Weekly Press Recap: What Nico Estevez said ahead of FC Dallas' game against Houston

Estevez expects a tough game in Houston on Saturday.

After last week’s press conference went the full 30-minute distance for the local media, today’s call was a bit quicker from FC Dallas head coach Nico Estevez. Maybe the rain that has hit the area today in North Texas is bringing the mood down a bit.

Either way, we got some decent insight into how the team is preparing for this weekend (and next week), the updates on the injury situation, and more.

Here we go:

On playing Houston this weekend:

I think Houston is a very defined team we played against some weeks ago, and it's very recent. We just watched the game and reviewed some things that we could use, so just to reinforce what we were seeing in our planning things or maybe to do some tweaks depending on what we saw and give some information to the players. But overall, I think Houston has an identity as a very clear way to play. And I think for us, it's very clear how what we have to do in order to make a difficult game for them.

They are a very intense team. They played very quick, and then we have to be very focused. We have to be playing with intensity. Don’t let them play in these overloads that they create in between lines and through the middle, and then they pay attention to their wide players. They are fast, always running behind, and you'll always have a team that likes to process the ball, and we have to be very aware of that situation.

On the other hand, we know that we can exploit some of the spaces that they leave behind. Behind the backline, we also have some areas in between lines that we can exploit. I think our switching field is going to be a big part of this game, you know. We're able to draw in one side of the switch field and try to create a 2v1 situation on the other side.

On how he expects a different match from Houston:

Well, I think it's going to be a different match, a match like the one we expected at home, but it so happened that they received a well-deserved red card. We expect a tough and difficult match in which we will have to find the moments in which to put high pressure on them. We are going to have to do many things well to be able to win against a rival as important as Houston. I think the team is working well, they are energetic, we are improving both in results and the level of play, and we have to continue growing. This game is a great opportunity to do so away from home, to be able to achieve something more than just points and to be able to achieve something important that will help us.

On current injuries: