FRISCO – On Wednesday, FC Dallas will have to overcome a 1-0 deficit in their Round of 16 series, but the players and head coach Oscar Pareja are confident they have the right strategy to defeat Tauro FC.
“We need to win first,” Pareja said of the number one goal, confident of his team's ability on the field. “We have 90 minutes to tie the game, not losing our heads and start rushing things and getting desperate is going to be key for us.”
With Tauro FC only needing a tie to advance, FCD can expect them to play a defensive game, much like Dallas saw in last week's Leg One. Having seen their opponent once already, though, they've had a week to prepare for Tauro's style.
“They were an unknown team to us before this, but now we’ve got some more video of them we kind of know what they are going to throw at us and we are putting together ideas right now of what we need to do,” defender Ryan Hollingshead said. "We are just expecting they are going to sit in a lot, they are obviously trying to just get out of here with a tie or at least a clean sheet and that will allow them to move forward, so we are going to be ready to throw everything we have at them and get a goal or two.”
Dallas hopes the home crowd will be the extra boost they need to complete the series comeback with a Quarterfinal spot on the line in their first competitive match at Toyota Stadium in 2018.
"Being at home is a huge advantage," Hollingshead said "We feel if we just take care of business we'll be fine."
