FC DALLAS vs. LOS ANGELES FC
2021 MLS Regular Season
June 23 - 9:30PM
Toyota Stadium – Frisco, Texas
TXA 21 | KMPX-29 | FCDallas.com/Stream | FCDallas.com/Radio | 99.1FM
#LAFCvDAL
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- FCD record: 1-3-4 (7 pts., 13th in West)
- LAFC record: 2-3-3 (9 pts., 9th in West)
- FCD vs. LAFC all-time: 1-1-2 (4 GF, 5 GA)
- FCD vs. LAFC away: 0-1-1 (1 GF, 3 GA)
FORWARD OPTIONS
- FC Dallas' frontline received a boost last game when Homegrown Jesús Ferreira made his first appearance of 2021 after returning from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the first seven games. The match also saw 18-year-old Ricardo Pepi earn his second start and second goal of the year while usual starter Franco Jara came off the bench to provide extra energy as FCD chased the game. Now with three starting quality forwards healthy and available, head coach Luchi Gonzalez has options to choose from heading into Wednesday's match with LAFC.
Head CoachLuchi Gonzalez: "They're (Ferreira, Jara and Pepi) competing on the field in terms of training but it's all with positive banter and the right internal kind of competition that makes each other better and it helps the team be more prepared. So, we need all of them and we need depth in those positions to achieve the objective and I feel like we've got those pieces and those mentalities."
FIRST RETURN TO LAFC
- Wednesday might's match will be the first time FCD and LAFC face off in MLS play in over two years. The truncated 2020 season meant Dallas didn't play any West Coast teams during the regular season so the club hasn't faced Bob Bradley's LAFC since a 1-1 draw at Toyota Stadium on May 19, 2019. While we're a season and a half removed from that campaign that saw LAFC run away with the MLS Supporters' Shield, the team still features many of the same contributors including 2019 MVP Carlos Vela, Diego Rossi, Latif Blessing and more.
Goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer: "They've changed as all teams do but at the same time they've got their core still. They have so much quality all over the field and we're just ready to take it to them at their house and start recovering some points that we've missed at home here. We're just hungry to get back to it."
MIDWEEK MATCH
- Dallas' trip to Los Angeles marks the club's first midweek game of the season. The match is sandwiched in between last weekend's 1-1 draw with Minnesota United and this Sunday's date with New England Revolution, meaning Dallas will play three games over eight days. Although FCD coaches and players became accustomed to playing three games a week during the 2020 season, fitness levels could still prove a factor over the next two games.
Head Coach Luchi Gonzalez: "It's something that we've had to look back on in our notes from last year when we had a lot of midweek fixtures. It's just being efficient and moving forward quickly. Obviously, reflecting, processing and analyzing the last game and putting it into an analysis for the players while knowing that they're also recovering physically. And then the day before, like today, building up to the new objective and showing excitement for a game with a quick turn around. Our players are hungry to play so we actually embrace the opportunity to play against a great opponent in a difficult place with a passionate environment."
