Morning After: In Jesus We Trust
Going down early after a bad pass, FC Dallas surges with two delicious goals from Jesus Ferreira to grab all three points at home.
What a turnaround.
FC Dallas has struggled in recent years under Head Coach Nico Estevez to deal with the pesky Vancouver Whitecaps, but on Wednesday in Frisco with a rotated squad, the boys found that extra gear to push from behind and claim a key victory.
Maarten Paes, taking full responsibility after the game for his mistake, sent an errant pass into the waiting feet of Vancouver player Pedro Vite who slotted it into the net. For a moment, it felt like misery was on the cards for FC Dallas.
But Jesus and crew weren’t done.
Jader Obrian was able to feed the ball to Jesus who got enough on the ball to bounce it away from the goalkeeper and into the net before halftime as Dallas pushed harder and harder. It was a poacher’s type goal, a lucky bounce, but crucial for the team at that juncture who definitely looked the more dangerous of the two.
The team kept pressing and came back with fresh energy after halftime, leading to Tsiki Ntsabeleng’s second assist in as many games to a hungry Jesus who switched the ball at his feet and got it under Vancouver’s goalkeeper for a dazzling score.
To rotate some starters, to be missing some guys and get a win - it’s a sweet result for this team who is looking more and more dangerous at a huge point in the season.
A few questions that emerge from this important result -
Did Tsiki continue to earn himself more starts and a rise in importance? We have seen the former SuperDraft pick mostly in a bench role so far for the squad. With Paxton out, the team needed that sort of shadow striker, offensive focus role to help Jesus, and he ably stepped up to the task. Good to see him continue to improve.
The defense was solid. Despite Paes’ terrible pass that led to Vancouver’s goal and a few other moments of stress, FC Dallas’ defense has started to gel. They are growing more consistent which no doubt comes from the extended time together. Sebastian Ibeagha, who some questioned as an out and out replacement for Matt Hedges, has been growing into his role. Jose Martinez and Nkosi Tafari look like a complimentary pairing.
Getting some guys a rest improves the chances of them potentially starting this weekend in a crucial match at home against Houston. Houston are a stronger team after a lackluster 2022, but they have started to unravel a bit. This is also the first match that counts for Copa Tejas. It will be fun to see how Nico continues to trust this team’s depth.
What did you think about the match?