FRISCO - FC Dallas will certainly have plenty of obstacles to overcome over the next five matches but frequent flyer miles won't be one of them.
Oscar Pareja's side begins their longest road swing in club history beginning with Saturday's contest in Montreal. The team will not defend Toyota Stadium again until late June, a 42-day stretch without an MLS home game.
“We have a very good base physically,” midfielder Victor Ulloa said. “We’ve been working since preseason, so I don’t think that’ll be an issue. You see that during the games. We run a lot, and we look fresh at the end of the games. That’s where we can get our results.”
Fitness, health and focus might be some of the most important factors for FCD as the team heads into its longest road trip in club history, but defender Walker Zimmerman, who has started the past two games for Dallas and made the MLS Team of the Week this week, feels confident his team is prepared. He said the team is sure to take care of the little things that come with long travel to succeed in the road stretch.
“It is something where you’re on the plane and it does cause dehydration,” Zimmerman said. “It does cause your back or your pelvis to get out of whack sitting down for that long of a time. Between Fabian [Bazan] and Skylar [Richards] and our staff, it’s something we’re aware of and going to take care of to make sure we’re as ready as possible for each game.”
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Zimmerman added how he sees this time as the most important part of the season where every point matters with November’s playoffs in hindsight.
“This is the time where it’s going to test us the most physically and mentally,” Zimmerman said. “Coming away with a decent amount of points is huge.”
Saturday’s game against the Impact will be FCD’s opportunity to start the road trip on a high note. Montreal earned its first win of the season in 4-1 fashion over Real Salt Lake this past Saturday.
“We have to compete well in the middle,” head coach Oscar Pareja said. “They have a good group also. I think if we get there with the respect that they serve, but with the belief that we can win that we can beat that team, we can get the points and I think we have the tools to do it.”
After Montreal, FCD will have four more away games before returning home June 26 to host Houston Dynamo.
