FRISCO, Texas – With no game scheduled for this weekend, FC Dallas will have an extra couple days of training before they play two league matches in four days, starting with the Portland Timbers on May 8 at FC Dallas Stadium. Coach Schellas Hyndman is using the additional practice time to work on specific aspects of their game.
“We’re getting structure. We’re getting the outlet passes where we expect players to be. We’re doing a little bit better job on throw-ins, free kicks, all those type of things," Hyndman detailed to MLSsoccer.com after Thursday’s practice. "When we do get into the attack, [we need to learn] not to be in such a rush to just get a shot off, but to keep the ball,”
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Having George John and Andrew Jacobson back on the field will certainly be a boost as both players’ MRIs came back negative, though they sat out Thursday’s session. Still, correcting the mistakes that have led to recent second-half collapses in Vancouver and Toronto is imperative ahead of two games so close together.
“We’re really focusing on some of the things that we have to do a better job on,” Hyndman explained. “We’ve been giving the ball away a little too easily. We’re not so concerned that we have to have the ball 60 or 65 percent of the game, we’re more concerned that when we go up on an opponent, we seem to play a little bit erratic and give balls away a little bit too much.”
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Hyndman also wants to make sure his team can take advantage of a favorable schedule in May that sees his club play three of four matches at home, particularly with three of four on the road in June and the team’s expected losses to international duty starting that month.
“It is [important],” Hyndman emphasized. “I think you need all the points you can get and we all know how difficult it is on the road to travel in this league; the environments, the surfaces, there’s so many issues that you have to deal with. Getting the points at home if you want to be a successful team is a must.”
