Game: FC Dallas vs Columbus Crew SC Date: Saturday, September 15th Time: 7:00 PM [CST] Location: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas, United States of America Weather Forecast: Thunderstorms; H 88, L 73 Competition: Major League Soccer Last 5 For Opponent: W-D-L-W-W Live TV: KTXA-21 [DFW] | KAMR-4.2 [Amarillo] | KMYL-22.2 [Lubbock] | KFXK-51.2 [Tyler] | KFDX-28.2 (KJBO) [Wichita Falls] | CW Columbus [Columbus] | Spectrum Sports - Ohio [Ohio] | BCSN 2 [Columbus] | ESPN+ [Out of Market] Radio: FCDallas.com/radio [English] | KFLC 1270 AM La Voz del Pueblo [Spanish] Everything is important from here on out. Gotta get the points where we can or we'll lose 1st place real fast. Hopefully my 2nd consecutive absence will yield a win.
Planning to go and yell Save the Crew to anyone I see in a Crew jersey. There for the grace of whoever go us. Then again the lightning delay may keep me at home.
Blech. Columbus is a quality, well-organized team team that doesn't allow too many chances to their opponents, but still, that was a very uninspiring effort.
Yeah, that was a timid FCD performance. We looked inept and at times even frightened to go forward. Barrios was the only one who tried to push the envelope so to speak, but even he in this form can't do it all on his own. We've got to find a way to play better for longer stretches on both sides of the ball. I feel like we did pretty well at that early in the year but it's become a struggle lately on that front. This is not playoff form, but luckily there's still time to get into it before they come around. Just hope this team can hold onto a top 2 spot for dear life until then.
It was indeed a timid performance. Not much for the crowd to get excited about. Maybe it’s that I was so far from the supporters section, but that’s the quietest I’ve seen the fans this season. Badji didn’t get too involved. Our only hope at scoring seemed to be long balls bypassing the midfield and lofted over the Crew backline to Barrios. This game was ripe for a playmaker who could break down an organized defense. I was surprised Aranguiz didn’t see the field. Valuable points lost here. With 4/6 remaining matches on the road and other teams breathing down our necks, I see a real possibility that we surrender the top-two spot in the West.
So before the game I thought the lineup was the perfect one to see from what we've done all year and the expected best players at each position. I still wondered if somehow Aranguiz should be a part and that the team would need that extra creative presence. After watching this game I have seen what I was worried about happen. Now it could be just one meh game and if Mosquera could return to form quickly maybe it all changes but that some very uninspiring bleh. Another thing noticed was that over the top long balls to Barrios were followed by very few of his teammates making those same runs to be available for a pass or cross from him. Isn't that what Badji was brought in for? I now want to see the midfield changed from the defensive twins of Ulloa and Gruezo + Urruti to Gruezo, Aguilar and Aranguiz. If Mosquera doesn't recover his form then put Lamah over there. He at least makes himself available to score. Move Urruti back up top and sit Badji and tell Urruti if he wants to keep starting he better player higher and not to get into spots Arranguiz will be. __________________________Gonzalez Cannon___Hedges____Ziegler____Pedroso ________Aguilar_________Gruezo _______________Aranguiz ___Barrios___________________Mosquera/Lamah ________________Urruiti Also if Badji and Colman can't score isn't it Ferreira time? Would love to see him get a shot at high striker at least off the bench. Maybe Pomykol too off the bench when when any of the starting mids are having an off game. I also came away very impressed with Steffen. I used to think Jessie was near him in age and quality. The age was spot on but the quality isn't even close. His decision making was great and his distribution made me puke watching Gonzalez kick everything high and long while Steffen put on a clinic with passes short, medium, long, low grass burners, high clearances and throws of all varieties that is the closest to Brad Friedel I have seen from a US keeper since. That kid should be on a top four team in a top four league. I can't remember being more impressed with a MLS keeper.
Cbus was killing us in the first 20 minutes with their pressing. We couldn't play a ball through the midfield until they backed off. Not sure why they didn't keep pressing. I usually DVR our games. That was the first one I erased without watching it just becuase there wasn't anything to see.
Man, I am not feeling good about getting a top two seed. SKC just destroyed a team we lost two twice and Seattle could very easily win all the rest of their games. Have you seen their schedule? We (I really mean They) need to find their scoring ways or this is going to be over quick. We just do not have "that" guy who can put the ball in the net.
People buy too much into this idea that a 20+ goal striker will solve everything and make this team golden. Did not having that player make us concede 7 goals to San Jose? Does not having that player make us play well for only short periods of time in each game? We have been top of the Western Conference standings for 3.5 of the last 4 seasons without that player. Having a prolific striker helps, sure, but it isn't the be all end all to be successful in this league. BWP has scored 104 league goals in 5 seasons and Villa has had 74. Remind me how many MLS Cup titles they won their teams again? No more than FCD has. None of the top scorers of the last 3 winning MLS Cup teams even had 20 goals. 2017 - Toronto - Giovinco (17) 2016 - Seattle - Morris (14) 2015 - Portland - Adi (18) This team's problem goes deeper than not just having someone who can stick it in the net with regularity and should be analyzed properly. Instead of asking why don't the Hunts sign a prolific striker, we should ask other questions. Why don't we play well for full games anymore? Why is it that so close to the post-season, for the second straight year, we still don't know what our best team is? What even is our identity on the pitch anymore? Why are our performances getting worse again from the middle of the summer onwards? Why are we proving to be incapable of winning games that we really should? I'd rather focus on questions like that instead of going for the cheap "we don't have a striker' argument every single time to explain this team's problems and/or lack of sustained success.
Wonder if people are forgetting they lost Hedges at halftime, which meant Figs had to go in - and I don't think we need to restate just how nervous that makes Pareja - and for good reason. But, it was clear from his post game conference Papi was pleased with not loosing all three points from a team that was the first quality side they had played since Seattle. There was a sense he felt there was more to have been lost if they'd blown the point, than going for all three. They just need to get into the playoffs, and a losing that game Saturday night (which almost happened late anyway) could have dinged this team's psyche. While I agree a 20 goal striker isn't necessary - a proper #9 is. Badji is not that player. The mix between him and Urruti is really weird and they're not playing with each other very well. Pareja has an odd problem. Urruti in the #10 isn't creating many opportunities, but the team thrives off of his front end pressuring and if you go back and count the number of actual goals the team has scored that began with a Urruti created turnover - you can see why removing him becomes a double edged sword. Mosquera has not been the consistent attacker we hoped. In person he's also noticeably lazy. He doesn't track after turnovers, gets caught up field - A LOT - and still is very hesitant to take on a full back 1v1. Dallas is a good, solid side. We either "Trust in Papi", or we don't. While we probably didn't like his substitutions Saturday night, just go back and remember Figs was at center back. But I would also remind everyone OP was VERY clear that Pablo should not be counted on as a 2018 element. He very much wants to acclimatize the Chilean, and still has to figure out how to best make that work. The final stretch is all about finding form. That is what we should all be worried about and my sense is they are close to finding it - albeit when they do it still may not be good enough to best those sides who are in even better form.
I'm going to give Profe a slight pass on the substitutions, given that one out of the three of them were eaten up by the substitution for Hedges' (likely) concussion. However, when he brought in Aguilar (who turned over the ball A LOT) for Badji, and when he brought in Tesho for Mosquera, you could see that it was a case of trying to lock in a result. Given how often this team let wins turn into draws and draws turn into losses last season, that might not be the worst outcome. And while that's all well and good, this team has four out of the last six on the road, with three of those four either in the playoffs or in playoff contention (Vancouver, Portland, and DC), so I feel like this was an opportunity lost at home, especially given that SKC appears to be doing the polar opposite of their traditional late-season fade and given that LAFC and Seattle have pillowy-soft schedules from here onward.