Takeaways from Nico

During his press availability today, Nico touched upon the upcoming match against Inter Miami.

A handful of reporters jumped on a call with FC Dallas Head Coach Nico Estevez today as he and the squad prepare to travel to Miami for an important match. While the team doesn’t have long history against Inter Miami, this game could help the squad put the bitter taste behind them after giving up a late equalizer against Portland last weekend.

Here are a few takeaways:

“We were a very difficult team to play against last year away… and we have a goal to get more wins away. For us, no matter what happens in a game, we are a team that learns from how we did and respond.”

If FC Dallas want to finish higher in the standings than last year, they definitely need to find ways to improve some of those away matches, although the squad played quite decently away from home. The response is key. Can this team figure out how to take punches but then get right back into the game? For the most part, I think they are showing that mentality when given the chance.

“Ema had a great response after his red card. Geovane had a really great debut in the starting lineup, very aggressive in the attacking side and defensively was good. It is about competing this week. We have two more days of training and will make the last decision on Friday.”

Who will start at right back this weekend? Nico held his cards close to his chest during the press conference. Geovane had an outstanding start on Saturday. Ema has shown a great bounce back in practice. It might come down to how they think the squad will line up against a somewhat depleted Inter Miami side.

“Everyone is healthy, besides Tarik. Everyone is ready to go.”

Nico gave a clean bill of health to the squad, outside of youngster Tarik Scott. There seemed to be some question in recent weeks about Paxton Pomykal and Jose Martinez, but it seems like those are completely out of the way, which is great news.

“We are doing much better in the attacking side because we are getting more corner kicks… and more free kicks around the box. We are being much more dangerous this year. We were about to score in every game off of a set piece.”

FC Dallas definitely has improved each game as far as creating chances, getting into the opponent’s half, and making life difficult for them. Not every corner kick or free kick has created a clear chance, but Nico felt like there were enough opportunities that patience and continued commitment will lead to more breakthroughs for the team. On the road, set pieces are absolutely crucial to get points.

Last week, while their only goal came off of a recycled corner kick, I think this is an area where the team could still improve and figure things out.