If there is one word that describes newly appointed FC Dallas interim head coach Peter Luccin, it would be passion.

It could be the way that Luccin played during his playing days. It could be because Luccin is French, and passion tends to be something associated with the French. Or it could be because Luccin knows his club hasn’t shown enough of it so far in 2024.

“I can see the passion in their eyes. They see passion in my eyes, too,” explained Luccin during his first pre-game media press conference on Thursday. “I know that I'm using so many words, like energy and commitment, but that passion is something that they have to understand when they stop playing that game. So, the passion for that game is a key factor, too. This is what I saw. This is they see what they see from me.”

Passion has been the word surrounding FC Dallas this week as Luccin assumes his new role. He takes over a squad that is currently on a five-game winless streak and has only won three games overall this season (3-8-5 after 16 games). FC Dallas will host back-to-back home games starting this weekend with St. Louis CITY SC.

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Bradley Carnell’s CITY team is on a five-game winless run of their own at the moment after a scoreless draw with Portland last weekend. However, Luccin sees St. Louis as a dangerous team that will cause his club a lot of problems.

“First of all, I like that team a lot. I like the passion and energy they are playing,” said Luccin. “To be honest, I will say that maybe it's not the best team to start to play against in my first game, but because of the energy that they can bring about, the way that they can be very direct, but I'm looking forward to playing against St. Louis because I know that is going to be very demanding.”

FC Dallas picked up a scoreless draw against St. Louis earlier this season in their visit to CITYPARK. Luccin believes that his team has to find the right moments to counter St. Louis’ high-pressure system, which can cause many issues.

“It's just about being smart, finding the right moment to do things, being together, and everything that we are doing,” added Luccin. “We know the style, we know what they can do. Sometimes the thing that's maybe we are not going to be ready, but we know how to solve those problems, so this is where we have been working a little bit.”

The Frenchman has kept his formation and tactical decisions close to his chest this week by not revealing whether or not he will be shifting formations or starting anyone new. Luccin added that he’s not looking to change too much other than the speed of play from his team.

“I think it's very important to understand that not everything was bad in the past. I think that we build some foundation,” explained Luccin. “We build some concepts and some style of play. I think that what is very important is that maybe we need to increase the speed and what and what we are doing.”

The last time FC Dallas replaced managers in the regular season, the club didn’t receive an interim manager bump when they let former manager Luchi Gonzalez go in 2021. Luccin understands that this moment should be different in 2024 but still wants the fans to be behind them as they move forward.

“What they have been doing, to be honest, they are great. And for me, it's not because now I'm a coach, but because we have some of the best fans in the country, just because they are pushing every single time,” said Luccin. “They are pushing the team until the end, and in the end, I understand that if they are not happy, they're going to show that they are not happy, but during the game and 90 minutes plus, I know that.”

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