Nico on the Pitch & Velasco's Performance

FC Dallas struggled against DC United, handing the visitors an unlikely win in Frisco. Fans were rightly disappointed. Hear from Nico Estevez after the match.

Fourth of July fizzled for FC Dallas as they faced DC United.

After the game, head coach Nico Estevez acknowledged the frustration from the fans and the little bit of luck the team lacked getting a ball into the back of the net against the visitors. I’ve repeated it often, but Nico is a big fan of talking up his players in the media, addressing the reasons why sometimes plays don’t go their way, remaining encouraging throughout. It’s apparent he saves criticism for the locker room sessions.

With that said, I asked him at the end of the post-game press conference about the handful of back passes that nearly made life even more difficult for FC Dallas and the status of Alan Velasco, who has worked hard but looked less effective at times during this run.

Hear what Nico said:

Did the pitch really prevent FC Dallas from getting a result, especially when they just beat LAFC a few days back on the same field? I trust the coach when he says that little things like how the ball bounces can impact the speed of play, but I’m not sure some of the disappointing back passes had as much to do with that. (But credit to the head coach for defending his guys.)

Alan Velasco has been a question mark too this season. Fans certainly see the effort he is putting out on the field, and it can’t be easy during this run to be the focal point of a lot of energy from opposing defenses. Still, fans have been expecting at least a goal or an assist here and there. He’s been active but missing… something.

A trip to Colorado is certainly not going to help those weary legs.

What did you take away from Nico’s answers?