FC Dallas expects competitive match against Mazatlan

Playing any Mexican side at this point will be a tall task for FC Dallas.

© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Knockout Round is here for FC Dallas as they continue their Leagues Cup journey with a tough Round of 32 match tomorrow night with Liga MX side Mazatlan.

The Sinaloa-based club won their group last week by defeating Austin FC 3-1. They also knocked out a rival of their own along the way by defeating Jaurez FC in penalty kicks.

After a win and a loss in the regular season at Austin, FC Dallas head coach Nico Estevez knows a thing or two about how difficult it is to win at Austin.

“It's never easy to beat Austin in Austin,” said Estevez in his press conference on Tuesday. “I noticed Austin also had some key players that didn't play that game.”

Estevez expects Mazatlan to be a club that will be tough to put away on Wednesday based on how they responded in their two group games in Austin last week.

“I think that the best thing that Mazatlan did is in the difficult moments that they had because they just hung in there,” explained Estevez. “They had this commitment, this good mentality to, in those tough moments, be strong as a team, and respond. I think after the goal from (Diego) Fagundez, they leveraged on the right immediately from the kickoff in a score.

“What we've seen is a team that responds because the same against Juarez. They were behind and then responded.”

FC Dallas will want to continue to build off their 3-0 win last Tuesday night against Liga MX side Necaxa. Midfielder Sebastian Lletget had a goal and an assist in the win, and he hopes to continue building off a strong start in the Leagues Cup group phase as the team heads into the Knockout Round.

“I think we're prepared, you know, I think I think we've definitely done our research,” said Lletget. “We've done our due diligence on them. And I think we do best when we focus kind of on ourselves. I think that's one of our strengths. I think when we're united, and we're focused, and we do, and everybody is engaged. I think that's when we're at our strongest.”

Lletget still knows that Mazatlan will bring a tough match to the field but is excited about the opportunity to see his club advance to the next round.

“It's just never easy playing a team that comes from Mexico,” said Lletget. “You know, when they come here, they show a lot of heart, a lot of character. I think we have the same. I think that is something we have to show tomorrow night, and it's a great opportunity for this team.”