FC Dallas is at the foot of a mountain, gazing upward. Certainly it’s not a Vesuvius (with the lava, ash, and all) or Kilimanjaro, or a McKinley for that matter, but the uphill climb the team faces could become steep without a desirable result against New England Thursday night.
Team issues with FC Dallas
Team mentality. Brek Shea and Carlos Rodriguez looked like each player had been battered as much mentally as they had been physically in the DC United game last Friday. Coming back from Olympic duty certainly can’t be easy and it was on full display against DC. Hopefully all the woes and frustration from Olympic qualifying can be put far behind for both wingers.
Suspensions for starters have already started to accumulate this season. Daniel Hernandez, who is no stranger to a yellow card, will be out for Thursday’s match after being ejected in the 77th minute against DCU (two yellows for two unquestionable fouls). Jair Benitez will also be out following his no-look elbow he tossed (without making contact) at Danny Cruz last Friday. The frustration of surrendering four goals and losing two straight games is beginning to show within the squad. These are issues that could stand to plague the squad for the coming home stand if not quickly remedied. Games against New England and Montreal are games that have to be won not only to fix FCD’s record, but to fix team mentality and confidence on the whole.
Team depth. Dallas will now have to wait another 6-8 weeks for some type of return of David Ferreira. Fabian Castillo is also out since limping off in the 31st minute against New York during Gameweek 1. Offensive production, if FCD is to keep up their average of letting in two goals per game, is going to be necessary. You may call it the ‘Blackpool Strategy’ from last year’s EPL, or the ‘Mavericks Solution’ from 2001-2006 when the Mavs couldn’t stop the enemy, but they could definitely outscore them. Injuries and absences from the squad (Benitez, Hernandez) will put FCD’s depth to the test.
Ricardo Villar has filled in great for David Ferreira, and I think has stepped up his play with El Torito’s return impending. However, I am not quite sold on Rodriguez as a replacement for Castillo, as he tends to be more defensive-minded than the Columbian, and certainly lacks his counterpart’s sheer pace. We may see the debut of Bobby Warshaw at center defensive mid for Thursday, filling in for Hernandez, but Bruno Guarda, who had disciplinary issues in the offseason, could also be a likely starter. I suppose we’ll just see who Hyndman places his confidence with.
The next five games. These are critical for FCD’s season. New England and Montreal at home are both winnable games, albeit New England will put FCD to the test Thursday after riding a two-game win streak into Frisco, beating LA away and Portland at home in the process. However, things turn more difficult afterwards, as Dallas will play Vancouver (away), Salt Lake (at home), and LA (away) by the end of April. Solid results in the next two matches will give the team momentum into a tough end to the month.
Tactical approach to Thursday for FCD
Deny Shalrie Joseph time and space. A multitude of attacks in New England’s game against LA last week began with Joseph. As a stalwart in the league he’s already a marked man, but his methods of combining with Sene and Guy up top, as well as Nguyen and Rowe on the wings proved that he still can send a killer ball and act as the engine in New England’s midfield.
Deny service from the wings. To channel my inner Derek Zoolander: Saer Sene is so hot right now. Two goals in the past two matches, both from services from the wings can be attributed to the Frenchman. One came early, the other added to a two goal lead later in the match for New England. Ryan Guy and Lee Nguyen are both wingers and both have connections to Dallas that may motivate them to up their game a notch or two (Guy: offered a developmental contract by FCD in ’07, turned down in ’11 after a trial by FCD; Nguyen: Dallas native, pursued by FCD at one time, will be playing in front of friends & family).
Keep the pressure up after half time. Much of the tactics after 45 minutes will depend on the first 45, but Dallas still has yet to win a second half this season (the win against NY was tied 1-1 in the 2nd half). Problems after 45 minutes have built up and frustrated Dallas’ defense and attack, so keeping the intensity high would be a must for FCD.
Feed Blas Perez. Blas has a great ability to combine with the men supporting him. He plays well with his back to goal. New England’s center backs were suspect in the match against LA. One of the main differences in that match simply was that LA didn’t put the ball on frame and didn’t finish its chances early on. Robbie Keane’s goal late in the match was a product of bad defense in the center of it. Blas can thrive in that type of environment. Hopefully the service from Villar, Rodriguez, and Shea will be nothing but quality for the Panamanian.
Keep the ball in the midfield. And keep it safe. New England’s goals, at least two of them, came from LA turnovers in the middle third. If FCD hopes to minimize New England’s counters and possession (for a team that doesn’t dominate possession often), they have to keep the ball safe in the middle of the park. Lord knows we were burned (and nearly burned) almost a dozen times against KC on the counter. Let’s not tempt fate any longer.
Otherwise, Thursday’s match should be a solid one. It features a Dallas side on the downswing and a motivated New England side on the upswing. If FCD learned anything from the DC United match they’ll be just as hungry as DC United was for a home win and a chance to turn things around. And if need be, and the magic is lacking after 45 minutes, break out the mustard leather jacket, Schellas.
(image courtesy of fcdallas.com)
