There are road wins and then there are statement road wins. FC Dallas may have found themselves picking up one of the biggest wins of the season to date on Saturday when they downed the San Jose Earthquakes in a wild 3-2 finish.
The win over the Quakes had a little bit of everything: an opening goal inside the first minute, a penalty kick save from a debut goalkeeper, defensive breakdowns, late drama, and another stoppage-time goal from Sam Sarver.
More than anything though, this one truly felt like a moment for FC Dallas. The club answered every punch San Jose tossed their way and never looked rattled, even after surrendering two separate equalizers. San Jose has been dominant this season so far, and to take three points from them at the start of a nine-game road trip signals, hopefully, the trajectory that this club is ascending to right now.
Let’s dive in.
Starting the road trip correctly
If FC Dallas was going to survive this brutal nine-game summer road stretch, it always felt like they needed to steal one of these early matches before the World Cup break. Doing it against San Jose, a team that has been super hot this season and hasn’t lost to Dallas at home in nearly a decade immediately changes the mood around this trip.
Dallas suddenly has a massive result in its pocket and proof that it can go toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the league away from Toyota Stadium.
But even more so, starting off with an early punch like what we saw a minute into the match sets the perfect tone for this road trip. Dallas is going to come out hot, press quickly and force the other side to be uncomfortable from the jump.
This result is also a psychological boost that matters as much as the three points. Road trips can snowball in either direction really damn fast. One ugly loss and quickly turn into three as tensions build up, lineup second-guessing takes form, and you end up chasing games before they begin. But a win like this? It creates belief. Eric Quill talked afterward about how results like these are the kind that teams can look back later on in the season, and he’s right.
“We know we can play with anybody and win every game. Coming on the road against a top team like San Jose and getting this result changes the psychology of the group for the better. These are the kinds of marquee wins you look back on if you reach your goals at the end of the season or make the playoffs. They give you belief, and that belief is powerful. This result should give us confidence that we can beat anybody.” - FC Dallas manager Eric Quill on the performance
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