FC Dallas Is Getting It Done in Preseason - Will It Be Good Enough?
FC Dallas returned home and proved efficient against the New York Red Bulls, but are there signs that more work needs to be done?
On Saturday, in front of a friendly season ticket holder crowd with new stadium skyline overhead on the east side, FC Dallas clutched another 90-minute friendly against the visiting New York Red Bulls, 4-0. Logan Farrington led the way with a brace, and plenty of players, young and old, contributed to the solid result. With an undefeated preseason right now, Dallas looks to be rounding into form with their opening match two weeks away.
But if you want to give yourself a dose of reality, Sam Nabors in Dallas Sports Nation gives this sobering takeaway after watching the result:
Much like the back half of last season, Dallas largely played against the ball and struggled when trying to build out of the back, mostly opting to go long and fight for second balls. When they had opportunities to play vertically, they did so. Interestingly, this was in stark contrast to the Red Bulls, who, in the past decade have become known for that exact type of vertical play, but largely opted for a more possession-based game, which even further highlighted how similar Dallas’ play was to 2025.
Oof.
Granted, a pragmatic style can be highly effective in football. For teams facing a superior opponent, counter-attacking football can provide that crucial opportunity or two to grab a point on the road or sneak out an unexpected win. Even good teams can prefer to use their speed to win balls and exploit space against possession-heavy opponents. Los Angeles FC is devastating on the break and less effective when given the ball.
Indeed, FC Dallas, clawing back into playoff contention at the end of 2025, adopted this style with a roster not quite there but a work rate that made up for some of its shortcomings.
But in 2025, will such a pragmatic approach help the team take its next step? How will they break down opponents not as eager to possess the ball? Can they find creative ways to build out of the back? Will FC Dallas’ defense, a unit with plenty of question marks, hold up against a relentless attack?
Part of the key for me will be figuring out the best starting duo of wing-backs as a primary way to get forward and stretch opponents - and the right trio of midfielders who can balance each other while bailing out the back line. Easier said than done!
If you want something to really watch for over the first few games of the season, it will be whether or not FC Dallas can figure out how to answer those questions and how to get the right set of players on the field who can provide enough creativity to make Dallas more than a one-trick pony. If they do, move this team into contender status.
We are beginning to work on our season preview, thinking about where this team has come and what expectations we should rightly place on the squad. How are you feeling about the squad? Optimistic? Cautiously optimistic? Meh?
Finally, no show tonight. We will take one more week of preseason as we gear up for opening day. Thanks for all of your support!