May Outlook: Can FC Dallas begin to find some momentum?

After a sub-par April, FC Dallas turns to a busy month of May for more points.

Photo via FC Dallas

The month of April is in the books for FC Dallas. After four games, the club ended the month a bit more positive than most would probably be willing to admit. Three shutouts in four games, a 1-1-2 record to go with it.

Yeah, five points in four games isn’t great, but I don’t hate the three shutouts at all.

Now, the calendar has flipped over to May. And boy, it is a doozy. Not only is it a tough month in league play, but the US Open Cup is also upon us.

Let’s dive into the calendar to see where the points may come this month.

Toronto FC - away - May 4

After FC Dallas ended their winless streak last weekend against Houston, this weekend’s game in Toronto saw its pressure get lowered a bit. I think this is one FCD has to find a way to get points in, as they still have a bit of a mountain to climb in the Western Conference standings. Toronto has been much better in 2024 under new manager John Herdman. Sean Johnson leads MLS in shutouts this season and No. 1 overall MLS SuperDraft pick Tyrese Spicer and red-hot Prince Owusu have looked good for them lately.

Memphis 901 - home - May 7 (US Open Cup)

Given that there are only seven other MLS clubs in this tournament, FC Dallas absolutely has to put all its eggs in its USOC basket this year. There really is no excuse for not going the distance in this year’s tournament, especially if you have a lot of home games, too.

Austin FC - home - May 11

After playing like absolute crud in the first meeting with Austin a few weeks ago, FC Dallas remains at home next week with the Verde coming into town. A win against them at home will help boost their chances of reclaiming Copa Tejas. Anything less guarantees another Austin win in the state’s race.

Houston Dynamo - away - May 18

We just saw what the Dynamo were all about last weekend in Frisco but I would assume this rematch will be much more heated between the two clubs. Hector Herrera should be much more fit by the time this game rolls around, too, which means their attack will likely be finding itself again. A draw or a win will guarantee El Capitan stays in Frisco for another year.

Real Salt Lake - home - May 25

RSL comes to town for the final home game of the month. So far this season, RSL has been very good in its attack, with Chicho Arango playing at an MVP level. RSL does so well at controlling the midfield in a game and limiting other teams’ chances on goal at the same time. This will be a big test for FC Dallas after they come off back-to-back rivalry games.

LA Galaxy - away - May 29

The final game of the month is also the first midweek regular season game of the year. FCD heads to Southern California for the first of two games in LA this week (they will also play at LAFC that weekend). The Galaxy have been so much better this season, largely due to their new DPs Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec, being absolute studs.

Outlook

Yeah, this is going to be tough. Should FC Dallas advance in the USOC, they’ll also have a game on either May 21 or 22. That one may be on the road, too, at either Tampa Bay or Birmingham.

So, yeah, this is a massive month ahead for FC Dallas, both in league play and in the USOC. I’d prefer them to throw as much energy and resources at a USOC run than to just ‘deal with it’ as they have in the last couple of seasons.

The back-to-back games with Austin and Houston are also a big litmus test for them as well. Both teams are beatable, but they must keep the intensity up for those games. Something we haven’t seen them do so far this season in back-to-back games.

And ending the month the way they do with tough tests against RSL and the LA teams (one of those is in June; we’ll get into that later) isn’t easy at all. Like FC Dallas, RSL is in the USOC and will likely be throwing everything they have at a run in that competition as well, so we could catch them on a rotated squad as well.

So, given what we know about FCD so far this season, the 4-7 point range feels like what we should expect. I see more draws coming from this month than anything else. As much as I don’t like that, I can live with draws and some wins over Houston and Austin while advancing in the USOC to get us through this busy stretch.

What do you all think? Let’s discuss it below.