Happy Playoff Eve, FC Dallas Fans
We are less than 24 hours from FC Dallas opening up their first playoff appearance under Eric Quill. Here are two reasons to be optimistic and two to just be grateful that this team made it this far.
Yes, playoff soccer is here, and FC Dallas fans are guaranteed at least one home match as their side take on the Vancouver Whitecaps.
No one is pretending that it is going to be easy, as the Whitecaps deserve their no. 2 spot in the West and have been a consistent team with a stacked roster. But we still have a lot of reason to be optimistic that FC Dallas can do some damage and make a run, even as we acknowledge the reality that it’s a gift for this team to be in the postseason at all. Let’s break down a couple of points in favor of each.
Optimistic: Sam Sarver Is On Fire
Typically, at this stage of the season, MLS teams know each other pretty well. There are a lot of known quantities. That doesn’t mean that it is easy to play a team over a three leg matchup, but you’ve had film. You’ve scouted the possibilities. You know who to watch out for and limit.
When a young player emerges as a factor, a wildcard, that can be a delightful edge.
Quill confirmed during media availability that Sam Sarver will be involved. With Patrickson Delgado doubtful due to injury, we could see the young striker start in this crucial match. And that kind of makes sense from a tactical standpoint. Sarver was so darn good against Vancouver, a huge part of the away win that secured the Burn’s playoff positioning. He is hot right now - how could you not play him? The tactical shape may not even matter that much, because Sarver is going to do what he does best - bring speed to the attack and stretch a Vancouver team that likes to possess and stay forward.
I’m not saying that Petar Musa is not going to terrorize Vancouver’s thin defense, but Sarver just adds that X factor that will keep coaches up at night.
Grateful to Be Here: Home Form
Back in March, after a disappointing home loss to a playoff team Chicago Fire, Eric Quill took ownership for the three late goals the visitors took to dispatch the home side. The words from the head coach were honest and a bit harsh — he promised that it would not happy again. The media (and fans) liked the passion from Quill but also wondered what it meant with a roster that was still very much taking shape and for a first year MLS head coach.
And that loss would carry forward until the team sold Lucho Acosta (more on that later) - home form that stunted what could have been a much stronger season overall.
Most teams in this situation, dropping points at home, would be well out of playoff positioning, so for FC Dallas to secure their postseason spot on its final matchup last weekend is just gravy. It’s extra. It’s surprising when so many of us had written this team off. We have no expectations - just the joy of watching this team go out and be dawgs.
Optimistic: Late Season Form Matters
Major League Soccer is a fascinating league for the different patterns and mechanisms for teams to build rosters and also for the way results don’t matter as much in certain parts of the season. How many times have we seen MLS teams build a strong early season form and then falter over the summer, falling out of contention? Likewise, how many times have squads started slow but then peaked in the late summer to race into the playoff standings in strong form?
That’s where FC Dallas is, and it’s a really good place to be.
As pointed out by others, after selling Lucho Acosta, the team rattled off a 10 game unbeaten run as they discovered some new identities and fight in them. That run was a catalyst for this playoff appearance, and it means that Vancouver is going to have to come up against a group of guys who are playing with confidence.
I like those odds.
Grateful: Most Teams Don’t Get Better After Selling a Superstar
Echoing Jose Carmona’s words - let’s face it! Few teams who acquire a former MVP like Lucho Acosta, who still has undeniable skill and quality, and then turn around and sell that same player get better. When the superstar was signed, many fans felt like a new era was underway in Frisco. How long has it been since Mauro Diaz and David Ferreira dazzled in MLS? We haven’t had that quality of player in a while. Lucho’s arrival promised that kind of quality.
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
When it was clear Acosta was not working out, the front office found a generous buyer and parted ways with the player. The project didn’t work. Normally, you lose a guy like that and it’s a sign that little else on the roster is working too. While it was the right move, I know a lot of fans were frustrated and disappointed yet again. The season probably should have been over.
And then FC Dallas surged to new life.
That doesn’t always happen, and so for that, we can simply be grateful for all the drama and ups and downs of this season, Dallas has a chance to do something special. There is quality on this team. And even if the playoff run is short, fans can be grateful and hopeful for the future and the identity developing under Eric Quill.