Gritty FC Dallas Settle for Draw in Austin
In a hard-fought battle in Texas' capital, FC Dallas returns to Frisco with a deserved point on the road via a Shaq Moore goal.
Shaq Moore giveth, Shaq Moore taketh away.
When FC Dallas acquired Moore via trade over the offseason, the former USMNT regular was expected to plug a right back position that hadn’t been good for the Burn since Reggie Cannon left. What fans may not have known is that Moore would also be an offensive weapon. Against Austin FC, he scored his third goal and gave his side a lead going into the half.
The goal, of course, was set up by another stellar pass from Petar Musa, the current front-runner for team MVP.
Michael Collodi likewise continues to impress in goal while Maarten Paes heals.
Really, Saturday night’s first half was one of the best 45 minutes of soccer we have seen from FC Dallas all season. It was comprehensive and organized, as the defense and midfield snuffed out attacks and put pressure on Austin. They looked like the home team in a lot of respects and went into halftime with the xG differential to show it.
But that second half was bound to feature a push from the home side, and sure enough, Owen Wolff lept over Shaq Moore and headed in a goal at the back post a little after ten minutes back in action, a rerun of previous concentration breakdowns. Not good.
Austin FC flipped the storyline, and for long stretches, FC Dallas were pinned deep in their own half, placed under pressure again and again. As fresh legs came in, the new faces struggled to keep up with the tempo. Anderson Julio, an offensive weapon the team has missed, couldn’t really get going.
Of course, it didn’t help that Petar Musa didn’t return after halftime, nursing what FCD head coach Eric Quill said is a tight hamstring, but nothing too serious.
The big thing that stands out from the stat sheet is 14 fouls given up by FC Dallas, a sign of how they may have seen a way to win by being physical but also a sign of disjointed play.
Quill was proud of the team and their fight. Both squads saw this as a must-win, so they pushed end to end, even in stoppage time, looking for something spectacular to grab all three points. With the MLS Western Conference tightening, the pressure is increasing. The margins will be narrow. Every point matters.
In that vein, FC Dallas will be content with a point on the road in a tough environment.
Quill acknowledged after the game that there are things to improve, but overall, he was proud of the fight he saw.
Fans will have a few lingering questions:
Can this team get it done without Petar Musa? Few teams would be able to deal with the loss of their star player, but some of the creativity was a bit lacking after Musa came off. What is the offensive identity, the offensive pattern to attack without Musa?
Is a point enough? It should be with a bevvy of games to come, many at home. Think about it as a little bit of makeup after dropping points at home. At this point, Dallas just needs to keep finding results if they want to have a shot.
Is one more signing on the way? FC Dallas has a big glaring hole on the left side with the departure of Marco Farfan. Bernard Kamung started there at left wing back, and while he is active and did quite capably, you wonder if some team isn’t going to expose him at some point.
I don’t think 14 fouls is a trend that FC Dallas wants to continue. Those fouls will add up to yellow cards and suspensions, testing the depth of the squad. But it is a sign that they came to fight and claw and scratch their way back from the brink. Don’t apologize for that.