FC Dallas Endure Another Draw at Home Against the Resurgent Galaxy, 2-2
Frustration abounds in Frisco as FC Dallas can't hold on to a lead at home. Let's unpack this frustration a bit.
On Saturday night, FC Dallas and their fans were treated to another treat, in a sense.
For 90+ minutes, two solid soccer teams went toe to toe, generating gobs of chances, exhibiting fesity physical football, and pushing hard until the final whistle.
The frustration, however, belongs to FC Dallas, settling for a home draw for the second straight week despite holding a commanding 2-0 lead in the first half. Petar Musa did Musa things, grabbing sole control of the Major League Soccer golden boot race. His first was the kind of mistake all too many defenders have made by going half-speed against the Croatian international. You simply can’t do that if you want to limit his damage.
If the game could have been frozen there, FC Dallas would have been far happier, getting a big home win against a Los Angeles Galaxy team that hasn’t looked like a contender.
And then, well, the Galaxy took advantage of mistakes of their own and quality that still exists on their roster, especially in the form of Joseph Paintsil. His second goal, tying the game, was just class, but it also reflected an FC Dallas defense that keeps making crucial mistakes at the wrong time.
2-2.
Now, with each home draw, we can begin to wonder whether FC Dallas is a contender. Simply put, good teams win their home games. Sure, good teams can drop the occasional draw because they face an opponent who is on the upswing or experience the randomness of the bounce. For FC Dallas, while maintaining an unbeaten home record is decent, this is the fourth home draw of the season. As points on the road get more difficult to come by, those dropped points will end up weighing heavily on final positioning later in the year.
First, though, let’s acknowledge that the referees bear a heavy load for the disappointment on Saturday night. FC Dallas had two goals called back, both of which appeared obvious scores on replay. However, the VAR team did not ask the referee to take a second look. Yes, you can argue there are some extenuating circumstances for each - FC Dallas players were potentially in “compromising” or “interfering” positions on the plays. While you are welcome to make that argument, the replays aren’t conclusive that it was true in either circumstance.
On the first goal, Farrington was clearly offside, but he had stopped and was not participating in the play. Musa, meanwhile, was clearly onside as he received the ball and slotted it home.
On the second, yes, Ibeagha went to ground in the box, but the blast from Kaick didn’t even touch Urhoghide, instead ricocheting off a Galaxy defender. I’m not sure how Ibeagha interfered.
Even if true, the referee should have looked at both replays. Take the time and get it right. Use the tools at your disposal. Show fans you want to be transparent about the reasoning.
I am not one to criticize referees. Yes, they get calls right and wrong. It’s going to happen. I’ve said it before, as silly as it may sound, that if you are going to criticize referees publicly, you also need to publicly thank them for good performances. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a coach praise an officiating crew after a match in a press conference, but it would be pretty cool to start doing so, which might improve the conversation about officiating.
But regardless - the referees got this one wrong.
Just go to VAR. Why not?
Do I place the entire blame on officiating for this draw? No. FC Dallas had plenty of opportunities to find a go-ahead goal in the second half. They didn’t take their chances.
That leads me to our larger frustration with this team.
FC Dallas may have one of the most talented squads in their team history. Petar Musa is simply on another level, and if he can stay with the team until winter, which I hope he does, he could play himself into MVP conversations. Valiente is an exciting midfielder who is living up to his billing. Osaze Urhoghide delights fans with his attitude and personality.
But right now, these uneven performances are wasting this moment. I don’t know if Quill is overthinking lineups or finding it difficult to balance personalities and expectations. I don’t know if he sees something else during the week than what fans see on Saturdays, but there are players on the squad who aren’t putting in performances worthy of their positions and minutes. They need a fire lit… and soon.
Both goals came against veteran defenders who need to be better. Shaq Moore was too slow to react to Gabriel Pec finding space and getting the Galaxy back into it. Osaze and Deedson let their team down on the second. These are all guys with significant minutes under their belt. If they want to be a defense that can compete against top-tier talent, they need to be better.
Deedson, despite scoring a goal in the previous week, has not been a revelation at left wing-back. He is a question mark on this team.
Everyone knows Shaq Moore has oodles of experience, but my hunch is that Quill feels pressured to start Moore since he is also the team captain, even if his form hasn’t been necessarily great or if he even fits in the lineup.
I’m not sold on Herman Johansson. He’s not a bad player, but he is not the difference maker we had hoped.
Nolan Norris, meanwhile, was benched for this match, despite being one of the better in-form defenders right now.
While the attack has been more than good enough, the defense has not been up to par, and it’s not simply going to be about being “dogs” out there. Quill needs to find the group of starters who will get the job done, even if it means making formation tweaks to unlock their best skills, benching leaders, or giving young players time to grow into the positions they are needed in.
I’m not going to belabor this point, but last week, the team missed Valiente to start the match. It’s one of those head-scratching moments when either Quill is overthinking or underthinking things. Especially if our defense is going to be a bit porous, why not choose offense every time?
No, I’m not hitting the panic button on this team. They are going to be in the post-season hunt, and there are plenty of points to be had down the stretch. We have every reason to enjoy every game to come and expect good things. They can get a lot better too, especially as a guy like Santi Moreno gets fit and ready to contribute more.
But fans are right to feel the frustration and hope after another home draw, especially when for the first time in a few years, this team looks to be damn good.