FRISCO - Before FC Dallas heads into a very light Week 31 in MLS action as one of just four games during the international window, let’s take one last look back at a few things we learned in a 0-0 with Orlando.
All-Around Defensive Effort
First, I’d like to point out the growth we’ve seen out of Jesse Gonzalez not only this season, but especially in the last month. After a difficult stretch through July and August, the Homegrown has rebounded with possibly his four best performances in the last five games. We’ve talked about his seven-save performance in Atlanta and that it was a season-high, but he’s backed it up with three clean sheets in three weeks. This one in Orlando the most dramatic, by far, nearly single-handedly earning FCD a point over the last 10 minutes.
Another big takeaway, however, was the pure team effort that went into the defensive shape in Florida. If you look below, you can see the tackles, blocks, interceptions, clearances and recoveries from every player in white on the field. Of the 13 field players who saw action, everyone but Roland Lamah and Michael Barrios (six minutes played) contributed, with the eleven making at least three defensive contributions each. When everyone on the field is holding up their end of the bargain defensively, clean sheets will continue to follow.
Growing in Danger
Taking out the 4-1 loss in Minnesota, below is a depiction of Dallas’ passing charts in the last three games (9/16 vs. Seattle on the left, 9/27 vs. Colorado in the middle, 9/30 at Orlando on the right).
Not only has the frequency in the attacking third grown from match-to-match, but FCD had one of their best creating games in Orlando with seven shots coming from inside the box or just on the outside. Colorado saw an increase in production down the wings, but not necessarily leading to quality chances on goal. Saturday was a combination of the two and if not for five saves from Joe Bendik on Dallas’ five shots on target, goals would’ve followed.
Make the Most of the Game In-Hand
Getting a fourth point in the week was a good result for a Dallas team that picked up that equivalent in the previous 10 weeks. The results around the Western Conference playoff race, however, were not. FCD is in eighth place, tied on points for the sixth and final spot, but with 10 wins compared to 12 from Real Salt Lake and San Jose and eleven from Houston (who also have a sizable lead in goal differential), Dallas must to take advantage of their last game in-hand over the former two on Saturday in Colorado. With the first tiebreaker being wins, if they’re going to make the playoffs, they’ll need to win out on points alone.
