Classy goals, a come-from-behind rally and some genuine penalty-kick craziness... FC Dallas' 2-1 home win over Sporting Kansas City in Matchday 4 was a real doozy.
But don't take our word for it – take it from the man at the center of the main moment of madness that transpired Saturday night at Toyota Stadium.
"Welcome to MLS," Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes responded when asked about the wild PK sequence he caused and got himself out of with an incredible display of reflexes and tenacity.
With the game tied 1-1 in the 61st minute, the Dutch goalie fouled SKC striker Willy Agada inside the box, leading referee Pierre-Luc Lauziere to show Paes a yellow card and award the visitors a penalty kick.
That's when things got really dramatic. Paes dove to his left to deny Agada from the spot, only for Lauziere to order the penalty be re-taken, judging the 'keeper advanced off his line before the kick following Video Review.
Erik Thommy took the second attempt, but the result was the same: This time Paes leaped to his right to parry away the German's shot and keep the game level.
"I know I had to redeem myself," Paes said after the win, which was secured by Jesús Ferreira's 84th-minute strike. Earlier in the match, Alan Velasco canceled out Dániel Sallói's opener with a stunning goal in the 55th minute.
"I think I’ve got an okay penalty record," he added matter-of-factly.
Paes was far less blasé when it came to Video Review nulling his first PK save.
"Agada came first and had six stutter steps, so it’s almost impossible to time as a goalkeeper with these rules now," he argued. " … I think it was a little harsh."
The good news for Dallas is they were able to get the job done and improve to 2W-1L-1D on the season ahead of their Matchday 5 visit to LAFC (10:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
"Crazy rollercoaster game, but we managed to get three points," stated Paes, who nearly had a red card shown near full-time.
For head coach Nico Estévez, the implications of this result – especially how it was achieved – could very well be a changing point in FCD's season.
"The penalty kick save was massive for us. The message Maarten sent to his teammates was, ‘Hey I am here; do your job and I will do mine. Let’s go.’" the second-year manager said.
"We know how competitive he is and how good of a goalkeeper he is. We are grateful to have him here.”
