In a Best-of-Three series, you always want to get off to the best start you possibly can. Getting a win in the first game sets the tone for the series and allows you to go into the second game with a bit more momentum.
That certainly wasn’t the case for FC Dallas on Sunday night in Vancouver.
Not only did they play arguably the worst game since their blowout loss in San Diego earlier this year, but now the momentum and energy that surrounded the team going into the playoffs appear dead.
Let’s dive into a few things that we learned from this loss and how FC Dallas can respond in Game Two.
Middle of the field bypassed
I give FC Dallas manager Eric Quill a lot of credit for his lineup going into Game One. He went with the hot hands, the players in form, and gave the starts to guys like Sam Sarver and Anderson Julio after their performances against the Caps on Decision Day.
It wasn’t necessarily the wrong selections either. With Patrickson Delgado out, he wanted more speed along the wings, and Julio and Sarver give you that verticality that could expose the Caps.
The problem in this one ended up really being the midfield as a whole. It was bypassed in every way imaginable. Kaick was a non-factor in the opening 45, which led to him being subbed out at halftime. Chris Cappis never looked truly comfortable going up against guys like Thomas Muller, Sebastian Berhalter, and Andres Cubas.