Top 5 Assists

FRISCO, Texas - Assists, just as important as goals but somehow under appreciated. But not here. Here, we love assists. We love direct assists and we love secondary assists (sometimes called MLS assists or hockey assists, basically the pass before the pass for a goal). They're all important because without them, there'd be no goals. And we also love goals, you can find FC Dallas' Top 5 Goals here.

Anyway, here is my ranking of the best five assists from FCD's 2022 season.

5. Brandon Servania for Jesús Ferreira vs. Colorado Rapids | April 10

Midfielder Brandon Servania earns the No. 5 spot with a perfectly-timed through ball for Jesús Ferreira. Servania helps win the ball at the edge of his own box before driving past three Colorado defenders and into the center circle. That's when he puts Ferreira through on a goal with an inch-perfect pass that eludes the last defender who was trying to move up to force Ferreira into an offside position. But Servania's pass was too well timed and Ferreira was left in acres of space to round the 'keeper before putting the ball into the empt net.

4. Ema Twumasi for Jáder Obrian for Jesús Ferreira vs. LA Galaxy | May 14

Defender Ema Twumasi provides the only second/MLS assist in this list. The Ghanian right back received a pass from Matt Hedges on the halfway line before curling a long through ball behind the Galaxy's backline and into the path of Jáder Obrian who had the relatively easy job of squaring it to Ferreira for a tap-in. The goal looks fairly simple but Twumasi showed great vision and accuracy to put Obrian beyond Galaxy left back Chase Gasper.

3. Marco Farfan for Jesús Ferreira vs. LA Galaxy | May 14

I love this assist from Marco Farfan because it shows everything a modern fullback needs to have in their arsenal. Farfan wins his 1v1 battle and dispossess the Galaxy attacker before progressing the ball forward and playing a curling pass in behind the backline to find Ferreira's arcing run. Once again, Ferreira does his job and rounds the 'keeper before dribbling it into the net to put Dallas 3-0 up.

2. Marco Farfan for Franco Jara vs. LA Galaxy | July 30

Number 2 on this list is eerily similar to No. 3. Another Farfan assist against the LA Galaxy, but this time it's for Franco Jara instead of Ferreira. Farfan receives the ball in the attacking third and plays a wonderfully-weighted through ball that splits the space between the Galaxy backline and goalkeeper Jonathan Bond. And take nothing away from the finish. Jara uses his right foot to expertly redirect the pass and poke it past Bond to open the scoring.

1. Paul Arriola for Jesús Ferreira vs. LAFC | September 9

The top assist of the 2022 season comes from Paul Arriola. It's less about the technique of the pass (like the previous ones) and much more about the presence of mind to play the pass at all. Farfan earns a free kick just outside LAFC's box near the end line and Arriola, after helping Farfan up, grabs the ball and plays a short, simple pass while the entire LAFC defense is arguing the call with the referee. Ferreira runs onto the pass and toe pokes it into the near post past Maxime Crepeau before most of the LAFC defenders even realize the ball is back in play. It's such a clever, heads-up play from Arriola that's well worth the #1 spot on this list.