FC Dallas Stay Hot; North Texas Settle for Home Draw
When has FC Dallas ever earned two penalty kicks in one match? Did you know that North Texas SC have two league leaders in goals? Lots of fun bits from a pretty good weekend for our clubs.
Well, I love writing about both FC Dallas and North Texas Soccer Club after strong performances. It just makes life easier. We aren’t having to dwell on what choices the staff need to make to correct course. We don’t have to deal with players who aren’t contributing. We can feel pretty good about things.
Of course, this weekend wasn’t perfect, but FC Dallas went on the road and saw out a big 2-1 away win at Colorado.
North Texas SC closed out their Choctaw Stadium era with a disappointing home draw, but, as usual, there were positives for this young club.
Let’s get into some key points from both results.
FC Dallas Ride Out 2-1 Win at Altitude
Playing away games at Colorado has to be one of the trickier tasks in Major League Soccer. I don’t remember many years when the Rapids were at the top of the league as contenders but damn if they don’t have some great home field advantage playing up near the Rockies. Certainly, the Rapids have had some good years, buoyed by that home field advantage, and as Jose mentioned on the podcast, they can be streaky. I will always hate the team for that lucky bounce that put away Dallas in the 2010 MLS Cup, so a win on their home turf is always a sweet thing.
This season, the Rapids are no different — they look like a team that have talent and could go on a roll to carry them into playoff contention.
They also look like a team that could falter and disappear into the Western Conference morass.
On Saturday night, FC Dallas found a way. More importantly, they found a way against the kind of team they should be able to beat if they want to be contenders. I’ve moaned about this team’s disappointment at home, losses and draws that don’t mark the Burn to be in contention for any hardware. To go on the road and get the needed win, even if it was scrappy, even if it relied on two penalty kicks, makes up for dropped points in a big way.
Suddenly, those home losses aren’t season-ending. Just a bump in the road.
And with so many away games looming, FC Dallas is building a really solid resume for what they can achieve.
No Musa? No Problem - I didn’t make the World Cup availability press call in time to speak with Petar Musa and his call-up to the Croatian national team. My question would have been his role for the coming weekend. Is he available but hoping to be come off the bench? Are they going to rest him completely? Maybe he answered that question to the media on the call, but regardless, I don’t think any of us thought his national team duty would have already begun. Surely, he would have been available for some role on Saturday?
It makes sense, though to let him travel early. He is in excellent form. Why risk an injury ahead of one of the biggest moments of his career?
Logan Farrington took the start and got his career high sixth goal of the season, surpassing last year’s total. The striker is in good form. He’s hardly been at his best yet for FC Dallas, kind of up and down from game to game, but to make improvement over last year’s tallies is massive. If he can get to ten goals, watch out!
Penalty Kicks for the Win? - FC Dallas are too often on the negative end of penalty kick shouts. The whistle goes against our squad. Remember back in 2023 when Steve Davis did the math and tallied the last time FCD even earned one? Those were bleak days. Last night, Dallas got the benefit on two calls, and they have been long overdue.
Yes, you could argue the second one was a bit light, but there was contact. Binyamin went down in the box after getting into a dangerous position, and it was pretty clear that the defender made contact on his back foot. Thank you for the whistle, ref.
I love a team that is improving in its positioning and knows when to go down on contact. The margins are razor thin in the Western Conference - let’s take every advantage we can.
We deserve a bit of a lucky bounce for a change.
Rotated Squad and Sirois in Goal - I mentioned on the pod this week that this wasn’t a bad game to rotate some guys, to get minutes to some players who need to get on the field. Eric Quill chose to do just that, and while the result wasn’t perfect — that defensive performance still deserves shade for its inability to form into something cohesive — it was good enough. I like how we have a mix of guys, including Patrickson Delgado, who can do some damage. The challenge is figuring out how and when to deploy them, since they can also disappear.
I love Caleb Swann, Sam Sarver, and Nicholas Simmonds all getting minutes tonight. More, please.
The other key curiosity from our conversation this week was the future of Jonathan Sirois. The French-Canadian keeper got his first start in a massive road win at San Jose. He wasn’t perfect, but he came up big in a couple of moments to garner the three points. And in short, he did the same at altitude last night.
Was it a perfect goalkeeping performance? No.
But did Sirois do enough to keep getting an opportunity? Yes.
FC Dallas will return to action with a road game at Portland, another match that will tell us a lot about this team, after the World Cup break.
North Texas Disappoint With Draw at Home to Quakes II
When the final whistle blew and the shift to the penalty kick shootout began, we knew something pretty clear about this young, growing North Texas SC team — they have two potential golden boot contenders this year. Edouard Nys and Natty James are legit. These are talented kids who can lead this team forward. That gives room for serious optimism.
Yes, they could be disappointed for a final home draw at Choctaw Stadium, closing out an era at a quirky but historic stadium, but both goals clawed the team back from a loss.
Compare that to last year when Sam Sarver essentially provided the entire offensive output, North Texas SC have every reason to stay the course. Nys and James are capable of scoring against anybody. There are talented pieces, like Diego Garcia and Ian Charles, to complement them. Yes, the goalkeeping and defending is not there yet. John Gall and company need to coach these guys up, and if they can’t, look for mid-season reinforcements.
But while a home draw is disappointing, North Texas have avoided defeat in three games after a disappointing dip. Keep building. Keep growing.
Fun note - Natty James’ rebound goal was the first goal he has scored against a team other than Sporting Kansas City.
Goalkeeping Is Still an Issue - We’ve seen three goalkeepers get minutes for North Texas SC. Eryk Dymora got another tonight, and we have anticipated the Duke product to lock down the spot at some point. He hasn’t. And maybe his defense hasn’t been as good as needed — passive is the right word — but someone needs to make the big saves for this team. Who will?
I’m not trying to be harsh - Dymora had his moments on Saturday, in particular a clutch save after the missed penalty kick by San Jose. And a super late extra time save that preserved the point.
But it seems like the back line needs consistency in every position.
Augusto Alvaro? - I like typing question marks because they saw a lot in a tiny package, and really, we have a lot of question marks about Alvaro. The senior team player had a great debut with the first team, but he either hasn’t been able to build on it or just needs more seasoning. There is no indication that his minutes with North Texas SC are a sign that FC Dallas is giving up on the young defender, but he should be a leader, a rock, for this team.
But the defensive performances need a jolt. Can he prove his quality in the matches ahead? Can he make a case for more time with the senior team? What will light a fire in the Brazilian’s performances? Can he be the leader this young side is desperate for?
I’m not stressed about the result. It was the kind of setback we have expected from a young team against a good foe. North Texas SC can take the positives as they move forward.
What did you like about both performances this weekend?