Frank Lampard leaves with injury in NYCFC’s 2-2 draw with Dallas

Frank Lampard’s streak of good health is over but NYCFC maintained its home unbeaten stretch.

Barely.

Lampard came up lame in the 41st minute of NYCFC’s 2-2 draw at home against FC Dallas, leaving with an injury to the same left leg that kept him out of the first 12 games of the season.

As usual, coach Patrick Vieira didn’t have answers about Lampard’s status. The team didn’t provide an update, either, and Lampard left without talking to the media.

“Of course he’s a sensible professional, he knows his body better than anybody else,” Vieira said. “And if he came out, it’s because he didn’t want to make it worse. Hopefully it’ll work out better and he’ll be ready for the next game. So we just have to wait and see.”

So Lampard was sidelined for the dramatic finish Saturday, which included the equalizer in the 78th minute from NYCFC striker Khiry Shelton. The late sub ran onto a cross from David Villa and, in stride, connected on a powerful header that left Dallas goalie Chris Seitz diving with no chance at the ball. That segued into blown one-on-one breakaways from both teams in the final moments, with Dallas’ Tesho Akindele hitting the post in the 90th minute and NYCFC’s Steven Mendoza embarrassingly missing the frame in stoppage time.

“I think the tie was a fair result in the end,” NYCFC midfielder Andrea Pirlo said.

The result pushed NYCFC’s home unbeaten streak to seven, but also snapped its five-game winning streak at Yankee Stadium. The 38-year-old Lampard had been on a torrid scoring run heading into Saturday, scoring 12 goals in his 17 appearances since returning to the lineup from a troublesome calf strain. But the one thing that has held back Lampard returned in the form of a non-contact injury, with Lampard grabbing his leg while laid out on the field.

He was treated by the medic, walked away on his own and was subbed out for Mendoza. Roughly 13 minutes of game action later, Michael Barrios scored the go-ahead goal for FC Dallas (15-8-7), which maintained the top record in MLS.

“I think this is one of the best, if not the best team in the league,” Vieira said.

NYCFC (12-9-9) moved into sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference, but that may last less than 24 hours with No. 1 Toronto (13-8-7) and the No. 3 Red Bulls (12-8-9) facing off Sunday. The top-2 finishers in each conference get a bye in the first round of the playoffs.

NYCFC has established Yankee Stadium as a comfortable home ever since losing here embarrassingly to the Red Bulls, 7-0, in May. NYCFC looked like it might continue its dominance in the Bronx on Saturday, scoring first in the eighth minute off Tommy McNamara’s finish. McNamara, a 25-year-old from West Nyack, converted after a one-touched pass in the box from Jack Harrison, which followed an attractive three-pass sequence to set up the opportunity.

Dallas responded 12 minutes later, with Max Urruti pounding in a shot over goalie Josh Saunders from a difficult angle along the sideline.