Big D Soccer: All Posts by Drew Epperley

MLS Expansion Into New York Should Impact Texas Derby

2013-05-21T15:57:10Z

To say that this was a big day for Major League Soccer may be an understatement. Tuesday morning the league announced their 20th club that will begin play in 2015. Owned by both EPL giants Manchester City and MLB's New York Yankees, the club will be called New York City FC.

"We proudly welcome two of the most prestigious professional global sports organizations to Major League Soccer," Garber said in a statement released by the league. "This is a transformational development that will elevate the league to new heights in this country. The New York area is home to more than 19 million people, and we look forward to an intense crosstown rivalry between New York City Football Club and the New York Red Bulls that will captivate this great city."

It is a huge deal for the league as it means a balanced 20 club league will be here for us all to enjoy. While the schedule will likely still be a tad unbalanced - meaning clubs won't play one another twice in a season - the conferences should even out.

Yes, that means the Houston Dynamo should be returning to the same conference that your FC Dallas club is currently in. Those who don't remember, the Dynamo were moved to the Eastern Conference at the start of the 2011 season when the league expanded to Portland and Vancouver.

With the new club forming in 2015 in New York City, that should mean that the Dynamo will get moved back to the Western Conference to balance things out.

While nothing is official this should mean that the Texas Derby will once again get a little extra love and attention that it needs to progress in MLS. Having 20 clubs in the league will mean that Houston and Dallas should play more than once in a season like we have seen over the last couple of years. If the schedule is balanced, that means two games, if it isn't balanced then we'll possibly see three games.

Either way, this is a good thing for MLS and the two clubs.

What do you all think of the Texas Derby getting a potential extra game starting in 2015? Also, what's your take on NYCFC?

Kellyn Acosta and Danny Garcia Calling Into U-20 Camp For Toulon Tournament

2013-05-20T19:00:07Z

US U-20 National team coach Tab Ramos has named his roster for the upcoming Toulon Tournament and two of FC Dallas' own are on the roster.

Defender/midfielder Kellyn Acosta of senior FC Dallas squad highlights the list of local players. He is also the youngest at 17 years old on the roster. Former academy player and current UNC men's soccer team forward Danny Garcia was also called into the camp roster.

The roster is pretty good from my standpoint, seven MLS Homegrown players called up including Acosta.

The ten-team tournament will be used as a stepping stone for the US as they prepare for this summer's U-20 World Cup in Turkey (June 21-July 13).

The tournament will run May 28-June 8 in Toulon, France.

Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (2): Cody Cropper (Southampton FC; Maple Grove, Minn.), Kendall McIntosh (Santa Clara; Santa Rosa, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (7): Eric Miller (Creighton; Woodbury, Minn.), Juan Pablo Ocegueda (C.D. Guadalajara; Riverside, Calif.), Shane O'Neill (Colorado Rapids; Boulder, Colo.), Jeffrey Payeras (C.S.D. Municipal; Hawthorne, Calif.), Caleb Stanko (SC Freiburg; Holly, Mich.), Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Javan Torre (UCLA; Santa Monica, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; Plano, Texas), Marlon Hairston (Louisville; Jackson, Miss.), Benji Joya (Santos Laguna; San Jose, Calif.), Mikey Lopez (Sporting Kansas City; Mission, Texas), Collin Martin (Wake Forest; Chevy Chase, Md.), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids; Brighton, Colo.), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew; Gahanna, Ohio)
FORWARDS (6): Daniel Cuevas (Santos Laguna; Sacramento, Calif.), Daniel Garcia (North Carolina; Dallas, Texas), Alonso Hernandez (C.F. Monterrey; El Paso, Texas), Alfred Koroma (Akron; Southlake, Texas), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders Academy; Mercer Island, Wash.), Victor Pineda (Chicago Fire; Bolingbrook, Ill.)

Five Thoughts: Reaction Following the 4-2 Loss in Seattle

2013-05-19T13:02:07Z

The impressive unbeaten streak is over for FC Dallas. Nine game without a loss in the beginning of the season was nice to talk about but the time to get honest is finally here. Last night's 4-2 loss to the Seattle Sounders FC was certainly a wake up call of some sorts for the club.

But those looking for a silver lining of some sorts can rest easy knowing that after 12 matches, the club only has two defeats on the season, both coming on the road. This one however was without the likes of George John, Andrew Jacobson and David Ferreira on the field.

There is still plenty to take away from this game and while there was plenty of bad, there was also still plenty to be happy with as well.

High line fails. Let's put it out there up front, this was an extremely difficult game for the entire defense. Not just Homegrown rookie London Woodberry. Seattle is an extremely athletic team with Eddie Johnson and Lamar Neagle up front. Add the fact that they are more use to the turf and how it plays than Dallas are here and one could expect some issues in the back on the night when they press forward.

Woodberry didn't have a great night, Schellas Hyndman admitted that much after the game. He also said that it wasn't just him that was sloppy on the night. Hyndman mentioned that in the first half alone the team just wasn't holding the ball well and each time the back four pushed forward, the Sounders were able to use their counter attack approach in the game to perfection.

Seattle scored three of their four goals off counter attacks. Speed on the wings and up front were the result of this and on the Dallas side of things, the entire back four just didn't rise to the challenge. The same can be said about those four in the midfield in front of them.

Perez's red. Hyndman certainly danced around saying whether or not the call changed the game last night as he was more focused on the defensive issues. It did say it was a big momentum killer for the club, which I would say is the more appropriate response. It changed the game for sure but the club did little to respond to it according to Hyndman. He also told me afterwards that it was the first time all game that Seattle actually played as a team and didn't rely on their counter attacks to press forward.

Michel's night. Statically speaking this was his best night of the season. A goal and assist. Damn how about that goal huh? Breathtaking goal that could have, no, should have been a dagger at the Sounders' hearts. Tough break not to make that one count more as the Sounders got the lead back just seconds later.

Still, for Dallas he was the bright spot on the night though I'll say this about his first half, it wasn't great. His service in the first half was lacking on set pieces and he really didn't seem to win a ton of balls until Osvaldo Alonso had left the game with a groin injury. When Jacobson isn't out there he has to be the guy that steps up and wins balls in the midfield. At times he did this and at times he did not.

Road ahead. Let's face it, if this club wants to continue forward as the league's top club, they have to get results away from Frisco. The club did show some heart in the second half to get the two goals and tie the game. And they were even pressing nicely as they hunted for the third goal of the game after Seattle went back on top. Even being a man down they have to show a little more effort and heart though. The composure and emotions got to them on the night and teams will be gunning for this type of outing against Dallas when they come to town now. You can bet the month of June will be full of games just like this if this club doesn't turn things around early on in their next road game.

Silver linings. Like I mentioned above the game was lost without Ferreira, John and Jacobson. But thankfully on the night the teams below Dallas in the Western Conference standings also dropped points. Portland got a draw in Vancouver, Colorado got a draw in San Jose. We'll know more tonight about LA's night in New York and Salt Lake's night against Chivas. Overall, it wasn't the worst weekend to drop a game. They'll return home next weekend against San Jose and likely have those three players back in the lineup. If you want another way to look at their rest, John and Jacobson haven't played any this month. Ferreira only played 55 minutes this month. Those guys are rested and ready to go.

FC Dallas vs Seattle Sounders: Stats, Highlights and Quote Sheet

2013-05-19T12:38:30Z

We'll get more into Saturday's 4-2 loss for FC Dallas at Seattle later on today and tomorrow but first is your stats, highlights and quote sheet from the night.

Highlights:

Stats:

Scoring Summary:
SEA - Eddie Johnson (Osvaldo Alonso) 16
SEA - Lamar Neagle (Brad Evans) 30
FCD - Kenny Cooper (Michel) 54
FCD - Michel 61
SEA - Eddie Johnson (Lamar Neagle) 62
SEA - Obafemi Martins (Brad Evans) 83

FC Dallas - Raul Fernandez, Zach Loyd, Matt Hedges, London Woodberry (Walker Zimmerman 85), Jair Benitez, Jackson, Michel, Je-Vaughn Watson, Kenny Cooper (Fabian Castillo 64), Blas Perez, Eric Hassli

Substitutes Not Used: Chris Seitz, David Ferreira, Andrew Jacobson, Stephen Keel, Bobby Warshaw.

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Eric Hassli 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Eric Hassli, Kenny Cooper 2); FOULS: 13 (Michel 3); OFFSIDES: 2 (Eric Hassli, Blas Perez); CORNER KICKS: 3 (Michel 3); SAVES: 7 (Raul Fernandez 6).

Seattle - Michael Gspurning, DeAndre Yedlin, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Djimi Traore, Leo Gonzalez (Zach Scott 78), Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso (Shalrie Joseph 31), Servando Carrasco, Mario Martinez (Obafemi Martins 63), Eddie Johnson, Lamar Neagle.

Substitutes Not Used: Marcus Hahnemann, Marc Burch, Alex Caskey, David Estrada.

TOTAL SHOTS: 16 (Eddie Johnson 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 11 (Eddie Johnson 4); FOULS: 11 (Leonardo Gonzalez, Eddie Johnson 2); OFFSIDES: 7 (Eddie Johnson 3); CORNER KICKS: 7 (Mario Roberto Martinez 4); SAVES: 4 (Michael Gspurning 4).

Misconduct Summary:
DAL - London Woodberry (caution) 43
DAL - Blas Perez (ejection) 73
SEA - DeAndre Yedlin (caution) 87

Referee: Mark Geiger
Referee's Assistants: Joe Fletcher, Claudio Badea
4th Official: Baldomero Toledo
Attendance: 38,979
Time of Game: 1:53
Weather: Cloudy and 60 degrees

Quotes:

Schellas Hyndman - FC Dallas Head Coach

(On the outcome of the game...)

"It's about right. They created a lot of chances, a lot of breakaways, a lot of counterattacks. It seemed like the only time Seattle really put their foot on the ball is when we were down a man. The rest of the time it was very fast-paced and they created a lot of goals, a lot of scoring chances."

(On Michel's play...)

"He brings a lot of strength to our team because for you to be strong in the set pieces, you've got have a good server and he's done that extremely well for us."

(On whether he thinks the red card changed the outcome of the game...)

"I think first of all, I think we didn't play very well in the first half. We challenged the boys to come back in the second half, and they did. It was just frustrating. This is a tough environment for anyone to come into. If it's not a game that's controlled, and there's a lot of stuff going off the ball and there's a lot of physical play, I don't know if that brings the best out of our team. I don't know that we ever got on track. I think we got on track when we tied the game, but that was just a minute later or so that we gave it up. Understand that Seattle created a lot of chances for themselves as well. It's a wide open game and both teams had chances to score goals."

(On what to do to get the team back on track after the loss...)

"I've got George John out. He's probably our best defender. I've got David Ferreira out. He's our captain and I consider him the best player on the field. And we've got Andrew Jacobson out. So I think before we get too hard on ourselves, we've just got to get over this one. The mistake's been made. Sometimes you make mistakes because you're under a lot of pressure. We had too many players that didn't have a real good game and that didn't help us. I think we let Seattle dictate the game. It was very fast-paced, and that's something we shouldn't be doing. But as I said to the players, we're a good team. What we've got to do is get over this one and find our winning ways again."

Zach Loyd - FC Dallas Defender
(On the red card...)

"It always hurts to go down a man, especially on the road. First half we came out a little slow and gave up two soft goals that were just defensive lapses, but we came out strong in the second half, tied it up two-two, and then unfortunately gave up another goal. Overall, we didn't come out with the energy that we needed to start the game. But the second half we came out well, and unfortunately gave up that third goal real quick after we tied it up. It was kind of hard to get back into it after that red card. I think the guys showed a lot of character though coming back, a lot of effort trying to get the ball back, but being down a guy is really tough in this environment."

(On difference between first and second half...)

"I think we just came out not focused, I can't really put a finger on it. They came and got one real early on us, we haven't been scored on that early this year. It was kind of a shock to us. We really regrouped well at halftime. We came in here and got back to doing the things we do best. I don't think you are going to win any games giving up four goals."

Kenny Cooper - FC Dallas Forward

(On positives to take away from game...)

"There was a good response after halftime, and the team did a good job to pull two goals back. There was a bad giveaway after the second goal, and they came right back at us and got a third. We all are disappointed, and obviously want to stay in the first place position and the team showed great character to fight back and fought hard to the end."

(On Michel's service...)

"His service is incredible. I think he is one of the best in the league. We are very fortunate to have him. On plays and set pieces he has very, very good delivery, and has done a great job for us the whole season. He is a real difference maker, I think everyone can see that. He is also a great guy, and we are really happy to have him with us."

Wild Night In The Emerald City, Sounders Down Dallas 4-2

2013-05-19T04:38:19Z

Ugly and yet entertaining may be the best way to describe the 4-2 loss Saturday night for FC Dallas against the Seattle Sounders FC. The Sounders rode a big first half that saw them get goals from Eddie Johnson and Lamar Neagle before Dallas found two of their own in the early stages of the second half from Kenny Cooper and Michel.

But just as quickly as Dallas fought back in this one Seattle got another from Johnson. From that moment on, it was all Seattle as Obafemi Martins sealed the deal late in the match.

The big story though will be the red card to Blas Perez midway through the second half. Perez went up for a header against Leo Gonzalez and referee Mark Geiger found the elbow to be out just enough to give the hulking striker the early bath. It also didn't help that Gonzalez was busted up on the play.

Yeah, four goals against on the night largely do to some busted defense work in the back by Matt Hedges and London Woodberry. Dallas tried play the offside trap against a speed and skillful Seattle front line but the Sounders were crafty in finding ways in and around the high line. Both early goals were a result of it.

Dallas showed plenty of heart in this one though with the two second half goals. For about 20 minutes in the second half before the red to Perez, Dallas was the better club. Michel scored a ridiculous goal off the corner kick, a goal of the week candidate for sure. And his service to Cooper on the first Dallas goal was spot on.

No matter how you spin it, this was a bad game for Dallas. No intensity in the first half and just a mix bag of emotions from the second half. The unbeaten streak ends at nine and the team will be without Perez for the San Jose game next weekend in Frisco.

But hey on the bright side, it was another game that Schellas Hyndman was able to save David Ferreira, George John and Andrew Jacobson. So in a way there is a small silver lining. Small, very small.

(More from this game soon)

2013 Matchday 12: FC Dallas vs Seattle Sounders FC

2013-05-19T00:00:02Z

Your game thread is here folks! FC Dallas is about to square off against Western Conference rivals Seattle Sounders FC.

Match day/time: Saturday, May 18, 9:30pm CT.

Venue: CenturyLink Field

National TV: Direct Kick

Local TV: TWCSN-TX

Internet broadcast: MLS LIVE (free for anyone this weekend!)

Twitter handles to follow: @FCDallas, @SoundersFC, @WVHooligan (I'll be providing in-game commentary)

Starting Lineups:

FC Dallas: Raul Fernandez, Zach Loyd, Matt Hedges, London Woodberry, Jair Benitez, Michel, Jackson, Je-Vaughn Watson, Eric Hassli, Kenny Cooper, Blas Perez

Bench: Chris Seitz, Andrew Jacobson, Fabian Castillo, Bobby Warshaw, David Ferreira, Walker Zimmerman, Stephen Keel

Seattle Sounders: Michael Gspurning; RB: DeAndre Yedlin; CB: Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Djimi Traore; LB: Leonardo Gonzalez; RM: Mario Martinez; CM: Osvaldo Alonso, Sarvando Carrasco; LM: Brad Evans; FW: Eddie Johnson, Lamar Neagle

Bench: Marcus Hahnemann, Zach Scott, Marc Burch, Shalrie Joseph, Alex Caskey, David Estrada, Obafemi Martins

Note: No Mauro Rosales for Seattle, he was carrying a shoulder injury from last week and did not make the bench.

FC Dallas vs Seattle Sounders: Preview, Scouting and Prediction

2013-05-18T02:08:06Z

FC Dallas hits the road for the first and only road game of the month of May when they take on the Seattle Sounders FC tomorrow night at CenturyLink Field.

Seattle enters this match on a bit of a hot streak, winning three out of their last four games after their slow 0-3-2 start to the season. Last week was a good one for the Sounders as they knocked off Sporting KC on the road and then followed that up with a 4-0 blowout win at home over the San Jose Earthquakes.

Dallas is 1-2-1 all-time in the regular season at Seattle.

FC Dallas Notes:

Starting strong. Until last weekend against D.C. United, FC Dallas hadn't allowed any first half goals all season. In fact, the club hadn't been scored on before the 68th minute this season until that free kick goal. To go back a step further, even if the injury and suspension ridden season of 2012, FC Dallas only gave up 12 goals in the opening half. So, in a stretch of nearly 50 games, the club has only given up 13 goals in the first half. That is impressive to say the least.

Michel's involvement. It has been noted time and time again but it is worth mentioning once more. Michel has been involved in nine of FC Dallas 18 goals this season. It is a shame the MLS stats folks have only counted him for a couple assists though. His free kick services has been the difference maker and will be a factor for Dallas once again on the road in this game.

Shots on target. Currently, FC Dallas ranks third in shots on target with 56 shots on goal this season as a team. In total, the club has 136 total shots this season, making the percentage of those on target at 41%. With 18 of those going in that is a pretty solid rate of return for the offense that struggled last season. Only Real Salt Lake and the Portland Timbers have put more shots on target this season but neither have scored as many as FCD has.

More: Injury Report Revisiting History in Seattle

Scouting Seattle

The rough start to the season for the Sounders has been noted. Going 0-3-2 to begin the year had people wondering what was going on with Sigi Schmid's team. Personally, I never doubted them with all that talent. Injuries and the CONCACAF Champions League schedule early on complicated their early season form but once all of that settled down the Rave Green began to turn it on.

Last week was evidence enough that this won't be an easy game for FC Dallas. Seattle beat a good KC team on the road followed up with a blowout win over last year's Supporters' Shield winners (San Jose).

Lately the Sounders have been getting more production out of their key guys like Mauro Rosales, Eddie Johnson, Obafemi Martins, Steve Zakuani and Osvaldo Alonso. The attack has been stronger with Rosales getting his old habits back and with Alonso pushed up the field a little more. The Cuban isn't playing a play maker role in the middle of the park but what he is doing is bringing his enforcer role mentality a little further up the field. That is causing all sorts of issues for other clubs as guys on the wings are more involved than ever.

Defensively, the Sounders might have one of the leagues' best goal keepers in Michel Gspurning. The man just commands his box and has been able to get a good turn around from his defense after the slow start.

More: Know the Enemy - FCDallas.com

Projected Seattle lineup:

Goalkeeper: Michael Gspurning; RB: DeAndre Yedlin; CB: Zach Scott, Djimi Traore; LB: Leonardo Gonzalez; RM: Mauro Rosales; CM: Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans; LM: Steve Zakuani; FW: Eddie Johnson, Lamar Neagle

Schmid employs a fairly straight forward 4-4-2 formation that sometimes goes into a diamond midfield.

Keys to three points:

Frustrate Alonso. This cannot be overstated. If you frustrate the Cuban in the midfield, and force him into mistakes, you'll stand a good chance at winning this game. Dallas needs to focus in on winning the ball as much as they can. Alonso wins so many balls in the midfield, it is ridiculous. Someone like Michel or Andrew Jacobson have to step up and win the bulk of the 50-50 balls in this one.

Work it wide but also defend wide. This one is a two prong approach. As much as I preach about getting the ball wide and what it does for Dallas, they also have to defend wide as well. Seattle has scored a decent amount of their balls from the wings this season and you can bet they will be looking to do more of the same this weekend with George John out of action. The wide game is truly their bread and butter in my book and if you eliminate their chances wide, you slow down their attack.

That also means if say Fabian Castillo starts out wide, he has to track back and defend more. Same with Je-Vaughn Watson.

Set pieces. If Dallas has one area that they can win a game at with it is set pieces. Michel's service, like I said above, is a big reason why the club sits at 7-1-3 on the season. The club has plenty of big bodies that will cause Seattle issues if they get the number of set pieces that they are use to here this season. That means the skill players out wide like Jackson, Castillo, Kenny Cooper or even Watson need to do what they can to cause Seattle to foul them in the offensive third. If David Ferreira goes, he will likely be fouled a few times in this one, which is both good and bad of course.

Prediction

I won't lie, I am not overly confident in this one for FC Dallas. As good as they've played this one just looks like a game that will cause them fits. If it were played on grass I may feel differently because that would likely have meant that John would have made the trip as well.

Saying all of that I do think a draw is a possibility here as well. Thankfully the mindset of this club is very different than that of last year's bunch. They know they can win games and get points in difficult spots. They've shown pretty well on the road so far this season too, so they know it can be done. I'm hoping for a draw but I'm expecting a loss.

Seattle 2, Dallas 1

2013 Week 12: FC Dallas vs Seattle Sounders FC

2013-05-17T19:54:29Z

Dallas hits the road to battle the red-hot Sounders at CenturyLink Field.

The MLS season is a long and grueling one according to any player or coach that you talk to. Even when things are going as well as they have been for FC Dallas, rest and time management for players is a key thing for head coach Schellas Hyndman.

He knows that with guys like Andrew Jacobson, George John and David Ferreira still on the mend with various injuries that a trip to the Pacific Northwest this weekend may be off the table for those three.

Tuesday at training he said he was still in a wait and see mode due to the turf situation that the Seattle Sounders home CenturyLink Field uses.

"The problem with the turf is you pick up silly injuries," Hyndman said to reporters following Tuesday's training. "You'd be surprised how much it wears your calves and legs out. Now, if you're playing on turf all the time, you get used to it. It's like playing at altitude all the time, you get used to it."

Hyndman did mention to reporters last Saturday that he thought that Ferreira and Jacobson could have gone in the match against D.C. United but he opted to save their legs for another week. He also mention that had last week's game been in Seattle that he wouldn't have even thought twice about sitting them.

So far this week it has been more of the same in training for those three. Yesterday John and Jacobson sat out to the side to avoid contact while Ferreira sat out practice all together.

Hyndman mentioned that he would have a decision to make on John either today or tomorrow before the club takes off to Seattle following tomorrow morning's training session.

"If it was a grass field, I think we'd feel a lot more comfortable with it, but being that he had a knee injury and now we're back on turf, I have to look at the bigger picture of the rest of the season," Hyndman explained.