FC Dallas Clinches Western Conference No. 2 Seed with Comeback Victory Over Colorado Rapids
When the final whistle blew on Saturday night at Toyota Stadium, FC Dallas had not just closed out the regular season with a win; they had cemented a campaign. According to an official match report from FC Dallas, the club defeated the Colorado Rapids 3-1, finishing the 2026 Major League Soccer regular season with 58 points and securing the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
The fixture marked the 100th meeting between FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids across all competitions, establishing Colorado as the first opponent to reach that milestone against Dallas. Head coach Eric Quill’s squad engineered a gritty second-half comeback to ensure the night belonged to the hosts.
The numbers behind the victory reflect a squad firing on all cylinders as the calendar turns toward the postseason. FC Dallas finished the regular season with a 16-8-10 record, yielding those 58 points—good for the third-highest total in club history. That performance earns Dallas home-field advantage in the upcoming Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs, where they will host the Portland Timbers in the Western Conference Round One Best-of-3 Series.
Turning the Tide in Frisco
Things did not start entirely according to plan on the pitch, but the depth of the Dallas roster eventually wore down the visiting Rapids. Trailing in front of a sellout crowd of 10,925—marking the club’s 52nd consecutive regular-season sellout—Dallas needed a spark to turn the match around.
Midfielder Kaick provided that crucial equalizer, netting his fifth goal of the season. Beyond just finding the back of the net, Kaick delivered a complete performance. He recorded multiple goal contributions in a single match for the first time this season, adding an assist to his tally. That active night capped off a durable season for Kaick, who set a career high with 33 appearances to tie Christian Cappis for the team lead.
With momentum swinging, Joaquín Valiente stepped up in the 75th minute. Valiente buried his third goal of the season, assisted by Kaick, to put Dallas ahead for good. The strike highlighted Valiente's vital role in the attacking third throughout the year; he leads the club with 49 key passes and ranks second in goal contributions with 16, comprising his three goals and 13 assists.
Santi Moreno then put the result out of reach, scoring his fifth goal of the season to seal the 3-1 comeback victory. Moreno has recorded nine goal contributions—five goals and four assists—the fourth-most on the team.
Milestones Under Quill
Saturday’s win places a polished exclamation point on a second year for head coach Eric Quill. Under his direction, the team reached several historic milestones.
Earlier in the campaign, on October 14, Dallas officially clinched its playoff berth. Along the way, the squad set a single-season record with 62 goals and captured seven road wins for the first time in the post-shootout era. The club finished among the top five teams in MLS for the first time since 2016.
The success extends beyond domestic play. By securing their regular-season position, Dallas also locked down a qualification spot in the 2027 Leagues Cup, the annual Concacaf-sanctioned tournament featuring 18 qualifying MLS clubs alongside all 18 LIGA MX clubs. It marks a return to the competition for the second consecutive year, following a 2026 run that saw Dallas notch victories over LIGA MX opponents Querétaro FC and Chivas Guadalajara.
As supporters look ahead to the postseason, the physical home of the club is also evolving. Toyota Stadium is currently undergoing renovations on the west side, a modernization project detailed at NewToyotaStadium.com.
Dates and times for the upcoming Best-of-3 series against the Portland Timbers will be announced at a later date.
