FC Dallas 4 Arabe Unido 0: Champions League semis beckon for Americans

FC Dallas put one foot in the door of the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals after crushing Arabe Unido 4-0. Kellyn Acosta netted a second-half brace in the opening leg as hosts Dallas took control of the quarter-final tie on Thursday. Dallas - MLS Conference semi-finalists in 2016 - progressed to the last eight as group winners in October, while Panamanian champions Arabe Unido also topped their section. And despite playing their first competitive game of the year, Dallas had no trouble seeing off the visitors to Toyota Stadium as Cristian Colman showed his speed to open the scoring in the 30th minute. Welcome to FC Dallas, Cristian Colman! #FCDvDAU pic.twitter.com/5CV3aCBSMH — FC Dallas (@FCDallas) February 24, 2017 After controlling the first half, Acosta increased Dallas' advantage 10 minutes following the interval. .@KellynAcosta says "pick that out!" #FCDvDAU pic.twitter.com/wd5Gj53J1W — FC Dallas (@FCDallas) February 24, 2017 GOAL @FCDallas, Kellyn ACOSTA No. 23 | FC Dallas @ArabeUnido_ #SCCL#SoyAficionado pic.twitter.com/W6rPe0xZBI — THE CHAMPIONS (@TheChampions) February 24, 2017 Acosta then made it 3-0 thanks to a powerful shot with four minutes remaining in regulation before a swift counter-attacking move saw Michael Barrios slot home the team's fourth of the night. GOAL @FCDallas, Michael BARRIOS No. 21 | FC Dallas @ArabeUnido_ #SCCL#SoyAficionado pic.twitter.com/tW8xwBa0Uz — CONCACAF (@CONCACAF) February 24, 2017 The second leg is in Panama City on Wednesday.