Would you rather your football team - like the Dallas Cowboys - implode during a 1-7 start, fire its head coach and be done by Halloween?

Or would you rather your football team - like FC Dallas - make it all the way to the Super Bowl only to dramatically lose in the 107th minute of play on an accidental own goal?

Last month your Texas Rangers finally made it to baseball's World Series. Hasn't been quite as long of a wait, but FC Dallas is at last in soccer's MLS Cup.

With a 3-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy Sunday night, FC Dallas won Major League Soccer's Western Conference and earned a spot in Sunday's MLS championship game against the Colorado Rapids in Toronto.

FC Dallas - born and raised as the Dallas Burn - is the last of of the MLS' inaugural class of 1996 to make the final.

Far as I know, not a lot was expected from FC Dallas this season. Gone are the days of semi-stars like Eddie Johnson and Kenny Cooper, replaced by a spunky goalie named Kevin Hartman (who made four spectacular saves in last night's first half) and an MVP candidate named David Ferreira (who scored the first goal).

To get to the MLS Cup, FC Dallas had to beat a team featuring Landon Donovan and David Beckham. And now - if maybe only for a brief moment - they'll put soccer back on the map in North Texas.

For the last month we've all been - gladly, of course - buried up to here in the Texas Rangers.

Don't look now, but the other sports in our city didn't shut down. Let's play some catch up, shall we?

FC DALLAS - In the Major League Soccer's Western Conference semifinals, they have a 2-1 aggregate lead heading into Saturday's second-leg game in Utah against Real Salt Lake. Apparently Jeff Cunningham and David Ferreira (voted MLS Player of the Year) are FC Dallas' most potent offensive players. Last time I paid attention it was guys like Eddie Johnson and then Kenny Cooper. If they make it to the West Finals, I just might make the trek to Frisco. This playoff thing is kinda fun. And, after all, according to FC Dallas' video, yours truly - along with Shawn Marion and Kim Fischer and Nancy Lieberman and Rick Carlisle and Michael Johnson and Bob Sturm and even Big Tex - is "Dallas 'Til I Die."

DALLAS STARS - No Modano. No Turco. No buzz. No ... problem? The Stars are off to 7-4 start, punctuated by last night's impressive 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at American Airlines Center. Loui Eriksson had two goals and an assist and apparently the Stars stood up and - literally - fought the Pens. Maybe all isn't lost after all?

Avery Johnson, you've got company.

On the heels of an embarrassing 5-1 loss to David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy before a record crowd at Pizza Hut Park last Sunday, FC Dallas general manager Michael Hitchcock has just fired head coach Steve Morrow.

Morrow will be replaced by fourth-year assistant coach Marco Ferruzzi on an interim basis. Ferruzzi will make his debut Saturday in Frisco against Real Salt Lake.

After opening the season with two wins and two ties, FC Dallas is in the midst of a four-game winless streak. The Hoops are 2-3-3, in fourth place in the MLS Western Conference.

Says Hitchcock, “We have set high standards, expectations, and goals for this team and organization. I feel that the team was not heading in the direction we had planned, and believe it is in the best interest of the club to make a coaching change at this time.”

Look for this guy's wife at Ghostbar Saturday night. Just a guess.

Remember last summer when David Beckham’s visit to Dallas, er Frisco, was a huge deal? Then, he tweaked an ovary or something and his no-show was even huger?

Now, turns out, Mr. Posh Spice will play at Pizza Hut Park Sunday to little fanfare and not exactly lots of fans.

FC Dallas, which hosts Beckham’s LA Galaxy Sunday at 2, just announced a last-gasp batch of $20, standing-room only tickets available at Ticketmaster or by calling their futbol offices at 888.323.4625. So, cool, must mean it’s an overflow sellout, right?

Right?!

Notsamuch. According to the club, a “limited number of seats in most price categories, including Field Side Seats, are also available.”

How quickly we forget. -- Richie Whitt