FRISCO - A point is a point for FC Dallas, but it’s a bittersweet pill to swallow in the locker room for a club dead-set on getting the full three points against Seattle. Here are just a few things we learned from the draw.
Defensive Improvement
The colorful image on the left below is a depiction of the tackles, interceptions clearances and recoveries from the Dallas back line on Saturday night. The image on the right is the resulting depiction of successful passes that the Sounders were able to string together - just one anywhere close to goal. The visitors were limited to eight shots total and just two on target.
For a defensive face that has undergone a lot of criticism in recent weeks for mental lapses and mistakes, Saturday was just what the doctor ordered to get things moving in the right direction. Yes, Seattle isn’t the hottest attacking team right now with just one goal in each of their previous three (meanwhile Atlanta has put up 10 in two matches since facing Dallas), but the Sounders are still a threatening team with some skilled players. It'll be a test again next week without Matt Hedges, who will be suspended for yellow card accumulation.
A Tale of Two Wings
We know that Dallas prefers to attack down the right flank vastly more than the left - and even was part of the strategy against an ailing Seattle team at that position - but the visual comparison of the two is still shocking. On the left, you see the distribution from Roland Lamah and Maynor Figueroa, while on the right, you see Michael Barrios and Hernan Grana over the first 67 minutes (at which point Lamah was subbed out for Javier Morales).
Not only is the volume heavier on the right, but the chances generated are immensely more threatening. Just look at the two sides in the final third. Dallas can prefer to attack down one side or the other, but both need to at least be options in the attack for a team that hasn’t scored in its last two matches.
Shots From Distance
Similarly, the chances FCD is creating are not threatening in their own right. Below you can see the shots for the home side on Saturday night. The yellow are shots that were blocked (five total), the red are shots off target (five total) and the green are shots on target (three total).
All three shots on target came from nearly 25 yards out. Only two of the attempted shots came from inside the 18-yard box. It’s tough to threaten at goal when eleven of your 13 shots on the night are from distance.
