The Dallas Sidekicks and Kansas City Comets scored late goals Saturday night to advance to the Major Indoor Soccer League semifinals.
The Sidekicks rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the visiting Cleveland Force, 7-4, before 3,238 at Reunion Arena. Dallas, the Western Division champion, will play at Eastern champ Baltimore in a semifinal match on Friday.
Kansas City used three fourth-quarter goals to pull away from host Philadelphia Kixx, 8-5, in the other quarterfinal, played before 4,753 at the Wachovia Spectrum. The Comets will play at Central Division champion Milwaukee in Friday's semifinals.
The championship is a best-of-five series.
Dallas scored the final five goals — two of them by Beau Brown — to overcome a 4-2 deficit against the Force. David Doyle also scored two goals for the Sidekicks, and Leo Pernia, Kiley Couch and Patrick Shamu also tallied. Cleveland got two goals from Antonio Sutton.
Kansas City overcame four goals by Kixx player-coach Don D'Ambra, getting strikes in the final quarter from Craig Scheer, Nate Houser and Brian Soell. Scheer, Houser and Jeff Davis netted two goals apiece, and Sandre Naumoski also tallied for the Comets.
FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS
Central Division: Milwaukee 27-9; Kansas City 17-19; St. Louis 14-22.
Eastern Division: Baltimore 25-11; Philadelphia 20-16; Cleveland 14-21.
Western Division: Dallas 21-15; San Diego 13-23; Monterrey 10-26.
MISL PLAYOFFS
Quarterfinals
Saturday, April 10
Dallas 7 Cleveland 4
Kansas City 8 Philadelphia 5
Semifinals
Friday, April 16
Dallas at Baltimore, 7:35 p.m. EDT
Kansas City at Milwaukee, 7:35 p.m. CDT
Championship
(Best-of-five series)
Schedule TBA