FC Dallas looks to reignite their season against Houston
After a tough start to the 2024 season, FC Dallas hopes a rivalry game at home will boost their outlook on the year.
It has been no secret that FC Dallas has struggled to begin the 2024 season. Injuries that rocked the team in 2023 have carried over into the new year. At times, the team has been unlucky. Other times, the team has just played poorly.
FC Dallas suffered a tough road loss to Colorado last weekend, its fifth of the season in eight games. Head coach Nico Estevez believes the club has the right mentality after that loss to correct the mistakes that have been plaguing it to start the season.
“We went in aggressively offensively in the first half. It's clear we didn't have the right mentality about trying to score goals,” explained Estevez. “And it hurt us a lot, and I think we understood that. We went through that this week. I think that the team has a different mindset on that side.”
FC Dallas returns home to host their top rivals, the Houston Dynamo this weekend in the first match of the Texas Derby. Despite the struggles in 2024, Estevez believes his club will be ready for this weekend’s game against the Dynamo.
“Everyone knows that derbies are special games all over the world,” said Estevez. “And you ought to treat them as, as they are, you know, and then it's it doesn't matter what position you are, what form you are in that moment. It is more about how you approach that game.”
FC Dallas hasn’t lost to the Dynamo since the 2021 series, but the two sides drew both of their matches in 2023. Dallas and Houston have matched up 51 times across all competitions, and in league play, Dallas is trailing Houston 14-13-19.
Houston enters Saturday’s match fresh off a home loss to Austin FC last weekend. They currently have four wins, three losses and a draw on the year. However, Estevez believes the Orange are still a dangerous side now that Mexican international Hector Herrera has returned from injury.
“If you lose some players, this can affect the team, as it happened to us, and I think they've been competing,” said Estevez. “They’re a team that is difficult to beat, and they're showing that because they're compact, the offense is good.
“We just have to find ways to thread them and put them in difficult positions throughout the game. But I think we have the capacity, we have enough quality, and for me, the willingness that we're going to have is to beat them, and I think we can hurt them.”
One player hoping to return to the field this weekend is Jesus Ferreira. He has missed the last few matches with a hamstring injury that also caused him to miss the majority of the club’s preseason. Ferriera’s history in the Derby runs deep, as he has been squaring off against the Dynamo since his academy days.
“The original Derby was Houston, and so it's always awesome to compete because, you know, those derbies are always intense, always coming down to the wire,” said Ferreira. “It brings the best out of you.”
Ferreira hopes that having everyone on the same page will help end this winless streak.
“We need to stay focused. I think we all have to be on the same page,” said forward Jesus Ferreira. The end goal is to win, but obviously, you have to bring the intensity. I think that the main point has been the intensity. And then, you know, everybody has the skill to beat Houston. I think if we can do a good performance, good intensity, and we're all together and collective, then we'll be able to do it.”