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FC Dallas looking to 'score early, set the tone' as Portland comes to town

FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja is no stranger to adversity: his is a story right out of Hollywood, having had run-ins with Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar during his playing days. In comparison, a Western Conference Championship match against the Portland Timbers seems like a walk in the park, really.

Down 3-1 after the first leg at Providence Park, Dallas needs to win by three goals or defeat Portland 2-0 to claim the series on away goals; conceding a goal in the second-leg fixture would put Dallas in an even tougher spot.

For Pareja, and his players, the mission is tough, but not impossible.

"They should feel like that they have done a great job so far. Nobody has given them anything," Pareja told reporters. "I can't praise them enough and they should be in great spirits. They have one more game to play here in the Conference Championship and it's a rival that we have beaten before. The series is very open for us. We should be in good spirits."

Related: 3 things to watch for in the 2nd leg of the MLS Conference Championships

Pareja is, of course, correct. The Timbers present, for Dallas, a team that is very much beatable. In their last league encounter at Toyota Stadium, Dallas routed the Timbers 4-1. But, that 3-1 loss last Sunday isn't an anomaly either, having lost by that exact margin in the regular-season fixture away from home, too.

It's why Pareja says his team needs to take the initiative in the second leg - nothing is guaranteed.

"It's important, really, for us first to keep the seal in the back and also it would be fantastic if could score early," Pareja said. "That's the dream of every coach in every game. Score early, set the tone early and we have to be prepared for different scenarios the game brings you and you sometimes don't expect it, and that's why we need to be prepared.

Related: Timbers coach Caleb Porter urges steadiness as Dallas threat looms

"It's going to be a long game, 90 minutes of teams that have different needs, and we'll see."

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