Dallas finds itself pitted against a recently-defeated Whitecaps side on Saturday. Hyndman and company fortunately find themselves in a preferable situation, having a full week’s rest and time to travel prior to Saturday. Vancouver, however, was routed by Kansas City (like all of KC’s opposition) Wednesday night and only has a three day respite ahead of Saturday’s game. Tired legs and minds will no doubt be a concern for the Whitecaps and their supporters alike.
Some thoughts to keep in mind about Saturday’s match:
Attack early. Attack often.
The Whitecaps’ defense and midfield looked tired and run ragged by Kansas City as early as the 60th minute Wednesday night. KC did what KC does best, and that was pressing high, winning the ball often in the midfield, and capitalizing on those errors and midfield victories via counterattacking and pace. Vancouver has shown this season they can be vulnerable early on in a match. Vancouver, much like Dallas early in 2012, have shown a tendency to not recover if they’ve lost the lead by half time. They also, like Dallas in the past two matches, come slowly out the gates. A quick, early goal, or a quick set of attacks and quality chances will set the tempo for FCD early in the match. Vancouver will hold out to try to lull FCD into their game, and it’s simply something the boys cannot afford.
Serve it from the wings, and serve it in the air.
Despite FCD’s solid ground game this year, they haven’t finished many balls on the deck crossed from the wings. That’s not to say to stop them altogether, but Vancouver was opened up by SKC in the air. Blas Perez finally netted his first headed goal last week, and there is no reason that shouldn’t continue. All three goals conceded by Vancouver against KC were from the wings and served towards the heads of targets in the front of the net. FCD should aim to do the same. Set pieces in the offensive third will be great opportunities for Dallas if Vancouver’s vulnerabilities defending in front of the net haven’t been addressed by Saturday. George John, Ugo Ihemelu, and Blas Perez are all aerial threats for FCD. Of course, this will make corners equally as important.
Exploit the flanks to open up the middle.
Dallas has always been a team known for its possession and ability to swing the ball from flank to flank. The quick movement of the ball from side to side versus Vancouver will be imperative to help isolate speedsters Shea and Castillo on the left and right, respectively. Their ability to beat opposing defenders, get deep towards the byline, and serve the ball into the 18-yard-box at multiple angles will be key to breaking down the Whitecaps.
Win the midfield.
There is one evident rule of playing Vancouver for any team in the MLS: don’t give Le Toux or Hassli time and space. Despite faltering a couple times this year, they’re a potent striking tandem. Hassli will generally pull the trigger from anywhere. Le Toux is a bit more clever and will try to play combinations with his supporting midfielders and get a ball slipped through the backline to his feet more often than not. KC’s high-pressing game throughout the midfield stunted some of the service to these two, and tight marking along the back line put Le Toux and Hassli in positions that certainly didn’t favor any type of striker. Simply put: take a page from KC and press Vancouver into a game they don’t want to play throughout the midfield and up top.
A road win for Dallas at Vancouver would be immense, and give the team a huge boost in confidence going into Wednesday’s grudge match against Salt Lake. These next three matches, starting today, will be the toughest run of the season to date. The heart, determination, and desire that colored the last-gasp wins the past two matches will need to be revived again if Hyndman and his team want to walk out of April with a couple of wins under their belt.
(image courtesy of fcdallas.com)
