There are stretches in a season when everything starts to click. For FC Dallas, this certainly feels like one of those moments.
The Burn capped off another grueling stretch of three games in seven days Saturday night with a 2-1 win over the Portland Timbers. Logan Farrington scored his ninth of the season, while Joaquin Valiente added his second to help extend the club’s winning streak to three games for the first time since the 2020 season.
The wins are starting to pile up and they haven’t always come easily for FC Dallas.
But that might be what has FC Dallas head coach Eric Quill feeling so good about where his team currently stands.
“I’m really proud of the guys,” Quill said following Saturday’s win. “Three games in seven days and three wins with travel involved and the heat, and we’ve been on the road for a long time. They just play with so much heart and desire, and their work is why we are where we are in the standings right now.”
After spending the summer away from Toyota Stadium due to the renovation to the facility, Dallas has returned home and begun taking advantage of it for the first time in a couple of seasons. Saturday’s win also continued a run of results that has FC Dallas thinking about much more than simply securing a playoff spot.
Quill wants his side climbing the Western Conference table.
“I want to chase first,” Quill said. “That’s how I’m wired, and we have plenty of time to do it.”
A collective effort
Quill has consistently avoided putting too much emphasis on individual performances this season, and Saturday was another example of why.
Farrington opened the scoring with a well-timed run before halftime, finishing a pass from Shaq Moore. Valiente later provided the eventual game-winner.
“As a striker all you need is one chance,” Farrington said. “Shaq Moore played a great ball in behind and all I had to do was place it low and it went in.”
But the contributions went well beyond the two goals on the night.
Goalkeeper Daniel returned to the starting lineup after being out with a hamstring injury since late-July. His leadership in goal helped Dallas see out the victory.
For Quill, that is exactly what has made this recent run possible.
“Everybody’s contribution has mattered to the results,” Quill said. “When you have a variety of guys and the collective group contributing like that, they’re bought in. Everybody has a stake in the game, and they’re having fun.”
Homegrown defender Nolan Norris sees the same thing within the squad.
“It’s football, it’s a team game, and all of us are pushing each other, and that brings out the best in everybody,” Norris said. “Every day you have got to come in and earn your spot on the squad. But at the end of the day, we all have the same goal.”
That depth has become increasingly important as Dallas has navigated injuries, heavy travel and a congested schedule. Instead of merely surviving that stretch, Dallas has emerged with nine points.
