The 2014 MLS Cup playoffs have been all about managers making perfect tactical adjustments. Mike Petke's usage of Peguy Luyindula helped New York advance to the Eastern Conference Final, while LA's Bruce Arena worked magic with his pairing of A.J. DeLaGarza and Stefan Ishizaki on the right wing in the win over Real Salt Lake. 

FC Dallas boss Oscar Pareja had a chance to add his name to the tactical-genius list Monday night. Instead, he made a few questionable moves that led to his side's elimination at the hands of the Seattle Sounders. 

Pareja's side entered the clash at CenturyLink Field in need of at least one away goal in order to pave their path to the Western Conference Final. Despite a valiant effort, they came up short and drew 0-0 with the Sounders. Seattle advanced on a 1-1 aggregate thanks to a first-leg away goal scored by Osvaldo Alonso. 

The Hoops were handed a golden opportunity to pounce on the hosts after Alonso limped off the pitch with an apparent hamstring injury in the 56th minute. From that point on, Pareja should have adjusted his lineup to attack during every remaining minute of the match. 

Pareja waited until the 80th minute to make his first switch, which turned out to be the wrong one in hindsight. Andres Escobar was inserted into the match in favor of Blas Perez, who is the best forward on the team's roster. 

The experience of Perez could have been useful in the final 10 minutes of a game in which one goal was needed for FC Dallas to advance to take on LA Galaxy in the next round. With Perez absent from the pitch, rookie Tesho Akindele was left to man the forward position. Akindele was quiet during the final 10 minutes up front after playing on the left flank for most of the match. 

Leaving Akindele up front by himself to fight against the experienced duo of Chad Marshall and Zach Scott was not a smart call by the Colombian manager. Had Perez been left in the game, he would have been able to benefit from the crossing abilities of Escobar and Fabian Castillo. 

The second move was a tad questionable, as Walker Zimmerman replaced Moises Hernandez in defense. Zimmerman's insertion allowed Zach Loyd to bomb forward on the flank, but that move did not help FC Dallas as much as Pareja expected. 

Just a minute later, Michel was taken off the pitch in favor of David Texeira in a baffling move. Michel is the best weapon the club has on set pieces, and his absence hurt FC Dallas on a late free-kick, which was taken by Mauro Diaz instead. Diaz's shot from just outside the penalty area caused little threat to the Seattle back four. 

If Michel was still in the match, he could have challenged Seattle 'keeper Stefan Frei with a shot. Even if the Brazilian didn't score on the set piece, he could have set up an opportunity for a rebound among the chaos following the free-kick. 

Not only did Pareja make the wrong personnel moves, he made them too late. Once Alonso was taken off the pitch, FC Dallas should have taken the game to the hosts and punished them with a great chance in front of goal. 

By inserting Escobar for Akindele with just over 30 minutes to go, Pareja would have handed Perez a terrific opportunity to latch on to a cross following a daring run down the wing by Escobar. If more attention was given to Escobar, and his wing counterpart Castillo, a player like Michel would have had a chance to cut through the middle of the pitch and combine with Perez in tight space. 

The next man entered into the game should have been Texeira, who was given only four minutes to make an impact on an important match, Taking out either full-back would have been the right call by Pareja in order to keep the consistency in midfield between Michel and Victor Ulloa. 

By shifting to a two-man front, FC Dallas may have caused more problems against a tiring Seattle back four, especially if a fresh Escobar was able to exploit the spaces on the wing. Pareja did eventually put two forwards up top, but there is no way you can expect an instant impact from the duo of Texeira and Akindele in the final four minutes. 

Learning this rough lesson early on in his managerial career will only make Pareja a better manager in the future. But after his questionable decision making Monday night, the loss will sting for a little while, as FC Dallas were just one goal away from springing a major upset in the Emerald City against a wounded Sounders side. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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