losing streak but are winless in four.
Arriola’s leveler came after referee Pierre-Luc Lauzierre ruled Henry Kessler had plowed into the back of Tarik Scott as Scott attempted to reach a deflected cross at the six-yard box.
With Musa and Ferreira out, Arriola stepped up and hammered an emphatic penalty into the top right corner.
New England went in front on one of the few clear attacks for either side.
Thomas McNamara played the ball up to the overlapping Peyton Miller on the left flank, and Miller drilled a low cross toward the near post.
Wood ran toward it and might have finished the play off had he reached it, but instead Tafari redirected it past Paes while trying to make a difficult intervention.
–Field Level Media
