Fabian Castillo is ready to be back in the spotlight.
After four straight substitute appearances, the electrifying Colombian is likely to make his return to the starting XI on Wednesday night against Portland, replacing the suspended Jackson.
"Fabian has the ability to be similar to Jackson with the tremendous ability and pace," Schellas Hyndman told FCDallas.com on Tuesday. "But it’s that final pass or decision with Fabian that’s not always where it needs to be."
Indeed there is an element of inconsitency to young Castillo's game that can drive a coach crazy, but as we saw against RSL earlier this season, the 20-year-old is capable of the spectacular at any point in the match.
"I think Fabian’s going to bring a lot of excitement," said Hyndman. "He can break teams down and I think [PTFC outside back Michael] Harrington is going to have his hands full with him."
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While Castillo's blinding speed doesn't always lead to chances for the Colombian, what it can do is force the Portland defense to sit deeper, opening gaps for David Ferreira to exploit that otherwise may not materialize.
"They’re going to be all over David [Ferreira] and not give him much breathing time," said Hyndman. "So the more we can stretch their defense back, now David can maybe get in between the midfield and defensive line, which he likes to do."
It's a sentiment that Ferreira's midfield partner Michel agrees with.
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"Here in North America there’s not a lot of space to play," the Brazilian said through a translator. "The nature of the sport here is so physical that you’re not given a lot of space to work, so when you have Fabian there to play on one side, they pay so much attention to him that it can help you work over to the other side."
As well as the Dallas offense is playing so far this season, chances to break into the starting lineup can be few and far between, so Castillo knows he has to take advantage of his opportunity against Portland. The Colombian has found much more success in MLS when starting matches compared to coming on as a substitute, with all nine of his career goals coming from a starting role.
"I know [Wednesday night] is going to be a difficult game and that I’ve got a lot of responsibility," said a smiling Castillo through a translator. "But I’m going to go out there and do what the coach asks me to do."
