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FC Dallas ties Colorado 1-1

Jul 31, 2010 - 11:18 PM COMMERCE CITY, Colo.(AP) -- FC Dallas remained unbeaten for the eighth straight game and escaped with a 1-1 tie with the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.

"We applied pressure and any time you do that you will find players making mistakes," FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said. "Everybody can be a good player when there's no pressure. I could still be playing today if there is no pressure on me."

Colorado defender Julien Baudet put the ball into his own net in the 22nd minute to keep FC Dallas unbeaten, 4-0-4 since a losing to Los Angeles on May 20.

"You go after a ball like that and it goes in," Baudet said. "I had position, slid back over and it hit my foot and went in."

FC Dallas maintained its three-point lead over the Rapids for third place in the Western Conference.

Mehdi Ballouchy goal on a penalty kick for Colorado (6-5-6) and remained winless for the seventh connective game. The Rapids are 0-2-5 and haven't won since June 5.

"I thought we had gotten over all the voodoo," Colorado coach Gary Smith said. "Otherwise, we had excellent chances, but didn't have enough finishes."

The Rapids played without leading scorer, Conor Casey (head laceration). Casey has seven of the team's 19 goals.

Dallas won an earlier meeting 2-1.

The teams traded goals in the first half.

Dallas scored first when Baudet put the ball into his own net in the 22nd minute. Jair Benitez broke free along the sideline, sent a pass toward the front of the net where Baudet put it into the net to make it 1-0.

The Rapids didn't have a scoring chance until the 26th minute when they were awarded a penalty kick after Atiba Harris was called for a hand ball in the scoring box. Ballouchy easily beat Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman to tie the game at 1-1.

"I picked a good spot and got the goal," Ballouchy said.

Harris wouldn't comment on the foul. Hyndman offered his take on the play.

"Atiba was going for the ball and for some reason he put his hand up to block the sun," Hyndman said. "The ball came down and knocked right into the hand."

Hartman denied Colorado a go-ahead goal in the 43rd minute. He swatted away a free kick by Colin Clark.

Ugo Ihemelu missed a wide-open net in the 45th minute.

Neither team had a scoring chance in the second half until David Ferreira's shot from a tough angle in the 58th minute. Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens caught the soft kick with both hands.

Pickens made a more difficult save on Ferreira in the 62nd minute. He swatted away a low drive from the slot.

Drew Moor's header sailed over the crossbar in the 78th minute. Moor saved a goal, blocking Jeff Cunningham's shot just outside the crease in the 82nd minute. Ferreira just missed the right post in the 86th minute.

Harris said the ties, six of the nine, do not bother him.

"The main thing is we've only lost once on the road," Harris said. "We have been focused, we've been playing as a team and that has carried over into our next game."