FC Dallas Struggles in Blowout Loss
UNSURPRISINGLY, Austin FC got their first regular season victory to an injured Dallas squad, 3-0. Are their positives?
In a game lacking quality, FC Dallas struggled… and then struggled some more.
It’s hard to see positives from a match like this, when Dallas came into the match heavily injured, missing players to national team call-ups, and on the road. They had to turn to young players who didn’t have many Major League Soccer minutes. And they hoped for some of those same youngsters to turn up big.
In the end, while Maarten Paes kept the team in a decent position with a handful of solid saves, Austin FC were able to ship three goals against their opponent.
The game was out of hand quickly, with Austin FC slotting in three goals that may not have been beautiful but represented a squad hungry to take advantage of any mismatch in their home stadium.
Part of that is expected, as Dallas had to rely on a number of young players who are earning their first significant minutes as a professional at this level, including Bernard Kamungo, Jose Mulato, and Herbert Endelay.
Colin Smith was also recalled again from USL-C for the match.
Nico Estevez, head coach for FC Dallas, isn’t keen on excuses though.
“I don’t like to put excuses. We didn’t do well as a team. Me first,” he said about the squad’s performance. “We came here to compete as a team. I am disappointed with our focus on the defensive set pieces. I expressed that to the players. Overall in the first half, we had some good possessions, some good crosses. We lacked a little bit of confidence in the last third. In the second half, they came out strong, and we came out a little bit hesitant. When you come in hesitant, you cannot do that. After the third goal, there were some positives. We created some chances.”
Still, Dallas has much to look forward to.
“The first thing is - we have the best fans. They are always behind the team. They are not going to abandon the team because we have a bad game,” Nico said. “Against LAFC, they are going to support us. When we are together, we can beat anyone. Now is the moment for our fans to get behind the players. We want to give them more. The next opportunity is against LAFC, to meet them in Toyota Stadium.”
Reinforcements are on the way. Eugene Ansah, the Ghanian forward and winger, was announced this week. Nico hinted that the team is continuing to look for players who could help the roster as a whole. Fans should not despair after a run of harsh results.
Time will obviously help as players mend and international tournaments subside.