Logan Farrington was the last player off the training field following FC Dallas’ Wednesday session. Despite an hour of small-sided games already under his belt, the second-year forward stayed after, firing shot after shot at an empty goal. Left foot. Right foot. Volley.
“I haven’t played in a while,” he explained afterwards.
Indeed, Farrington missed out on FC Dallas’ last match, a thrilling 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in British Columbia – a victory that fulfilled Dallas’ playoff hopes and dashed Vancouver’s dream of a first-place conference finish. Farrington watched that game from a suite in BC Place, unable to take part due to a red card suspension.
“It's always difficult to watch, especially when I feel like maybe deserved to play in that game,” Farrington admitted. “And maybe it was a little harsh but that's the way it goes sometimes. I’m definitely relieved that we won. I think it would’ve been a big fault of mine if we lose that game and maybe don't make playoffs. But I can always rely on my teammates to help me out in times of need, and hopefully I can do the same for them.”
Farrington’s first chance comes this Sunday, Oct. 26 back at BC Place in Game 1 of a best-of-three series, a nuance of the First Round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. Whicher team wins two games advances to the single-elimination round, with penalty shootouts deciding games tied after 90 minutes. Goal differential across the series doesn’t come into play. Win two games by any means, that’s the mission.
Last Saturday’s Decision Day victory was Dallas’ first win at Vancouver since 2018, albeit aided by an early red card for the home side. As the lower seed, the Burn face the prospect of two more trips north of the border over the next three weeks. It’s not an easy task. Including Saturday’s home defeat, the Whitecaps dropped just three of their 24 outings at BC Place across all competitions in 2025. Still, Dallas’ Decision Day triumph — and the implications that came with it — will be fresh in the minds of both sides this Sunday.
“It's huge, we spoke about that before the game even was played, that we'd be coming back there if we were successful,” said FCD head coach Eric Quill. “So, what a great way to give yourself that psychological edge that you need to go back with belief in a playoff format. Now we understand what we're walking into. Obviously, the red card helped us on that night but even 11v11, I still have total belief that we're going to go there and get a result.”
As the seventh seed, Dallas can only realistically look forward to one home game during the playoffs: Game 2 against the Whitecaps on Nov. 1. But Quill’s side has been dangerous on the road all year, even before the team turned the corner midsummer. The club recorded its best away record in its 30-year history with 23 points from five wins, four losses and eight ties. The team, and Farrington in particular, have relished being the party crashers.
“It's always nice to be the villain, especially in front of people that don't want you to be the hero,” he said. “We've done amazing on the road and none of us are really phased by the big crowds screaming, yelling. I don't think it really matters for us. We're going there for one thing, and we'll be focused on that.”
With his suspension served, Farrington knows he’ll be viewing the next game at BC Place from a very different point of view. With extra rest and finishing reps, he’s ready to don his Halloween villain mask a few days early.
“Watching from the stands was a different perspective, it was nice see what they were up to and see how they like to play. Vancouver is a great team and they have some quality players. But they also have some weaknesses that we exposed in this past game, and I'm looking forward to exposing them in this upcoming one.”
2025 MLS Cup Playoffs
2025 MLS Cup Playoffs
