At long last, the nine-game summer road trip is finally coming to an end for FC Dallas.
Dallas wraps up a busy month of August and its nine-game MLS road trip on Sunday night at Energizer Park against St. Louis CITY SC, who have been one of the league’s hottest teams as of late.
St. Louis enters Sunday’s match unbeaten in their last 11 MLS matches, going 8-0-3. The two clubs last faced off against one another back in April in Frisco, when St. Louis came away with a 1-1 draw.
Both teams sit level on points and will be looking to gain an edge over one another with the MLS Playoff race looming.
Tactic Style & Shape:
Our April preview of St. Louis still holds true, they still rely heavily on their pressing identity. The current version has become considerably more adaptable as the season has gone on.
That high pressure has become more refined in recent matches. Daniel Edelman and Chris Durkin give them a good bite centrally, while the wingbacks push forward and create width.
The biggest difference Dallas will see from St. Louis than the team in April, is that they aren’t simply trying to overwhelm teams anymore. They look increasingly comfortable winning games in different ways.
- Offensive tendencies - Last week against Houston, St. Louis didn’t need to dominate the ball or pile up chances to win. They were patient, defended well across the field and capitalized when opportunities arrived.
- Defensive shape - Despite the wingbacks being more involved in the attack in recent matches, the defensive group holds their line very well and doesn’t break their shape often.
Key Player: Simon Becher
With both Eduard Lowen and Marcel Hartel both gone, Becher becomes an even more important part of the St. Louis attack. He enters Sunday’s game in excellent form, too. He’s scored three goals in the last three games, pushing his season total to five.
Key Matchup: Santiago Moreno vs Tomas Totland
One area Dallas can attack is the space around wingback Tomas Totland. He’s started throughout their unbeaten run, including the last three matches.
Totland’s role requires him to provide width going froward while still recovering into what becomes a five-man defensive line without the ball. If Moreno can receive quickly after Dallas wins possession, there should be opportunities to attack the space that Totland leaves behind.
Moreno’s ability to carry the ball forward is useful here. Rather than allowing St. Louis to reset its defensive shape, Dallas needs him turning those recoveries into immediate one-on-one situations.
Availability Report1:
Suspended: none
Out: Celio Pompeu (knee), Kyle Hiebert (hip), Brendan McSorley (ankle)
Questionable: none
On Loan: none
International duty: none
Quick Notes:
All-time vs Dallas: St. Louis has never lost at home against FC Dallas in all competitions. In league play, they’ve gone 1-0-2 in three meetings at Energizer Park.
Current form: As we mentioned at the top of this one, St. Louis is unbeaten in their last 11 MLS matches, going 8-0-3 in that span.
Where they're at in the standings: When we last faced them, they were near the bottom of the Western Conference, now they’re level on points with FC Dallas at 33 and are one spot behind us in the standings (sixth place - Dallas holds a tiebreaker currently).
Want to know how Dallas should line up to exploit exactly what we just broke down? Our weekly ‘What to Watch For’ will tackle that later this week. Sign up free and we'll send it to you before kickoff.
Three keys for FC Dallas
- Don’t feed the press: St. Louis will still want to make you uncomfortable, especially in their building. After what happened last weekend in Vancouver, Dallas can’t get casual playing out of the back. They need to recognize when the short option is there, recognize when it isn’t and don’t hand St. Louis scoring opportunities 30 yards from goal.
- Win the second ball: This could determine the match. St. Louis wants to turn loose balls into immediate attacks. Dallas’ midfield needs to be aggressive enough to prevent those sequences before they begin.
- Finish the damn road trip: What is wild, regardless of the result in this one, Dallas will end this trip with a positive record (they’re currently 4-2-2). Dallas has already shown they can win in any building, but after getting blasted in Vancouver last weekend, this is an opportunity to make sure the lasting memory of this trip isn’t a losing streak.
1 Note: MLS has an injury report deadline that doesn’t hit until the day before each game. Our scouting reports will include last week's report and will be fully updated the day before with our injury report for FC Dallas.
