If there was a game that had “please don’t overthink it energy” written all over it, it may be this weekend’s game between FC Dallas and LAFC.
LAFC roll into Toyota Stadium to close out the September homestand, and on paper, like actual paper (we’re talking standings here), they’re still a top ten team in MLS with a +14 goal difference and one of the league’s best goalkeepers. But as you all know, we don’t play games on paper in MLS and LAFC has been in a bit of a rut since the World Cup break ended. They enter Saturday’s game with one win in their last nine.
Dallas on the other hand is riding a five-game unbeaten run and are sitting in a solid 4th place in the Western Conference (tied on points with Houston and St. Louis). The homestand has been just about everything FC Dallas has needed it to be. Here is a chance to close it out on a high note before getting next weekend off.
Let’s dive into the items I’ll be looking out for tomorrow night.
LAFC is in a weird place
One win in nine games, folks. Let that breathe for a second.
Since the World Cup break ended, LAFC has managed a single victory in their last nine games. Sure, five of those have been draws, so teams are still struggling to put them away. But LAFC has gone from being a legitimate title contender in the first half of the year into one that will likely have to do a lot of work away from home in the playoffs to get to a title game.
That lone win in the last night? It came against Sporting Kansas City. Yeah, you all know how I feel about SKC at the moment. They’re struggling but improving.
Marc Dos Santos hasn’t found the right buttons to push in the second half of the season. Colorado beat them. D.C. United picked up a draw against them. It’s been as ugly as you can imagine.
Oh and they’re going to be coming into this weekend without their two Designated Players, one of their TAM guys, one of their main defenders and a slew of other role players.
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Their attack is running on fumes
The international window that begins this weekend is brutal for both sides. Dallas will lack Petar Musa, Bernard Kamungo, Ran Binyamin and Josh Torquato. But when you scan over to LAFC, they’re missing so much more. Denis Bouanga and his 14 goals on the season, gone. Son Heung-Min, gone. Mathieu Choiniere and Jacob Shaffelburg, gone to play with Canada. Jude Terry and Leo Walta, gone. Aaron Long is suspended. Timothy Tillman may be out as he’s been dealing with injuries as of late. And David Martinez, the guy who scored the lone goal in the LAFC win over FC Dallas back in March was sold last month.
That isn’t just a depleted squad, that is nearly a skeleton crew.
What is left is Jeremy Ebobisse, who has been inconsistent all season long. Armindo Sieb, the young German attacker, is still getting his feet wet in MLS. Brazilian signing Thayllon Roberth only arrived on loan earlier this month. Cristian Olivera, a capable winger in his own right, hasn’t become someone you’d hand over a must-win game to just yet.
Basically, without Bouanga pulling defenders wide and Son creating chaos in behind, LAFC’s attack will not be the same this weekend.
The Dallas defense has looked improved in the last couple of games at Toyota Stadium, especially with last week’s shutout draw against Austin. With the weapons stripped from LAFC for this one, a shutout shouldn’t just be a possibility, but an expectation. This is a game to cement the defensive response that has been building in recent weeks.
Stepping up without Musa and others
While LAFC is missing a slew of players, so is Dallas. I mentioned the quartet above that are out this weekend, but so is Ramiro, who picked up a yellow card suspension.
Dallas will lack its best scorer, a couple of fullbacks and a veteran midfielder. Without those guys, others will have to step up.
As much as we’ve railed on Eric Quill for not putting forward his best lineup last week against Austin, we’re going to at least get a group that is ready, given the rotation he’s put out there for the last two months.
Logan Farrington will certainly be leaned on for the attacking portion of this with Musa away. His 14 goal contributions this season is only second to Musa’s 23. He brings a different element to the attack from Musa, but one that Dallas can easily dial in this weekend. Add in the likes of Joaquin Valiente and Santiago Moreno, I do believe the Dallas attack will have their opportunities again this weekend, they just need to make the most of them.
The bigger concern may come down to how Quill addresses the losses of Kamungo and Binyamin. Both have been in and out of the lineup as he has rotated players this summer, so the drop off shouldn’t be severe on Saturday. Herman Johansson will likely return to the mix, while I would assume Nolan Norris gets back into the starting lineup as well.
Don’t overcomplicate this one
It feels like FC Dallas has been in 4th place for weeks now, but they are technically tied on points for second place with Houston and St. Louis. This weekend is as much about watching their scores as it is about watching what happens at Toyota Stadium.
Every point in September matters for what October will look like. A win on Saturday, and Dallas goes into the final full month with a six-game unbeaten streak and a fairly healthy cushion for one of those home-field playoff spots in the Western Conference.
This is the kind of game where you have to take care of business. Games like this, that are about as winnable as it gets, don’t come around often in this league. Don’t over complicate it. Dallas needs to press early, make them uncomfortable, let Farrington and Valiente have their moment, and go into October with a chance at locking up a home playoff spot.
The Bottom Line
If we thought last week should have been three points, this one is even more so. The caveat is always, that “should be games” are the ones that bite you in the ass if you take your foot off the gas. LAFC still has some stars on this roster, and have a defense that has a club-record in clean sheets this season alone. Their nine-game run recently hasn’t been all losses.
Dallas is without Musa, which is a bummer to say the least. But LAFC also is lacking basically the majority of their attack as well. Both teams need the points and the edge should firmly rest with FC Dallas.
Let’s close out this homestand on a high note and hopefully climb further in the standings as a result.
