FC Dallas Leaves Los Angeles Empty-Handed
The road trip to Southern California came up empty for FC Dallas, weighing them with questions. Is the team improving fast enough to make a run?
On Wednesday night, FC Dallas gave up a goal in the first five minutes of play in Carson as they took on the Los Angeles Galaxy but battled back in contention for a draw, a valuable point on the road. Then Tafari got sent off and the wheels came off, the stagecoach carrying the team off a cliff into a miserable 3-1 loss.
Surely, things would improve against Los Angeles FC, the second match of the week for the boys from Frisco.
And yes, things were better. Somewhat better.
For starters, BMO Field is really a jewel, a great atmosphere even when not full, a state of the art soccer masterpiece that demands teams pay homage to the beautiful game. It’s a fun contrast to compare the fan experiences between BMO and Toyota Stadium.
Head coach Nico Estevez acknowledged throughout the week that the team needed to find a way to improve after the disappointment of Wednesday night. And for a long stretch of the match, the defense found every way possible to thwart, dampen, and divert the Los Angeles FC attack. Along the way, the team managed to carve out a chance or three, even if they mostly came up empty.
In the end, Dennis Bouango sliced through Dallas’ defense and the heroics of Maarten Paes could only do so much.
Losing 1-0 nothing to one of the best teams in the league isn’t the worst scenario. The team can be proud of their defensive performance and the way they gained their footing, even controlling possession for a swathe of the match. Those are positives. Barring a spectacular save from Hugo Lloris, maybe Petar Musa adds a golazo to the highlight reel and the match ends 1-1.
Still, the attacking third lacked the final bit of creativity and decision-making to push the team back into contention territory.
Marco Farfan, Jesus Ferreira, Petar Musa, and Patrickson Delgado (who looked exhausted) are legit pieces to build around for a contender. Other positions have room to grow, even if we can credit Omar Gonzalez, Sam Junqua, and Sebastian Ibeagha for having solid performances overall.
For now, though, FC Dallas went looking for gold on the West Coast and came up empty.
They’ll have a week at home to regroup before traveling to Minnesota to look to get something going in a little cooler climate.
A few notes from the week:
Right now, Maarten Paes is the best player for FC Dallas, and his ridiculous run of form is keeping the team more competitive than they deserve. I asked Nico if the team is planning to reward that performance, and the coach was quick to say, while he isn’t involved in discussions, Maarten loves it in Dallas. Expect some contract news potentially in the coming months?
Another nugget was seeing Antonio Carrera and a full complement of players, including Enes Sali, with the first team. Carrera isn’t sticking around though, as he should return to Carolina to continue his loan. Only a couple of guys, like Amet Korca and Herbert Endelay, stuck around for the North Texas match on Sunday.
Also for the back of the room, Nico has stated twice now that Patrickson Delgado was scouted as a 10 for this team. While he may grow into a different role in the midfield, his athleticism and energy and creativity have been a sorely needed spark for the squad.