FC Dallas accomplished a rare feat on Saturday night in Montreal, coming back from a 3 goal deficit to tie the game. 2-nil is the most dangerous lead in soccer, but 3-0? That's a win. 3-0 in the 58th minute and it should be all over but the signing.

Not this time.

This was the 15th time in MLS history a team has come back from 3 goals down to get a result and the 2nd time FC Dallas has done so (July 14, 2007, vs DC United). Thanks to Rick Lawes for the stat (@ricklawes).

It was an epic comeback.

We had nothing to lose in the second half being down 2-0. We had to push the game. Sometimes, soccer is like that where you have two different halves. I don't want to say our concepts were hugely improved in the second half, but we showed a lot more energy and commitment to push the game, to get forward, to get balls in the box, to press, to go for the game. - FCD Coach Luchi Gonzalez

After the tie, FCD sits 8th in the West on 37 points.

Let's break it down.

Lineups and Tactics

FCD in the same 4-3-3 of late but Coach Gonzalez had to make one change due to an injury to Santiago Mosquera. Bryan Reynolds gets his first-ever MLS start.

FC Dallas starting XI at Montreal Impact. (8-17-19) (FC Dallas / FCD)

In what proved to be a game-changer, FCD brought on Zdenek Ondrasek for Reynolds at halftime. Then in the 71st minute, brought on starlet Ricardo Pepi for Jesus Ferreira. And finally, Brandon Servania came on for Paxton Pomykal in the 80th minute in a move that was probably about resting Pomykal.

Montreal Impact under Coach Remi Garde played a 4-4-2.

the Montreal Impact starting XI vs FC Dallas. (8-17-19) (MIFC / Montreal Impact)

Quickly reacting to FCD's first goal, Garde brought on Shamit Shome for Bojan. Then 10 minute later, Ballou Tabla came on for Orji Okwonkwo in midfield. Okwonkwo had a goal and yellow card in the 15 minutes proceeding.

Goals

1-0 Montreal Impact goal. 8th minute. FC Dallas legend Matt Hedges with a brain fart as he lets a simple pass under his foot to Lassi Lappalainen who quickly scores.

2-0 Montreal Impact goal. 46th minute of the 1st half. Jesus Ferreira with the major gaff in midfield, a horrible pass through the middle channel. Lassi Lappalainen carries 20 yards in uncontested against Jesse Gonzalez for the easy goal.

3-0 Montreal Impact goal. 56th minute. A nice pass behind the left side of the FCD defense from Lassi Lappalainen springs Saphir Taïder for a nice cross. Ryan Hollingshead is there but misses it. Orji Okwonkwo wants it just a bit more and gets to the ball. Heck of an effort by Okwonkwo. He didn't stick the landing on the celebration though.

3-1 FC Dallas goal. 59th minute. The comeback begins. Paxton Pomykal's cross isn't great but is cleared poorly. Michael Barrios gets a shot off that is saved, Zdenek Ondrasek is there to bury the rebound.

3-2 FC Dallas goal. 85th minute. Penalty. Reto Ziegler smashes the tar out of it right down the middle.

The penalty comes on a handball from a corner. The initial cross isn't cleared and Ricardo Pepi heads it back in. Ryan Hollingshead gets a flick header that hits a hand out of position. After a few bounces Hollingshead pokes in the loose ball but the whistle for the PK had already blown.

3-3 FC Dallas goal. 90th minute. At the death of 90 minutes, Ryan Hollingshead with the game-winner off a Michael Barrios corner. Shamit Shome fails to get a body on Hollingshead, giving Ryan an all but free header that he buries emphatically.

El Bueno

What a comeback. In the parity driven league like MLS, most of the time you can't go on the road, assume you are better and walk away with a win. You need an edge, you need to be aggressive, you need to fight and claw. FC Dallas did that in the 2nd half. It was a completely different mentality than the first half and the LA Galaxy game. And it was all due to this guy...

Zdenek Ondrasek. The Cobra. His body language, will, desire, fight, and positive attitude was infectious. He was my Man of the Match for that alone. Los Toros feed off him and changed their ways. It was amazing to watch. He had three moments that really stood out. 1. The opening FCD goal. 2. The Quick-fire shot off a feed from Acosta a few minutes later that almost caught the keeper napping. 3. The uncontested knockdown header on a Hollingshead cross that almost got Barrios a goal. Ondrasek got in the box and did what he was supposed to. Best he's ever played for this club and he got FCD the tie.

This is so important for all the young guys and everyone in this club to see that you shouldn't give up until the last whistle. It doesn't matter if it's 3-0, whatever. We have to fight until the end. If we had scored a fourth goal, it would be amazing. Now it's nice, but it's a big lecture for the young guys. You shouldn't give up, no matter what's happening in the game. Until the last whistle, we should play at 100% and go for it. - The Cobra

But... let's keep it real too. Outside of those three moments, Cobra wasn't great. 15 total touches. Only one successful pass forward, the knockdown header. It was a solid showing, he did what was needed, and it's a beginning. But it has to be more if he wants to start. Watch his all-touches video by our friend Austin Banks (@MisterKranks) and judge for yourself.

FC Dallas did a much better job creating chances in this one as it was more like the Minnesota game, particularly in the 2nd half. Taking 14 shots on the road is good, but it's the seven shots on goal that is fantastic. 50% on target! All but 3 of their shots are taken inside or right on the edge of the box (79% of shots in the box). That's a vast improvement over the LA Galaxy game where they had one shot on goal. Amazing the difference when you get forward with aggression like the second half of this game.

Ryan Hollingshead had a heck of a good day too, including the game-winning goal. Defensively: 4 tackles, 3 intercepts, 2 clears, and 5 aerials won. Offensively: 90 touches, 81% passing, 3 shots, 1 goal, 9 of 7 on long balls. Fantastic game.

Congrats to Bryan Reynolds on making his first start. He was sacrificed at halftime for Ondrasek but not because of how Reynolds was playing. Reynolds made some nice runs, showed over the top, but just didn't get the ball enough. If I have one criticism, he was taking up a position just a bit too deep and defensive. Admittedly the whole team was doing that. Good first run out, something the 18-yer-old Reynolds can build on.

I was very proud of Bryan, and I actually thought he played well. It was a tactical adjustment to take him out at half. He had some good defensive actions and he kept the ball pretty well. - Luchi Gonzalez

The position Ricardo Pepi was asked to play was interesting. He replaced Ferreira and defensively still had to do the duty of the Luchi-Ball 10, dropping back into midfield with Acosta and Servania when Montreal had the ball. But he was also tasked with getting forward as an extra striker next to Ondrasek. That's a lot of work and the kid did a great job. Pepi didn't look out of place and he got the header that lead to the PK. Baby steps. How about some Pepi all-touches?

El Camino del Medio

Jesus Ferreira had a pretty good game but the mistake for the 2nd Impact goal was just brutal. That's inexcusable and it keeps him in this middle section. I did like the quick trigger he showed on the one shot he did have, that was an improvement. He also did a ton of the high press work, you can see it on his chart in the upper right third (triangles are defensive). 5 tackles and 2 intercepts. He also had three successful dribbles, which is another improvement.

Jesus Ferreira passing, shooting, and defensive chart at Montreal Impact. (8-17-19) (MLS / MLS)

Paxton Pomykal had a better showing in this game than he did in LA. 86% passing, 1 key pass, 1 dribble, 1 foul drawn, 1 tackle, 1 interception, and 1 block. But this isn't the MVP Pomykal we now expect. He's getting the focus of the opposition defense, often double-teamed and keyed. Plus this is his first year playing all the time. I think he's hitting a rookie'ish type wall. This will be the next big progression step for Pomykal, taking care of the body; dealing with the hits, tackles, and focus of the other team; and remaining influential. He'll get there.

Bryan Acosta is settling in as the holding mid. He's doing all the defensive work needed, covering the ground in midfield. But he has one deficiency that stems from trying to do too much. Every long pass into the final third missed. He got forward once on a defensive step up and was able to make a shorter key pass into the final third to Ondrasek. But when you're playing the 6 it's often important to just keep it simple. Just keep it moving. 87% passing is ok, but 12 of 20 on long balls isn't. That's what's keeping him from being in the 90th passing percentile even on the road.

Bryan Acosta's passing, defensive, and shot chart at Montreal Impact. (8-17-19) (MLS / MLS)

Also, someone parachuted off the side of the stadium during the game.

A person parachutes off Olympic Stadium during an MLS soccer match between the Montreal Impact and FC Dallas in Montreal, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP) (Graham Hughes / AP)

Muy Feo

The "bad" is just one thing, but it's a BIG BAD: the 1st half malaise. FCD was stagnant, flat, tired, uninspired, and mistake-prone. I couldn't decide if they were burnt out, frustrated, out of ideas, exhausted, or bored. It was awful. It was the end of the LA Galaxy game repeated. FCD had only 4 shots in the first half and all of them were off target or blocked. As we mentioned in the good section, attitude matters in parity league. Fight matters. Desire matters. You have to want it more particularly on the road. FCD had little to none of that in the 1st half as they just stood around doing nothing.

A lot of highs and lows in the game. Obviously, I was disappointed with the first half. It was like we were tight. We didn't play with a lot of confidence. We were not getting good spots and we weren't brave enough to get into good spots. Our transition was slow. When we pressed, we weren't together. Just, not good enough, and we spoke about it at the half. - Luchi Gonzalez

Next Game

With seven games left, FC Dallas hosts arch-rivals Houston Dynamo next Sunday at 7 pm CT in Frisco. El Capitan, and maybe the season, will be on the line.