It was honours even in the first leg of the MLS playoff clash between Dallas and the Seattle Sounders as they played out a 1-1 draw in the Western Conference semi-final.

Obafemi Martins should have put the Sounders ahead in the 18th minute when he raced through on goal, but as he approached Raul Fernandez he lost his composure and fired a tame effort straight at the keeper.

The home side took the lead from the spot when Andres Escobar was fouled in the box by Marco Pappa. Michel took the penalty and dispatched the ball past Stefan Frei.

Martins came close to firing his side level just before the break when he powered an effort at goal, but Fernandez made an impressive one-handed stop, while Matt Hedges cleared the rebound away from the net.

In the second half, Seattle had speculative long-range efforts from Clint Dempsey and Pappa comfortably saved by Fernandez as they lacked the power to beat the keeper.

However, the Sounders found their equaliser in the 54th minute when Pappa delivered a pinpoint cross into the box and Osvaldo Alonso was on hand to guide a header past Fernandez from close range.

The visitors kept pushing forward and Dempsey came within inches of diverting Michael Azira's driven shot from the edge of the area goalwards, but he just couldn't make contact with the ball.

Fabian Castillo almost gave Dallas a one-goal advantage to take into the second leg when he raided down the right and then into the box, but his powerful strike was well saved by Frei, who turned the shot over the bar.