Three games in seven days was always going to test FC Dallas. Going into Seattle and actually getting something out of it? That was going to require near perfection. Instead, Dallas dug themselves an early hole, spent the rest of the night trying to climb out of it, and ultimately came up short in a 2-1 loss at Lumen Field.
The loss extended the club’s winless run in Washington to 22 games, with the last win coming back in the 2011 season.
There were moments for Dallas in this one. Nolan Norris found his first goal in an FC Dallas uniform right before halftime made it seem like the team had some fight in them after all. But the early defensive lapses, combined with a heavily rotated lineup that never quite found its rhythm, left chasing the game more than controlling it.
And as we all know, in a place like Seattle, chasing a game usually ends one way.
Could the rotation lead to a change?
After the loss on Wednesday night against Minnesota United, I had a gut feeling we’d see some new faces in the lineup on Saturday in Seattle. Toss in the injury factor that the team is starting to deal with more and more, the rotation at the end of a three games in seven days stretch seemed necessary.
But yeah, it is always tough to stomach your team putting out a lineup that could easily be read as a B-squad on the road.
I don’t fault manager Eric Quill for going with a rotated lineup in Seattle. For one thing, that turf is pretty unforgiving and there is no need to risk guys like Petar Musa, Logan Farrington or Osaze Urhoghide on it.
After Musa left Wednesday’s game early with a knock and Urhoghide limped around in the final moments of that match, I didn’t really expect or want to see them on Saturday in Seattle.
“Obviously disappointed about the result, but I thought we played pretty well, and I think we're going to regret seeing the couple moments that led to their goals. Those moments are fixable. I was proud of our mentality, our resiliency. We were going for it, we never gave up. We didn't quit. We were pushing hard and came up short tonight.” - FC Dallas manager Eric Quill on the result
So yeah, Quill opted for rotation over straining a roster that is starting to look thin in spots due to injuries.
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