This weekend is where things will start to get real for FC Dallas.
Eric Quill’s club kicks off a three-game homestand this weekend, a stretch that suddenly carries a lot more weight when you look ahead to a brutal nine-game road trip starting in the middle of next month. If Dallas wants to stay in a strong position in the Western Conference, this is the time to stack points against conference opponents.
St. Louis CITY SC comes into Frisco with a mixed recent results, but enough quality to punish a team that loses focus.
Let’s discuss the items we’ll be looking out for this weekend.
The free stuff tells you what happened. A paid subscription tells you why it happened, what it means for FC Dallas, and what’s coming next—before anyone else catches up.
Don’t waste the momentum
Last week’s performance in D.C. was exactly what Dallas needed. It was a complete performance from start to finish, with no late slip up that gave us reason to panic.
Now comes the harder part: doing it all over again.
In most years, momentum in MLS is fragile. One good result doesn’t mean anything if it is followed by a flat performance the following week. Dallas has to take what they did in D.C. last weekend and build off of it. To do so, they’ll need to:
- Start with the same intensity that we’ve seen for the last few weeks
- Stay aggressive in possession
- Avoid the “we’ll figure it out eventually” mindset
Good teams build runs. Average teams alternate results throughout the year. This is where Dallas decides which team they want to be.
Not playing ‘down’ to St. Louis
On paper, St. Louis sits below Dallas in the current standings. Cool. Right now in the month of April, that means absolutely nothing once the whistle blows.
This can easily be the kind of match that trips teams up if they let it.
Drew Epperley
Dallas has to respect St. Louis’ ability to press and force mistakes. They will need to stay sharp in build-out moments and avoid cheap turnovers in the middle of the park.
If you play too casually, St. Louis will drag this into a messy, chaotic match. They’re the road team after all, give them a moment of hope and they’ll run with it and make it a long night.
Where to play Valiente and Moreno
For me, this is where things get interesting. Quill has a problem, though at this point it appears to be a good problem. He has several good attacking players on good form. Toss in the fact that newcomers Joaquin Valiente and Santiago Moreno both came off the bench last weekend in D.C. are still being worked into the system.
One or both will likely see time in this one from the start. The question comes down to who makes the most sense?
My money is on Valiente, with Moreno coming off the bench again as he builds his fitness up.
Right now, Valiente has the edge on the time already with the team. Though, what we saw in the give minutes last week out of Moreno gives me a ton of hope that the club made the correct move in getting him on loan.
Either way, getting both players worked in is all about getting the chemistry built. This three-game homestand will be key in making sure everyone is on the same page, but more importantly, who is clicking the best with Petar Musa and Logan Farrington.
Can the defense go back-to-back?
Defenders and goalkeepers always tell me, clean sheets are contagious. You get one, you immediately hunger for another and another.
After shutting down D.C. United last weekend, the challenge now is finding that consistency. As we mentioned going into the D.C. game last weekend, Dallas doesn’t have to be perfect here, but they do still need to be:
- Organized between the lines
- Strong in aerial duels
- Disciplined in transition defense
St. Louis is going to cause issues with their press, so this will be an instant test of how consistent this group can be. Another shutout would signal that those issues the club had defensively earlier this season have been corrected.
The Bottom Line
This game will be hard for everyone not to overlook. This three-game stretch isn’t just about St. Louis. It is all about the start of stacking nine straight points at Toyota Stadium. With the summer road trip looming in the foreground next month, getting through games like this with three points is not just a want, it is an absolute need.
Drop points now, and suddenly you’re chasing form while living out of a suitcase for the next few months. No thanks.
The free stuff tells you what happened. A paid subscription tells you why it happened, what it means for FC Dallas, and what’s coming next—before anyone else catches up.
