Some losses are about being outplayed. Others are about those thin margins that decide games.
FC Dallas‘ 1-0 defeat at LAFC was much closer than the final score might have suggested. Both sides generated chances, both goalkeepers were busy, and the stat sheet reflects a match that was largely balanced for long stretches. In the end, it was one moment that made the difference.
The numbers don’t show an FC Dallas team that was overwhelmed on the road, but they do highlight where Dallas came up short. Let’s dig into the stats from Saturday’s loss to see what they reveal about how this one unfolded.
Defensive recap
I mentioned din the Game Breakdown yesterday, Dallas went into BMO Stadium and may have found a blueprint for other teams this season to work with against LAFC.
Yes, it was a low block of sorts. Dallas sat slightly deeper and limited what Denis Bouanga, Son Heung-min and the rest of LAFC attack. Only a moment of brillance from David Martinez snuck through past Michael Collodi, who had himself a solid game.
After looking back on this one, and seeing the average shape of the formation, you really did get a good sense of how clogged up the midfield became at times in this one. Chris Cappis was a big part of that in how he commanded the middle of the park next to Ramiro. He drifted in and out of being a linking eight in the midfield, sometimes more into a number six.