George John and Eric Avila scored in the second half to help FC Dallas rally for a 2-1 victory over the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday in Major League Soccer.
John tied it in the 53rd minute, and Avila gave Dallas (2-3-1) the lead in the 83rd.
Avila scored on a low shot from outside the penalty area. He entered the game in the 71st minute after Dallas lost forward David Ferreira, last season's MLS most valuable player, to a leg injury.
Ferreira, carried off on a stretcher, was injured on a hard tackle by Vancouver defender Jonny Leathers. Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said Ferreira was taken to a hospital for examination of a possible broken leg.
''It's bad for the team when a good player goes down,'' Avila said. ''Coming in, I had a responsibility to keep the game going. I just tried to do as much as possible.''
Following a free kick that resulted from Leathers' foul, John tied it on a header.
Alain Rochat scored in the 25th minute for Vancouver (1-3-3).
Two minutes after scoring, Rochat was called for a hand ball in Vancouver's penalty area. But Ferreira, fired wide after goalkeeper Jay Nolly guessed wrong and lunged the other way.
The Whitecaps lost for the first time in five home games.
''Obviously, we are very disappointed with the result,'' Vancouver coach Teitur Thordarson said. ''There's no doubt about that. I was quite happy with the first half. It was a good battle between two quite even teams.''
