FRISCO - It’s a meeting of MLS originals as FC Dallas travels to Columbus for their yearly meeting with Crew SC on Saturday night. Dallas (9-6-9) took a 3-3 draw in their final Texas Derby meeting of 2017 on Wednesday night in Frisco, pushing their current winless run to five games. Columbus (12-12-3) climbed to fourth in the East with a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy at home in a mid-week matchup, pushing them to unbeaten in three matches with two wins and a draw.
Meeting of Pioneers
While not as heated as other FC Dallas rivalries, the Pioneer Cup - a supporters-driven series between two clubs owned by soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt - is back up for grabs this weekend. Hunt acquired the FC Dallas franchise in 2003 and was Columbus’ owner from inception in 1994 until his death in 2006. Hunt Sports Group sold its stake in Crew SC in 2013.
Both stadiums feature bronze statues memorializing the National Soccer Hall of Famer. Columbus has taken the title in four of the last five years, with Dallas earning its lone victory in 2015 while starting five Homegrown players for the first time in MLS history.
Key Match-Ups
Hernan Grana vs. Justin Meram - A dual threat with eleven goals and seven assists in 2017, Meram scored Crew SC’s lone goal in the 2016 meeting between the two clubs. He has two goals and eight shots over his last three matches.
Michael Barrios vs. Waylon Francis - The Colombian winger added two assists to his career season in the helper category Wednesday night, bringing his total to 12 on the year - second most in MLS. With six chances created and a 95.7 pass-completion percentage, he was one of Dallas’ most productive players on the field in the mid-week.
Last Time Out
(4-2-3-1): Zack Steffan; Waylon Francis, Josh Williams, Jonathan Mensah, Hector Jiménez; Mohammed Abu, Wil Trapp; Justin Meram, Federico HiguaÃn, Pedro Santos; Ola Kamara.
Keys to Three Points
Dallas will take their quest for a win on the road and to an Eastern Conference foe, against which they are 4-2-1 this season and 23-9-6 all-time under Oscar Pareja. If they can continue to grow into their new-look formation that provided an offensive spark on Wednesday night, while keeping their defensive face in-tact, FCD should be able to turn a result and climb out of their current five-game winless run.
