When the final whistle blew in Vancouver on Saturday night, FC Dallas players looked gassed, and they should. They had just wracked up some serious frequent flyer miles after a brutal 3rd game in like 8 days, all away from home.
In Salt Lake City, FC Dallas summoned the guile and grit they have shown all season under Eric Quill. When they drop home points or need a big result, this squad goes on the road and carves something out. They did so against RSL with a 4-3 smash and grab win. Petar Musa, in particular, was special, earning a brace that leaves him in prime golden boot position at this point in the season. It was a true team performance with Valiente adding his first MLS goal and Binyamin getting a late winner. To get such a result already made the week a success.
But up in the Pacific Northwest, things did not go so well.
Vancouver smote FC Dallas, 5-0. While there were some bright spots, including homegrown Josh Torquato going a full 90 and a couple of solid penalty shouts that the referee for some reason decided to pretend like he didn’t comprehend, the result mostly falls on Quill’s shoulders. He started a heavily rotated squad that just couldn’t get going. Vancouver were lethal in front of goal and put on the kind of master class that only revealed how some of FC Dallas’ aging center backs are in the twilight of their careers.
Despite the dismal showing, the game could have been a little bit closer. Logan Farrington could have scored. I don’t know why he is grasping at chances a bit. Josh Torquato could have settled a delicious cross and slotted home an easy goal, but he skied it off frame. In short, the blistering defeat stinks, but the scoreline was harsh.
More puzzling was Eric Quill choosing to bring on first team starters with the game already out of reach, but I guess he had a plan.
Still, 3 points from two away games is something most managers would take if given the opportunity.
The away stretch that FC Dallas is on though is wearing on the team. Over and over again, foreign players underestimate how big North America is and how road trips take on an added difficulty level in Major League Soccer. For FC Dallas, for instance, a road trip down to Houston is like 8 hours alone, and you have yet to leave the state. Travel up to Real Salt Lake then Vancouver? That is a lot of time on buses, in airport terminals, on a plane, and finally in hotels that, despite their accommodations, are not home.
We’ll have to watch to see if any players picked up a nagging injury or two after these matches, but so far, it doesn’t look like anything too serious as the team returns home and gets at least an opportunity to train in Frisco for a change. And do their laundry.
North Texas SC also had a double game week, both matches at the newly minted Mansfield Stadium. I acknowledged on the podcast this week that the young team is running out of time to put together a run to get into the playoffs. Their inconsistent play has hobbled them, going from a confident win one week to a disastrous defeat. They needed 6 points at home.
But at this stage of the season in MLS Next Pro, every team they face are trying for that late push too.
The good news is that North Texas came away with 4 points, first via a scoreless draw and penalty shootout win against Austin FC 2 (who look good) and a 1-1 tie and shootout win with Minnesota United FC 2. While two outright wins would have been better, four points from the two games keeps them in the mix. They are, as of the moment, in 9th place at 33 points, neck and neck with two other squads.
These are gritty results that show something positive is happening with this team, even if the play on the field doesn’t quite click.
The road ahead doesn’t get any easier, so this team just needs to pick up points anyway they can until they get hot or figure out a formation that works.
We keep hoping that this team puts it all together. There is simply too much talent on the pitch, from Edouard Nys to Ricky Louis, not to at least make an appearance in the postseason, but it isn’t clear what the missing piece is. They have the attackers. They have some defensive and midfield skill. Either head coach John Gall must discern the right levers to pull or this is just a streaky group of players.
They will be on the road next to take on St Louis City 2 on Friday, who will no doubt be wanting revenge after their last matchup.
All in all, this week shouldn’t have us too concerned. Both teams are playing good teams and maintaining contention down the stretch. Both will welcome a bit of a break this week to rest weary bodies and get ready for key matches this weekend.
FYI - It’s high school football season, so I am pitching in to do some coverage of my son’s team. If you see the X feed light up with scores and updates for Northwood Football, that’s why. My work schedule has also limited some of my planned coverage of both FC Dallas and North Texas SC this year. It’s unfortunate, but that’s life. Thanks for your patience with the blog and podcast!