Monday Morning Hangover: FC Dallas Gets Draw Against Houston

While the Copa Tejas went to Austin, FC Dallas stymied Houston throughout the night and came away with a vital point. What does any of this mean?

Welcome to our Monday Morning Hangover, FC Dallas fans.

FC Dallas rounded out a tough week of action this weekend after traveling to Philadelphia and getting a big point via an Alan Velasco golazo. Then they followed that up with a point in Houston, not always the most congenial place to play for Dallas. While the Copa Tejas slipped over to Austin FC, the point sets up Dallas to secure their playoff spot very soon.

Defense, Defense, Defense

Yeah, folks say location is everything.

But in Major League Soccer, defense is too.

FC Dallas has one of the best defenses in the league, and despite the occasional mistake and goof, they are in form right now. That’s a good sign. Knowing that they may have to go into someone else’s stadium and find a result, keeping your opponent to one goal at the minimum increases your chances of finding a way forward in the playoffs.

While a home playoff game is not out of the question yet, FC Dallas has two massive games at home this week. Get six points, and who knows what might happen? In the congested Western Conference, everything is coming down to the wire.

But Offense?

Yeah, the offense disappeared on Saturday evening.

While FC Dallas showed fairly well and generated an opportunity or two, even head coach Nico Estevez remarked that things weren’t working.

“We had good moments in transition that would have led to more, but we could not get the final pass on points like I mentioned earlier. We rushed, the passing was not good, and I don’t think we were clean overall,” Nico said to media after the match.

That’s a concern. You may be able to hold your opponent to a single goal, but if you can’t score an equalizer, playoffs will be done quickly.

There isn’t a lot of time to work things out. It’s do or die.

Maarten Paes Should Be GK of the Year

The campaign needs to start. Paes may not be the flashiest name in the league, but the guy has made huge stop after stop. He should win the award. He’s been a big part of keeping FC Dallas in it even when injuries and form has hampered where they should be (higher in the table).

Ema Twumasi Deserves Credit

It has not been Ema’s year for moments, but he has bounced back time and time again. This is why we love him… and are frustrated too. Despite making mistakes, he has shown a lot of resiliency on the pitch. He has a role to play, despite his ups and downs.

Go Live With Us

We’ll be doing our live show tonight. Want to join us? Respond to the comments, and I may send you a special invite to be live on the air with us.