Man, it has been some week for FC Dallas. First, the team won back-to-back home games over conference rivals LA and Austin (not to mention reclaiming Copa Tejas for the first time since 2021), but they also managed to squeeze out a draw on the road in New England on Saturday.
Sure, that draw wasn’t pretty. But, at times, nothing is on the road in MLS. I’ll dive more into Saturday’s game later today.
Now, we head into the break from the regular season for the Leagues Cup tournament. In all honesty, I am actually okay with this break for FC Dallas. Sure, they have games to deal with, starting on Saturday against St. Louis. But if they can manage to get out of the group stage (which they absolutely should) and play in a couple of knock-out round games, they could use it as a catalyst to get ready for a nice playoff push once the season resumes at the end of August.
Weirdly enough, we’re only a win away from being in a playoff position right now. This group still has a long way to go to get most of us to believe that they can do some damage in a playoff series, but this group has been playing a more entertaining and passionate style of soccer since Peter Luccin took over.
Also, after Saturday (and I plan to touch on this a bit more later today), I think FC Dallas's “Play the Kids” mode has returned a bit. Maybe it's out of necessity for Luccin, but he seems comfortable giving the young guys some valuable minutes these days. I like it.
Alright, let’s dive into this past week from around the team and MLS. Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already done so!
🔥 More items from the blog
Other FCD-related recaps/updates from the week
Here are some other posts from the last few days that are worth a read:
- FC Dallas and Austin FC players fined for mass confrontation (MLSSoccer.com)
- Revs surrender late equalizer to FC Dallas (The Sports Hub)
- Paul Arriola’s PK in stoppage time gives Dallas draw with New England (NBC DFW)
- FC Dallas rescues a draw in stoppage time at New England (Dallas Morning News)
- Three thoughts: New England 1, FC Dallas 1 (The Blazing Musket)
- Copa Tejas is Home (Afterburn Soccer)
- At the Whistle: FC Dallas 3, Austin 1 (Verde All Day)
📋 From Around MLS
As you might have guessed, it was another busy week in MLS. There was a full slate of Wednesday night games followed by a full slate on Saturday. In the recap, we’ll focus on the weekend games, starting with Atlanta's win at home over Columbus. Philadelphia got out of the cellar in the Eastern Conference this week with a big Wednesday win over New England, followed by a big win at home over Nashville. Austin is clinging onto their playoff chances after another bad showing, this time a draw at home against Charlotte. Houston and Vancouver played to a wild seven-goal thriller that saw the Dynamo come out on top. LAFC sent a big message to the league with a win at Seattle. Colorado won the Rocky Mountain Cup for what feels like the first time in ages.
One of the big talking points this week was how Cavan Sullivan broke Freddy Adu’s record for the youngest player to debut in MLS. This begs the question: What were you doing when you were 14 years old? Me, probably just playing FIFA on a PlayStation or a regular kick around at my local soccer field.
MLS and Adidas released some retro-inspired kits this past week, too. My favorites were Miami and Portland.
Seeing how we’re nearly in August, it means season ticket prices for next season are starting to come out. I may do something on FC Dallas’ numbers, but let’s hope it won’t go the way of Atlanta, where fans are pretty pissed about what is set to happen there.
🔢 MLS Scoreboard
FC Dallas is three points back from a playoff spot, heading into the Leagues Cup break. Not bad.
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