Afterburn Soccer Show Is Back
FC Dallas wins big on the road in Kansas City. Is this the response we wanted to see after a few days off? Go live with us at 8 PM CST.
Welcome back to the live, rough-and-tumble sports show dedicated to FC Dallas and North Texas Soccer Club. We go live at 8 PM CST on YouTube to break down all of the latest news.
Like FC Dallas, we had a few days off, full of travel, a wedding celebration, and panoramic vistas. But we are back in time to celebrate the big victory on the road for Dallas they traveled up to Kansas City to face their lowly rivals.
Hey, to be fair, Kansas City has been a lot better lately after making their own coaching change, and FC Dallas have quietly watched their rivals make up ground as the former Burn have struggled at home and on the road. Rest is good medicine though, and Dallas needed it.
Here are a few highlights we will hit tonight:
Sebastian Lletget makes a difference. On his return to the lineup, Quill and company were very thankful to have his steady, offensive presence back in the mix. Really, we haven’t seen anyone bring the balance that he does, as he works hard in all phases but especially can help unlock some attacking momentum. When you have two defensive midfielders starting, maybe it’s not surprising that our attack can lack a little extra fizzle.
Lletget brought that in his minutes on Saturday, and we saw a glimpse of an attack that looked far more confident as a result.
Álvaro Augusto looked good in his first start. Really good. The young defender was viewed as a project for this team, spending most of his minutes with North Texas to get acclimated to live in DFW. But short-handed, Augusto took the opportunity to play strong, emotional ball. He still looks like a young player, someone to bring along, but he suddenly should make Ibeagha and Abubakar a bit nervous about the rest of the season. This team needs athletic and active center backs for that right balance that Quill wants.
Lucho Acosta really enjoyed this game. He scored two goals, and it looked like a weight has lifted off of his back. Again, some days of rest no doubt made some difference, but being surrounded by your first choice guys and having more opportunity to develop rhythm with them is also crucial.
North Texas Soccer Club meanwhile have hit a blip in the season with two straight losses and performances that John Gall would like to have back. Again, in any league, teams lay eggs on the road, but you never want it to be a habit with the talent that this young side has. I’m not worried at all, because these players need to learn and grow. These are good teachable moments after they ascended with a strong run of form last month.
Oh, and congratulations to Josh Torquato making his first team debut - a good opportunity to take a peak at a really promising young player who is a couple of years away from breaking in.
See you tonight!