FRISCO - A little rest and relaxation never hurt anyone, and the same was true for FC Dallas players over the past week.
Dallas players received some well-deserved time off following the July 11th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal at Sporting Kansas City, but training has now resumed in Frisco ahead of the club's return to MLS play.
"I think it was a much-needed break, especially with the nature of that last game in Open Cup," defender Walker Zimmerman said. "It's a good time in the year for all of us at the halfway mark to rest and rejuvenate."
Given Dallas' recent form in MLS, the team should be itching to get back on the field. Dallas is undefeated in its last four MLS matches, including two consecutive wins at home prior to the break.
"It's the most challenging part of the year, to get in a good spot and have good performances to clinch what you want in the finals," head coach Oscar Pareja said.
The start of the second half of the season sees Dallas travel to Montreal's Stade Saputo for a meeting with the Impact.
"We know they're talented going forward," goalkeeper Chris Seitz said. "Playing on the road is never easy, so we really have to execute our game plan."
While Dallas will be well-rested for the meeting, the same can't be said for the Canadian opposition. Montreal will play on Wednesday night at home against Philadelphia before facing a 72-hour turnaround to play Dallas on Saturday night.
Still seven points adrift of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, Montreal will look to claim all three points at home, although Zimmerman and Dallas intend to continue their push for the West's top spot.
"I'm hopeful we can start off the second half of the season with a win in Montreal on the road," Zimmerman said. "We have to go in there and get a result."
