FC DALLAS vs. MINNESOTA UNITED
2021 MLS Regular Season
June 19 - 7:30PM
Toyota Stadium – Frisco, Texas
TXA 21 | FCDallas.com/Stream | FCDallas.com/Radio | 1270AM
#DALvMIN
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- FCD record: 1-3-3 (6 pts., 13th in West)
- MIN record: 2-4-1 (7 pts., 12th in West)
- FCD vs. MIN all-time: 5-5-0 (16 GF, 16 GA)
- FCD vs. MIN home: 4-0-0 (12 GF, 4 GA)
REINFORCEMENTS
- Saturday's match against Minnesota United will be the first competitive action FC Dallas has seen in exactly three weeks due to FIFA's June international break. During the layoff, FCD's roster was reinforced by the returns of midfielder Brandon Servania and defender Justin Che from their respective European loan spells. There was more good news as forward Jesús Ferreira returned to first team training after a shoulder injury kept him out of Dallas' first seven fixtures. FCD enters Saturday's game with the fullest squad it has had since the 2021 campaign kicked off in April.
Head CoachLuchi Gonzalez: "Whether a player is here or on loan, they're connected with us every week. We're in communication and we feel that, at any moment, they can be a solution to our next opportunity or challenge. So that's the case here with those players, they've integrated very quickly, they know the locker room well and they've brought some really good competition. So the decision will be very difficult but they're going to help us be better and approach Minnesota with everybody competing and on their toes for our next step forward."
FULL CAPACITY
- For the first time since March of 2020, Toyota Stadium will host fans at its full capacity. The COVID-19 pandemic meant FC Dallas has been playing in front of limited-capacity crowds for nearly a year so the return of fans in full force will bring a new element to Dallas' season. And no one is anticipating their full return more than the players themselves.
Defender Ryan Hollingshead: "We've been waiting for this moment. The reason we play is for the fans and the reason we score goals is to celebrate with them. I remember the first goal we scored during the pandemic and it was just silent as could be and thinking 'this is not how it should be. This is not how the game is.' So, it's going to be really exciting. The fans that we've had even at (lower) capacity have been amazing and in our corner 100% and there for us. So now to open it up to 100% it's going to be huge to get back to that sense of normalcy."
FACUNDO QUIGNON
- In addition to the returns of Servania, Che and Ferreira, FCD welcomed a new face over the international break. Argentinian defensive midfielder Facundo Quignon (or "Facu" for short) joined the club from Lanús in the Argentine first division. The defensive midfield spot has been up for grabs since the departure of Brazilian Thiago Santos in April and a combination of Tanner Tessmann and Bryan Acosta have deputized in the role since. However, neither Tessmann nor Acosta are naturally defensive mids and the addition of a specialist in the position will only help FCD going forward.
Head Coach Luchi Gonzalez: "Immediately after Thiago Santos was transferred, we knew we needed another #6 (defensive mid) in our depth. A player that recovers the ball well but is also very comfortable in distribution with good feet and good positional play. So Facundo fit that profile quickly and that was the plan as soon as we transferred Thiago collectively as a club. Facundo, already a week and a half in, has shown some great tools and we're really excited to add him to the group and help us be better."
