Jeff Cunningham scored a pair of goals and entered the race for the Budweiser Golden Boot award as host FC Dallas shut out Real Salt Lake, 3-0, in Major League Soccer play Saturday at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX.
Cunningham has 15 goals this season, tying him with Conor Casey of the Colorado Rapids for the Golden Boot, awarded to the league’s top goal scorer each seasn.
Cunningham struck first in the fifth minute on assists from Dave van den Bergh and David Ferreira, then again on an unassisted 87th minute point.
Van den Bergh assisted Ferreira in the 10th minute on another goal.
Dallas is 5-1-0 in their last six games and are unbeaten at home against RSL (7-0-0) in team history. FCD is in seventh place in the Western Conference standings at 8-12-6 with 30 points and will play the New England Revolution in the opening game of a soccer doubleheader Wednesday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The opening game will pit the national teams of Mexico and Colombia in a friendly.
Real Salt Lake, 9-11-7 with 34 points and in sixth place in the Western table, are off for the next 18 days, resuming MLS play October 14 when they welcome the New York Red Bulls to Rio Tinto Stadium.
