Three. Ten. Four. These three numbers have much to bear on FCD’s burgeoning 2013 road campaign: they were last year’s dismal results away from Frisco. Only thirteen out of a possible fifty-one points went in Hyndman’s direction in 2012. This may be the biggest question for FCD, given the club’s superb form in success: can the squad be as consistent outside of Texas as they are inside the lone star state?
Perfection
It’s a gamble to say that FCD went through Saturday’s Vancouver match with a challenge, and perfection was tested throughout a brutal dogfight. Martin Rennie fielded a lessened and wounded Whitecaps side, ahead of the Canadian championship, that hardly seemed to test Dallas. In fact, the Whitecaps only managed a single attempted shot for the first forty-five minutes.
But let’s give credit were it’s due: Dallas scored early, albeit off the backside of a Vancouver defender, and kept the shutout throughout the rest of the game. It’s a task that last year’s side couldn’t have accomplished. Last year’s side also couldn’t have done it in every single home match, which this year’s has.
Lessons from 26 points dropped from winning positions in 2012 must have sunk in by now: it seems like FC Dallas simply understands how to subjugate the opposition and keep them down. Well, that stands at home at least.
Strengths, Weaknesses, and the Big Question
Dallas’ success hasn’t come without its tribulations. A new resolve in midfield was reached after battering the midfield took at Chivas in March. Early victories in 2013 against Colorado, Los Angeles, and even Houston didn’t look perfect in any sense of the word. Maybe the crowd could be persuaded about FCD’s dominance, but not convinced.
But these tribulations are nothing like those of the previous season. Key players have stayed healthy. There is a consistent starting eleven performing reliably well on a game-to-game basis. There have been no red cards or retroactive suspensions. With a healthy, consistent squad, Schellas Hyndman has found the right combination of personnel and tactics to win.
Namely, Hyndman has a solid defense that now has a full season under its belt playing together. He has a midfield that is different, but improved since last year, with the addition of Michel, and even Kenny Cooper on the flank. Jackson has emerged an even larger threat offensively than 2012. David Ferreira is, well, healthy.
The Next Big Test
One. One. One. These three numbers represent the 2013 squad’s road record, which is at least at .500 early on, and more than Hyndman’s squad could claim in 2012. In fact, 2012’s team had three losses in its first three road matches, and only a draw and three losses in its first four.
So, there has been some immediate improvement, even if it is on a smaller scale this early in the season.
The series with Vancouver, that is playing the return match so quickly, is interesting on multiple levels. For one, Vancouver should hardly be expected, barring any major injuries, to field the same weakened side that played in Frisco. Secondly, the Whitecaps may be buoyed by that point by winning the Canadian championship. Momentum for Vancouver could prove deadly for Dallas.
Hyndman, however, won’t have to even think about a squad alteration, unless it’s due to the rise or fall in form in training of a given player: the team has a week and a half between away matches in Vancouver and in Portland. Pray that injury bug continues to stay away.
FCD still has to prove they are the team to beat in the West. This can only be answered with a strong showing on its second road trip of 2013. Eyes are already upon Dallas, and skeptics await in the wings, waiting to see the first slipup. An undefeated showing in the Pacific Northwest, starting in Vancouver and ending in Portland, is the best way to silence these same skeptics.
A draw and a win are acceptable, and wouldn’t convolute the team’s perfection, at least by much. Two wins would be glorious. Dropped points from any leads taken would simply boil the analysis down to, “Well, I guess they haven’t taken 2012’s road woes to heart.”
Every team has its weaknesses. Dallas is vulnerable on the break and can crumble under a physical battle in midfield every now and again. However, if FCD can keep its current home form and translate that to their campaigns away from Frisco, this will be a side plunging deep into MLS Cup come November.
