The past four matches feel like it. Really, they do. The lack of consistency, form, and mentality amongst the team is about as painful as Justin Meram’s boot lodging itself in the middle of your Adam’s apple. Hernan Pertuz at least knows this, and I’m sure the feeling extends to the rest of the boys in Frisco.
Dallas began the match with aggression. The team looked hungry; both did, for that matter. Both sides desperately needed to end five game winless skids. Both teams were rooted in the midst of injury crises. The parallels brought out an exciting first half of soccer, one in which Dallas was able to gain the upper hand with a brilliant individual effort by Fabian Castillo in 22nd minute.
It was good to see Fabian find the back of the net; it realistically should have been his second, as he had previously scuffed a wide-open, low-driven cross wide of the near post in the early minutes of the match. Yet, his form has been on the rise, which can’t be said about many FCD players, in the past couple of weeks, and it was promising to finally see it pay off.
Defensively, Dallas held their shape well. George John, another player whose form has risen sharply in recent weeks, was a stalwart in the back, and cleaned up well in front of keeper Chris Seitz. Zach Loyd and Jair Benitez combined well with Shea and Jackson on the flanks, Loyd finding a few deep runs into Crew territory.
Problems evident from the beginning of the season have come to fruition by this point in 2012. Daniel Hernandez is a solid captain, albeit he can get sent off from time to time. He is a source of quality morale and a veteran younger players can admire. However, he is not Daniel Hernandez before his knee woes, nor is he the DH of 2010. His work rate has declined, he covers less ground, and he isn’t the defensive presence he was in the middle of the field as he used to be. Andrew Jacobson is young and had a promising start to 2011; that form has not been duplicated in 2012, unfortunately. Possession and distribution are very hit and miss with Andrew, which has been a growing issue in 2012.
He and Hernandez only achieved little over a 50% pass completion rate against Columbus (COLUMBUS!), which wasn’t the first time this concern has reared its head. The rest of the team’s pass completion rates are not much to write home about either, as FCD managed a meager 60.4% completion rate. A 4-4-2 formation doesn’t quite suit the possessive style of play FCD achieve in the 4-5-1; regardless, the team should protect the ball much, much better.
Offensively, the rise in form of Fabian Castillo finally culminated in his first goal of the season. Once again, it was reassuring to see. However, Fabian and Blas still have to get on the same page with one another. Multiple factors feed into this: frequent changes in formation, suspensions, injuries, etc. Blas works well with his back to goal, holding up the ball for the midfield; Fabian needs to style his play to fit Blas’ strengths, and reciprocally Blas must be able to combine with Fabian going forward in a much efficient fashion. Still, the two provided brief moments of havoc for the Columbus defense and ultimately found the back of the net early on.
Up until the sending off of Zach Loyd in the 63rd minute Dallas had fought well and established good moments of counterattacking soccer. About the Zach Loyd sending off: if you’re sitting on one yellow at that point you have to be conservative in action and in thought when defending or trying to win the ball. Regardless, Dallas’ slight glimmer of momentum disappeared after the sending off, and once again the team found itself down a man and facing a barrage of shots, crosses, and attacks. At least it was familiar territory for FCD, who looked like they would have to yet again fend off an inspired opponent with a numerical advantage.
The final result, 2-1, was fair considering Dallas’ mental mistakes. This is a team that should not be consistently facing the arduous circumstances provided by cards and suspensions. Injuries have already allowed inconsistency to be a feature of Dallas performances this season. Suspensions compound what is already a dire situation.
Another feature of FCD in 2012 was exposed again in Columbus: Dallas have yet to play an entire 90 minutes in control of the match, playing their own game, and dictating play in all parts of the pitch. It sounds too demanding, right? But late losses still continue, shutouts are few and far between, suspensions are still an issue, and goals are rare. The 11 points dropped from leading positions seem like less of a surprise with all circumstances considered. The team needs consistency, and hopefully after the suspension of Zack Loyd is served, and the return of Ricardo Villar comes about, Dallas can achieve it.
Otherwise, like Hernan, we’ll all have a lump in our throats for the weeks to come.
(image courtesy of fcdallas.com)
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