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**Quick note, we gathered a bulk of these predictions before it was reported that Zlatan is not traveling for this one.**
FC Dallas started the season with a relatively lack luster performance against New England last week. But that makes sense. Getting acclimated to a new coach, and a new system will take some time. And given the history of this club (red hot start, tanking in the summer and then limping into the playoffs), I’d much rather flip that and struggle now than later in the season.
The FCD social media gang ran a nice little spoof ad before this weekend’s game. In case you missed it, here it is:
No #FakeNews here. pic.twitter.com/vUUeIST7On
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) March 6, 2019
This spurred some of our writers to shape our predictions based on our assumptions on how Zlatan would respond to this. And then some of us were able to get in a quick change in prediction based on the Lion not coming.
The staff are continuing to make picks this season and we’re going with a simple points system, plus a slight twist:
Correct Result Prediction: 1pt
Correct Score: 2pts
Insightful commentary: +Bonus (admittedly this will be a bit arbitrary depending on accuracy, insight and creativity).
2019 BigDSoccer Prediction Standings
| Position | Name | Point Total |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Name | Point Total |
| 1 | Jason Poon | 29 |
| 2 | Ryan Scanlon | 29 |
| 3 | Nathan Hill | 26 |
| 4 | Mohammad Bushnaq | 23 |
| 5 | Ben Lyon | 23 |
| 6 | Jack Rouse | 21 |
| 7 | Steve Machine | 15 |
| 8 | Jeff Loftin | 13 |
| 9 | Drew Epperley | 12 |
| 10 | Jose Carmona | 9 |
| 11 | Andrew Gentry | 8 |
| 12 | Scott Hiney | 5 |
| 13 | Preston Wetherington | 4 |
| 14 | Jared Tilley | 2 |
Here are our staff predictions against LA:
FCD vs SEA
| Name | Result for FCD | FCD Score | Opposition Score | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Result for FCD | FCD Score | Opposition Score | Commentary |
| Ben Lyon | Win | 2 | 1 | The smug comments from Sounders fans this week... |
| Jack Rous | Win | 2 | 0 | How do they do it? Ricardo Pepi |
| Jason Poon | Loss | 0 | 2 | It's been fun but I'm not seeing a way out of Seattle with a win. |
| Jeff Loftin | Loss | 1 | 2 | Close loss after controversial play at the other end which mysteriously doesn't get VAR treatment. |
| Mohammad Bushnaq | Loss | 1 | 2 | Valiant effort but Dallas falls short in the Pacific NW for their revenge bid. |
| Nathan Hill | Draw | 2 | 2 | FC Dallas advance on PKs and claim the Cascadia Cup. Goals from Jara and Pepi. |
| Ryan Scanlon | Loss | 1 | 3 | Seattle’s quality and combination play will be too much for FC Dallas which will not let us get away with what we pulled off against Portland. Michael Barrios gives us a glimmer of hope with a goal before Jordan Morris and Nick Lodeiro put this out of reach. |
What do you guys think? Did FCD anger Zlatan and we’re set up to face his wrath? Will #LuchiGang get their first win? Let us know below in the comments!