FC Dallas looks to add to Colorado's winless record at home in 2023
FC Dallas looks to add to Colorado's winless record at home in 2023
Colorado has struggled in 2023 at home but are unbeaten in their last nine games against FC Dallas in Commerce City.
FC Dallas looks to rebound from a disappointing result on Tuesday night when they gave up a second half goal to D.C. United to lose 1-0. As they look to rebound, they head to the Rocky Mountains to square off against another MLS original in the Colorado Rapids.
The Rapids have yet to win a home game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park this season, but FC Dallas head coach Nico Estevez knows that winning will be difficult there.
“It is always difficult to play against them there,” said Estevez. “That stadium and that field is difficult. I think it was a great experience for us last year to learn about how we can do better there. What we’re doing this year away and what we’ve learned will help us have a good performance there.”
Despite their struggles in 2023, Colorado is unbeaten in nine straight home matches against FC Dallas, including winning the last five in a row.
“Playing on the road, anything can happen, especially at Colorado,” said defender Sebastian Ibgeaha. “It is another game where we’re going to have to put our best foot forward and play with the same mentality that we’re playing with at home.”
The key factor for the Rapids at home is always down to the altitude in Commerce City. The stadium in Colorado sits about 5000 feet higher above sea level than Toyota Stadium does in Frisco. To compact the elevation, Estevez hopes that spending less time there will benefit his players.
“A lot of it is rotation, but we can only do so much because it takes a lot for a team to adapt to the altitude in ten or 12 days,” said Estevez. “We don’t have that kind of time here. We want to limit the time there by flying the day before and then spend as less time there as possible, play the game and get back.”
One key aspect that has hurt FC Dallas in recent weeks has been their long list of key players out on the injury list. While the list still has several players on it going into Saturday’s game, Estevez does feel more confident that guys like Sebastian Lletget, Paxton Pomykal and Tsiki Ntsabeleng can make an impact against the Rapids now that they’re back.
“It helps a lot with the heat that we are having here,” said Estevez. “With the intensity and the consecutive games that we are having makes our players get tired. We have more options for us to work with to help. We can make subs during the game and rotate players.”