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Things are heating up both in terms of on field temperature and in the race for the playoffs. Too early? Maybe, but every point counts at this stage especially when Houston is red hot and Dallas is sort of fizzling out at the moment. Houston have only lost once and are playing some good soccer in 2019, whereas Dallas seems unsure of themselves and who they want to be. It’s like watching an 18 year old who knows exactly where they’re going to college and studying what major (that’s Houston), go up against a 12 year old preteen (Dallas) who’s unsure of themselves and trying to find their voice and place.
Regardless, both teams need this. Houston needs it to cement themselves as serious MLS Cup contenders. Dallas needs this because they seem so unsure of who they are and who they want to be.
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).
Here are our current standings:
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 HOU:
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? Can Dallas kick off the Texas Derby with a bang?