FRISCO - With five wins and 16 points from their first seven matches, Schellas Hyndman and FC Dallas find themselves in the middle of the best start in franchise history. The points have come in all types of fashion for FCD early in the year whether it’s early leads or late goals, and Hyndman’s squad currently sits with a six-point cushion at the top of the Western Conference.
It’s a gap that he knows will come in handy as the season winds on.
“It’s always huge to get the space, because you know we’re going to get call-ups, injuries, carded players and all those things are going to happen down the road,” Hyndman said after Saturday’s win over Los Angeles. “Last year, we didn’t get the points with a massive number of injuries that we couldn’t recover from.”
Last year is certainly a distant memory for FCD who didn’t win their fifth game until July 21 in the 22nd game of the season. George John’s 88th minute header gave Dallas their fifth win of this year’s campaign more than three months earlier, and having been with the club since 2010, he knows just how crucial this year’s fast start can be.
“In the past few years I’ve been here we usually get off to a slow start, a lot of ties and then slowly make up points,” John told reporters on Saturday. “Now, we’re finishing off games and getting three points, so that’s great.”
After Saturday’s win over Los Angeles - the third this season to feature a game-winning goal after the 85th minute - Hyndman praised his team’s fighting spirit and desire to win.
“You don’t start off a season with this type of record without having a fighting spirit,” said Hyndman. “The team works hard for one another….they are determined to find success.”
The hard work truly begins now for FCD as the early wins have them in a position that’s been relatively unfamiliar in recent history: going from the hunter to the hunted.
“As long as we keep winning, we don’t mind being the hunted,” said Hyndman. “What we have to do is get maturity and understand that being the hunted, people are going to be after you.”
