FC Dallas Turn the Page; 2-0 Domination of St Louis City
FC Dallas Turn the Page; 2-0 Domination of St Louis City
The first game of the Peter Luccin era is a win. FC Dallas and their fans can celebrate, but their head coach was quick to acknowledge - a lot of work to do.
A new era is underway in Frisco.
FC Dallas launched the Peter Luccin era with a solid 2-0 win at home against visitors St Louis City, though plenty of vestiges of the old regime remained.
In the first half, Dallas took the game to their opponents, enough to create dangerous opportunities, resulting in a penalty kick given when Paul Arriola was fouled in the box. Jesus Ferreira slotted it home with confidence.
In the second half, while Dallas struggled to get their feet under them for stretches, their defense, led by Maarten Paes, was enough to turn the visitors away repeatedly. Paes continues to make a case for the All-Star GK spot despite a commentator on TV claiming she wouldn’t vote for him. He was on point. Man of the Match, for sure.
Three points at home represent a welcome departure from the struggles as of late, even if a lot of work is needed to get this team into playoff position.
What Was Not Good
St Louis dominated some statistics in the match, a sign of how FC Dallas had struggled so far this year. The second half was not a great showcase for the Luccin-style soccer that he might want his team to be known for, but the team got the job done. On the road, you should expect your team to concede possession and defend for their life. But at home? Something is still missing.
Musa needs to provide more. Delgado could have used more precision in the first half. Logan Farrington almost had his first Major League Soccer goal of the season, but VAR ruled Petar Musa a step early.
Are three center-backs in defense what this team needs to succeed? We get, of course, that Luccin didn’t have much time to implement his ideas, so let’s grade on a curve for now.
What Was Good
Jesus Ferreira slotted home his third goal of the season as Paul Arriola looked reborn, earning a dangerous PK in the first half.
Tafari scored a set-piece goal, the second corner kick goal in a row for FC Dallas. That’s something to build on for this team.
The subs were decent. Frankly, there is a scenario where you give Tsiki and Kamungo many more minutes down the stretch of the season, even benching Illarramendi or Lletget. Maybe I’m speaking nonsense?
What Was Confusing
How much extra time did this game need? Seriously, 12 minutes in the first half and 11 minutes in the second? Nonsense.
Can we imagine a Dallas team that doesn’t give up so many shots? I don’t mind some scrambling defense, but the squad offered up generous opportunities to the visitors, something that will haunt them against better opponents.
Luccin’s Thoughts
After the game, Peter Luccin, while grateful for the win, acknowledged the work ahead.
“I know it was a win, but we need to do better,” Luccin said to media. “I can check all of these stats, but it was not good enough. I want to say something about all the work of the boys; now, we need to have them understand. We have been talking about verticality over the past four days. It’s my job to help them. Today was very important to get back to having that energy and commitment.”
When our buddy Drew of
asked how he would rate the performance, Luccin was succinct. “In term of passion and energy, 9-10 rating. If now you asked me about quality, maybe it was different.”One player that received praise from the head coach was Tsiki.
“I think when Tsiki came in, it changed the flow of the game. We had more support to get the ball,” Peter said. “Again, it changed the flow of the game - that quality is what we are looking for in the future.