Game: FC Dallas vs FC Cincinnati Date: Saturday, August 31st Time: 7:00 pm [DFW] | 0:00 [Universal] Location: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas, United States of America Weather Forecast: Partly Cloudy; H 94, L 75 Competition: Major League Soccer Opponent's Recent Form: L-L-D-L-L Live TV: KTXA-21 [DFW] | KAMR-4.2 [Amarillo] | KMYL-22.2 [Lubbock] | KFXK-51.2 [Tyler] | KFDX-28.2 (KJBO) [Wichita Falls] | WSTR-64 [Cincinnati] | FloFC [Cincinnati, Dayton, Lexington, Louisville] | ESPN+ [USA] | DAZN [Cananda] Radio: FCDallas.com/radio [English] | Zona 99.1 FM [Spanish]
On all three goals, Cobra showed the skill that he brings that no other player on this team seems to have: crashing the goal to clean up any loose balls that might be bouncing around. On Hollingshead's goal and Mikey's goal, the shots went right in, so he was the closest witness to the ball crossing the goal line, but his goal was created because he followed up his own header when it was saved and put the ball back in. Yeah, OK, he's gotten the job done against three decidedly crappy teams (Montreal, Houston, and Cincy), but dare I say that he's doing #9 things better than anyone else that FCD's played at that positions. In other non-Cobra news, Hollingshead's growth into a player that gets written into the starting lineup in ink at left back is proving to be Luchi's greatest achievement so far this season. It's not something that we would've imagined at the beginning of the season, but here we are. Truly, the value of consistent play at that position is showing itself. I think we're starting to see Luchi's playoff (hopefully) XI finally start to develop, and the best part about it is that FCD has been getting results while Paxton's minutes are getting managed and Servania's been taking up the slack. And with Cobra's emergence, we're seeing Badji doing some good work on the left wing and we're seeing some chemistry develop between him and Cobra. And oh yeah, Jesus is getting close to the "write his name in ink on the lineup card" stage. The kid has been serving up some dimes.
Totally agree with El Jefe's analysis on Cobra, the club's emerging chemistry, and the subtle reminder that some of these successes came at the expense of some poor clubs. That said, when you get chemistry and camaraderie like this between players this late in the season, momentum can still become a huge factor. Notice whenever you see Cobra on that field he plays like he actually wants to be here and fight for that shirt; Luchi's mentioned his team progression ad nauseum during this delightful tear of his. (Four goals and three assists in three matches? No wonder...) Hollingshead, no matter where he is on the pitch, feels like a security blanket for this club. He's always just... there. A goal here, an assist there, even after being moved to the left back spot. Brilliant move by Luchi, IMHO. And yes, I am another fan of Badji's move to the wing and that bromance he's developing with Cobra makes you feel that Ondrasek is the most critical gel here late in the season. Even when he wasn't producing as much, he was always ready to fight for his teammates, argue with the refs (within reason, of course), and be genuinely happy when they accomplished something for themselves and the club. Kinda reminds me of when Blas Perez used to put up the bull horns when he scored, which isn't quite as exciting to me as what Cobra's doing now but a pleasant reminder of that FCD pride from the player, not just the fan. FCD's had the talent and this plethora of interchangeable pieces the club has never had before from the beginning of the season, with the exception of Nedyalkov's departure (miss that guy) and bringing on Ondrasek. I think we can now say there's a chance it's all starting to gel together as it should. Besides, it's a perfect time to build momentum for a playoff run, regardless if the competition is crap..
I was expecting Ajit Pai and his gigantic coffee mug for the IP picture. Why is Paxton's time being "managed"?
Ah, that would've been a good one. Damn! Oh well... Allegedly because he had a hammy problem but methinks the way Servania and Jesus are play right now leads Luchi to not want to disturb a good thing.
What still concerns me is the unexplain-able "poor" form of the back line. The 4 starters there (and the depth) where considered a strength of the team and league in recent past. This season they seem to leak away soft goals with mental or communication related errors. Sprinkle in a poor touch here and there and I'm just not as confident in the defense as I have been in the past. Maybe they're just not passing the eyeball test for me (1.31 GA isn't awful, but 6 SO out of 29 total aint great)? Although i do recall several goals be a result of really trying to build from the back line, so it may just be the personnel isn't quite ready or skilled enough for this style.
I also think because of past injury history and his callups to U20's and now full team he has never played anywhere near this amount of minutes. I think it's a good idea. The team will need him healthy and not burned out for the final part of the season but if he isn't available because of injury they've now got a decent plan B.