Wednesday night started off with another strong start from FC Dallas in front of the Toyota Stadium faithful. The team came out with a solid press that forced an early penalty from the Vancouver Whitecaps. Then what happened following the goal from Petar Musa was more of the same that we’ve seen far too often this season.
Vancouver took control of the match and punished Dallas with two quick goals before halftime. Even as Dallas regained their momentum early in the second half with a goal from Logan Farrington, the gas was let off the pedal some more and Vancouver found a game-winner.
For a team with aspirations of being considered a contender in the Western Conference, this one is going to sting a good bit. The frustrating part was that this wasn’t a game where Dallas was totally outclassed, but it showed again that those tiny margins in the defense are proving to be too costly yet again.
Let’s dive in.
Foot off the gas
A couple of things stand out from this one for me. The frustrating part for Dallas is this wasn’t some overwhelming Whitecaps beat down. On second look, it was a slow squeeze. Vancouver absorbed the early pressure and waited for Dallas to overextend, then punish the spaces that opened op. Classic “we’re smarter than you tonight” kind of road performance from one of the league’s best clubs.
Honestly, it is as annoying as hell when you see it live and then on a replay.
The other side is seeing how Dallas got the early goal and took their foot off the gas. In the press box, several of us were saying that the Musa goal was great for his Golden Boot chances, but it was too early against a team like Vancouver. Head coach Eric Quill agreed afterward.
“I felt like we had a bright start and played the way we wanted to, on the front foot and finding the first goal. Vancouver is a very stingy team defensively, so getting that opening goal was important. As a coach, though, you want the team to keep pushing because in this league you can’t take your foot off the gas, especially against a team like that where goals are hard to come by.” - Eric Quill on the performance
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