FC Dallas Snags a Point in Minnesota

The team will have marginally better vibes on their trip back to Dallas, but how could this team not put away a squad missing 9 starters? Pressure on Nico grows.

On a beautiful Saturday evening, FC Dallas rolled into Minnesota with some favorable bounces before kickoff. Yes, they were taking on the no. 3 team in the Western Conference, but that team would be missing 9+ players due to international call-ups and injuries. This seemed a perfect opportunity to come away with points on the road in a season where those have been rare.

On the positive side, after going down early on a Maarten Paes miscue out of the back, Liam Fraser dropped a goal-of-the-week contender to draw level. FC Dallas would find their road point. That’s something.

On the negative side, the rest of the match was a mostly listless exchange, with Dallas players lacking urgency and struggling to get the ball forward. When they did get it forward, Minnesota easily saved or thwarted their efforts. Late in the second half, Bernard Kamungo brought a spark here and there, but Petar Musa and Jesus Ferreira visibly exhibited their frustration on the field.

It was so bad that the commentators conceded that another goal was likely not on the way, even after Dallas made subs.

It was so bad that a team of second-teamers and homegrowns making their debut at times looked more threatening than the rested veteran squad on the other side.

In his post-game press conference, Nico took a positive tack, acknowledging how his squad dominated the match but lacked the speed and creativity to unlock Minnesota. What was missing was the acknowledgment that the team they played was hardly at Major League Soccer level, despite a few key starters doing their darndest to prove otherwise. Yes, it’s hard to play away in this league. We get that, but Minnesota was ripe for the picking.

Of the two teams, Minnesota will definitely feel grateful to escape what could have been a home loss.

While Nico has been consistent that his team has not been playing well, the only constant in that has been his tactical setup. Sure, we have seen glimmers of progress, but patience in the fanbase is wearing thin for a style of approach that seeks to control the match and limit turnovers. Can’t we play exciting soccer instead? Can’t we unleash youngsters like Kamungo rather than bottle them up and limit them?

Home beckons in the coming matches, so FC Dallas still has time and opportunity to shift the season in a new direction. But the clock is ticking.

A few other nuggets:

• Nico and staff might need to rethink when they make substitutes. Fresh legs might have carved out more than a road point had they come on at 70 minutes, rather than the 84th minute. Or heck, the 60th minute.

• Patrickson Delgado had one of his worst games in the first half. He looked uninterested. For a guy who has been in great form, something changed. Is he tired? Nursing an injury?

• Asier Illarramendi, who fell into Dallas’ lap last summer, is looking worn out. Teams are finding it easy to simply bypass him on counterattacks. FCD needs more from him.

• The pragmatism of the tactical approach for FC Dallas disappears when it comes to playing out of the back under pressure. Something needs to change.