It’s tough to believe, right? The truth hurts sometimes. As injury-riddled as the 2012 campaign has been for FCD the lack of a Western Conference win, home or away, is no real surprise. However, Hyndman’s men have a vulnerable and comparable opponent in Chivas USA. Tonight’s game is their second in four days. Interpret it as auspicious – but the truth is other factors play into the hands of FCD tonight in what will hopefully be the beginning of a quality home stand for the Friscans (I’m sure that’s the correct usage).
A Look at the Goats
To be a little less than fair to Chivas, no one pinned the team to do anything remarkable this season. They had an abysmal start, marked by late goal concessions. They had no real offensive firepower. This all changed with some wheeling and dealing, as they landed Juan Agudelo and Danny Califf in two savvy trades about a month ago.
A club that had nothing remarkable defensively, or offensively for that matter, suddenly did. It was yet another example of the arms race heating up in the Western Conference; one that FC Dallas has a tough time participating in. Even if the front office at Frisco acquired any new faces of true influence they would probably hurt in a month’s time anyhow.
Chivas USA 2.0 is not a shadow of its former self. Then again, the “other club in Los Angeles” sports a 3-1-3 away record, which still puts them with as many road wins as FCD has total wins all season. Since the arrival of Agudelo and Califf the Goats have gone 2-1-2, losing only once to Real Salt Lake at home. Then again, only one of those matches was on the road. Still, the team is better on the road than they are at home. The acquisition of Califf and Agudelo has certainly reversed their fortunes at home, and it’s easy to expect they will continue similar form away from the HDC.
There is nothing revolutionary about the style or system performed either home or away by Chivas USA, however. It is effective, though, and the Goats are capable of lulling an opponent to sleep before combining quickly on the flanks. The same style of combination play continues between the attacking trio of Agudelo, Angel, and Moreno. It’s a side that loves tight spaces and can operate well within them.
To that end, however, the Goats do serve the ball well from the flanks. In fact, over half of their 11 goal total this year has come from services on the wings. Against Montreal, Romero sent in quality crosses from set pieces, corners, and open play from the right flank. Cardozo, opposite Romero, sent in less. Chivas, to that extent, ended up favoring the right wing in a blatant fashion this past week against the Impact.
Should crosses have fallen short of their targets, midfielders like Ben Zemanski found themselves often on the receiving end of cleared balls from Romero crosses, dropping a few bombs from the perimeter of the penalty area. Overall, the attacking options are ever-present for Chivas USA, and with a bolstered defense and attack they will seek to improve their steady road record.
A Return is Nigh
FCD can finally rejoice and bask in some good news: a returnee is on the horizon. Brek Shea is expected to step on the pitch for the first time in four matches and well over a month. He has been listed as probable. George John and Blas Perez, Dallas’ other expected returnees, will not though, and are expected to go unused.
The return of Shea raises a couple of questions for today’s formation. Does Hyndman start Leyva once again and instead move Shea up as a target? Do FCD remove Leyva and employ Jackson as the trequartista in the 4-2-3-1 with Brek at his home on the left flank? Given the attacking prowess FCD put on display in Houston last week, especially during the first half, the former of the two options (with Brek up top) may be more viable. Regardless, Dallas will need to play the ball on the deck as much as they did against the Dynamo, and avoid getting into direct play more than the game demands.
A Tactical Approach
Expect the same 4-2-3-1 formation to step on the field tonight. Andrew Jacobson and Daniel Hernandez, Dallas’ two defensive center midfielders, will be crucial to keeping the Chivas attack at bay. Montreal, who set up in the same formation, allowed too much space and play to occur between the two center backs and center midfielders.
Equally, denying service from Romero and Villafana on the flanks will ease the pain Chivas can inflict upon FC Dallas. The rested head (who played only a handful of minutes and nabbed a goal) of Juan Pablo Angel will be their best target. Dallas fared well against the big frames of Will Bruin and Brian Ching last week, despite missing Ihemelu and John in the center of defense. There is no reason that shouldn’t continue against the Goats, but denying service from the flanks and keeping play shielded away from the center backs will keep the Chivas attack to a minimum.
Jackson should have more of the ball tonight: a lot more of it, in fact. He and Bryan Leyva combined well last week, and often switched positions, alternating between the right flank and trequartista role. Castillo was even in on it a bit. This type of free-flowing interchange confused Houston – it will do the same to the Goats, especially if done on the counter. Chivas was countered on time and time again by the Impact last week, and looked in complete disarray trying to organize its defenses en lieu of a speedy counter.
FCD will be most successful if they take the positives from the Texas Derby to heart in Frisco tonight. Play the ball on the floor, throw numbers forward, and win each and every battle in the midfield. Dallas countered well in that match, too. The real difference between the Chivas and Houston matches will be the fact that Chivas is content with possession, whereas Houston tried to barge its way up the field at times. If Dallas press high and force turnovers in the midfield, keep the ball on the deck, and neutralize the Goats’ wing play a winning result will follow. It’s about time, for that matter.
Brek’s return begins the slow trickle of healthy starters returning to action. David Ferreira and Ricardo Villar trained this week in non-contact drills. George John has been active as well. July will be a huge month for Dallas based solely on healthy bodies returning to the lineup, and hopefully a solid home stand at the end of June will form its base.
(image courtesy of fcdallas.com)
