Sam Sarver Stoppage-Time Winner Lifts FC Dallas Past San Jose Earthquakes 3-2

Sam Sarver had been on the field for about nine minutes when he got his chance in the 93rd. He did not need a second one.

The FC Dallas substitute raced onto a Kaick through ball and slotted home a stoppage-time winner as Dallas beat the San Jose Earthquakes 3-2 on Saturday night at a sold-out PayPal Park. Twice Dallas led, twice San Jose came back, and the third time there was no answer. The club said it was Dallas' first win in San Jose since July 8, 2016.

Fast Starts and Answers

Dallas did not wait long. Patrickson Delgado scored 54 seconds into the match, a left-footed finish from the middle of the box that San Jose described as an opportunistic rebound. The club said it was the fastest Dallas goal of the season and the fifth fastest in club history.

San Jose leveled in the 18th minute. After Ousseni Bouda's cross from the right was cleared, Beau Leroux hit it first time from the edge of the area, and the ball flew over Jonathan Sirois into the top right corner. Then the Quakes had a chance to go ahead. In the 40th minute, referee Chris Penso pointed to the spot when Osaze Urhoghide fouled Ian Harkes, but Sirois kept out Leroux's penalty, low to the bottom left corner, in the 42nd. It was 1-1 at halftime.

Dallas struck first again after the break. In the 49th minute, Herman Johansson crossed from the right and Petar Musa finished from the middle of the box for 2-1. It was Musa's 12th goal of the season, per the club, and it tied him with Kenny Cooper for third in club career goals at 46.

The Quakes Push Back

San Jose spent much of the second half camped in the Dallas end. Preston Judd forced Sirois into saves with headers in the 57th and 77th minutes, Reid Roberts had another header saved in the 65th, and Leroux tested Sirois from distance in the 80th. The corners kept piling up, and in the 81st minute one finally paid off: Roberts hit a left-footed shot from the middle of the box into the top left corner. San Jose said it was the first MLS goal of his career.

At 2-2, with nine minutes of stoppage time posted, the momentum seemed to belong to the home side. Instead, the decisive moment came on a counter. San Jose described a collision between Logan Farrington and Quakes captain Ronaldo Vieira as Vieira cleared the ball. Urhoghide picked it up, Kaick slipped a through ball into space, and Sarver, an 84th-minute substitute, finished with his right foot into the bottom left corner. His celebration in front of the San Jose supporters' section was described by MLSsoccer.com as unforgettably unhinged.

Hero Ball

Sam Sarver made the difference in a cameo. The club said it was his third goal in four games and his second in added time, and that Dallas is 3-0-0 when he scores.

Jonathan Sirois made his FC Dallas debut in his first start for the club and finished with five saves, including the penalty. Dallas said he became the first Canadian goalkeeper to start for the club.

Patrickson Delgado was a constant threat, putting three of his five shots on target, and Petar Musa added another goal before coming off in the 65th minute. Herman Johansson assisted Musa, and Kaick set up the winner.

For San Jose, Beau Leroux scored a beauty and missed from the spot, while Reid Roberts scored his first MLS goal. Daniel made six saves. The night also ended Judd's run of scoring in five straight games, which the club said tied its single-season record.

Counter Punch

Vieira was blunt about the ending. "Towards the end, I think we got a little over-excited after Reid's goal and really wanted to go win the game. Maybe we needed to focus first on not conceding," the San Jose captain said, per the club. On the winning sequence, he added: "In my opinion, I think it was a foul on me, but that's not an excuse."

Head coach Bruce Arena raised the same play, but refused to hide behind it. "Obviously, you can question whether there was a foul on that play that led to the third goal," Arena said. He later added: "But listen, give Dallas credit. They played really hard. We did our best to give the game away by giving away goals at the start of both halves and missing a penalty kick, so we can't point fingers at VAR. We gotta accept it."

Stats That Mattered

• Shots: 16 apiece. On target: Dallas 9, San Jose 7.
• Corners: San Jose 12, Dallas 4.
• Crosses: San Jose attempted 38 and completed 6.
• Saves: Daniel 6, Sirois 5, plus Sirois' penalty stop on Leroux.
• Clearances: Dallas 41, San Jose 25.

The Table and the Trend

Dallas improves to 6-4-4 with 22 points and, according to San Jose, rose to fifth in the West. The win followed a 3-1 home victory over Real Salt Lake on May 9 and a 3-2 home loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps on May 13. Head coach Eric Quill was serving a one-match ban, per the club, so assistant Mark Briggs ran the sideline. Dallas closes out its pre-World Cup schedule at the Colorado Rapids on May 23.

San Jose falls to 9-2-3 with 29 points and has lost back-to-back games by identical 3-2 scores after a defeat at Seattle on May 13. MLSsoccer.com noted the Quakes are now winless in May. The club said they remain level on points with Vancouver in the West but sit second on goal differential. Next up is a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal at Colorado on May 20.

The Closer

Every sports movie has the guy who checks in for the final reel and walks off with the whole film, and Dallas found theirs on the bench. San Jose had more of the ball, more corners and a penalty to take the lead. Dallas had Sirois' gloves and Sarver's legs, and that was enough.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by the San Jose Earthquakes (sjearthquakes.com); match notes from FC Dallas (fcdallas.com) and MLSsoccer.com.