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Dallas ties Toronto on controversial penalty kick

Sat 11th, October 2008

Frisco, TX (Sports Network) - Kenny Cooper converted a penalty kick in stoppage time after a controversial call and FC Dallas earned its second straight tie on a last-second PK, 2-2 against Toronto FC on Saturday at Pizza Hut Park.

Cooper scored both of Dallas' goals and has 18 this year - just one behind MLS leader Landon Donovan of Los Angeles - but the winner came after a questionable call by referee Mark Geiger.

Geiger either called a foul on Toronto's Julius James or a hand ball on Dallas' Adrian Serioux and mistakenly thought he was a Toronto player. Cooper said he thought the call was for a hand ball, which would obviously should have been a free kick for Toronto and not a penalty.

Toronto coach John Carver was infuriated after the decision, kicking stuff on the sideline and chasing down Geiger after the final whistle. He thought it was a bad call also, adding "I'm really annoyed."

Geiger's decision couldn't be confirmed after the match because referees can't be interviewed, but Carver made it clear he thought his team was robbed either way.

"The lads are devastated in there," Carver said, motioning with his head toward the locker room, "because they deserved to win the game.

"We should have been sitting here with three points in the bag. That decision at the end that takes three points away from you and kills you."

Actually, it may have killed both teams.

Toronto (8-12-8) and Dallas (8-9-11) each needed a win to close in on a playoff spot, but now Toronto has to win out to qualify and Dallas might have to also.

Cooper's penalty kick in the closing minutes of last week's 1-1 tie against San Jose helped Dallas remain within striking distance of a postseason berth and he came through again.

After a host of Toronto players were held back from arguing with Geiger, Cooper calmly buried the penalty kick into the lower left. Geiger made another strange call by wiping out the first attempt, but Cooper squeezed the second shot under a diving TFC goalie Greg Sutton.

"I heard a hand ball," Cooper said, "[but] I didn't see it clearly. We were fortunate to get the penalty at the end."

Cooper scored his first goal in the 34th minute after a long throw-in rolled to him just a few yards in front of the net.

Toronto, which won at New York last week, got back in the game in the 72nd when defender Marco Velez volleyed the ball into the net from the middle of the box.

Marvell Wynne, who picked up an assist on Velez's goal, put TFC in front in the 88th minute on a perfectly-placed shot into the upper right.

But before Toronto could finish celebrating, its second straight win away from BMO Field was snatched away on the controversial, last-second PK.

Toronto , which was missing five international players, is still at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 32 points and will try to keep its season alive on Oct. 18 when it hosts Chicago. TFC visits San Jose on Oct. 25 for its last game of the regular season.

FC Dallas, which is fourth in the Western Conference, visits Real Salt Lake on Oct. 18 before wrapping up its season at Los Angeles on Oct. 26.