Whatever type of cliché nickname from the American sports world applies fully to the boys from Dallas at this moment (“Cardiac Kids” just popped into your head, right?). Those few fans with shaky hearts are probably the only ones suffering. FCD is starting to develop a habit of switching it on late in the game. Strange that should happen given the early goals the team poached in the first three matches of the 2012 season. Yet, the strong finish put on by Brek Shea and company Saturday night put FCD’s heart on full display.
Heart certainly lacked in the beginning of the season, despite the great start. The team, prior to last week’s win against the Revolution, had been poor in the second half, capitulating lead after lead, and looking uninspired in the face of adversity. I suppose the New England game was a wakeup call for the season; Corradi’s unjustly awarded penalty in the 61st minute, in just the same fashion, awoke Dallas Saturday evening. I’ve been grappling with one question: if the penalty would’ve not been allowed, would Dallas have mounted much effort in attack for the last 30 minutes?
A couple of thoughts about the match:
Two second halves won; two games won.
This lockdown defense is more reminiscent of Dallas last season, and especially 2010, when late goals were a rare occurrence. George John’s presence in the back is comforting, as he is a more stable defensive partner to Ugo than Pertuz. That is certainly not to discredit Hernan whatsoever: he has been great in the center half position at times this year (New York, Portland). John’s experience does show through, however, especially alongside longtime partner Ihemelu. If the enemy doesn’t score, you’ll never lose, and (omitting the penalty Saturday night) the defensive showings the past two matches have been a huge improvement (in the second half and the entire match).
Blas Perez: where were you last year?
(Kneejerk, smart aleck answer: “probably Panama.”) He is the target forward we’ve been begging for all along. He is selfless, has outstanding holdup play, doesn’t stay isolated, can play quick combinations, and has a killer instinct in front of the net. It’s no wonder he’s been involved in every goal Dallas has netted all season long. His Panamanian supporters are awesome. The Panamanian flag goes great with any FCD kit. What more could we ask? After scoring the tying goal in the 77th minute his first instinct was to celebrate, but that was short lived, as he hailed his teammates back to the midfield line to get things going again. That’s nothing more than leadership. It’s also selfless. Super Raton could’ve milked that goal for all it was worth, yet didn’t, and just like his ability to be selfless on the ball, he is even selfless when most expect a star striker not to be.
Schellas Hyndman: master tactician?
The move back to the preferred 4-1-4-1 by FCD was a shrewd move by Coach Hyndman. As he’d stated in the post-match interview, he saw that FCD was being overrun in the middle of the park and needed a change. Pushing Fabian back on the right flank and Brek on the left stretched out the Montreal midfield and opened up more space for Dallas’ midfield triangle to breathe. Let’s face it: the 1-2 punch of Jacobson and Hernandez is a great defensive pairing in the midfield; it’s certainly not an offensive engine. The addition of Bruno Guarda in the second half injected some much-needed creativity into Dallas’ attack.
The surprise in all of this was the omission of Jair Benitez when these subs first began just after the half. Hernan Pertuz’s logical replacement at right back would’ve been the out-of-favor Benitez, as most would’ve thought it. Jair’s no stranger to a booking or three, and this recent disciplinary issue that reared its head in DC has cost him his starting position for the past two matches. Let’s look at this another way, however. Hyndman may look at Jair and see an above-average, 30+ year-old right back who can serve a ball, defend well, and shut down most wingers and attackers with his pace and tenacity. He is, however, on the other side of 30 and a card problem infrequently. Opening up the right back position to Pertuz will still get Hernan the minutes he needs as a young and new player to the MLS, while giving Dallas the stability of John and Ihemelu throughout the center. I still don’t think Jair will go down without a fight; he’s shown too much tenacity throughout the past two seasons to let on otherwise. So, let’s all hope it creates some good-natured competition that will hopefully benefit Dallas’ back line.
My only qualm with shifting Zach Loyd to left back is that in the 4-1-4-1 he combines so well with Fabian Castillo. They were a genuine nightmare to defenses and outside mids throughout the preseason. That is certainly not to say Zach and Brek can’t do the same on the left, but the chemistry is there with Fabian. All in all, the tactical and positional changes have panned out well for Dallas the past two games.
The win against Montreal was immense because of the comeback. Two games in a row FCD has displayed an attitude that will do nothing but benefit them against Western Conference rivals Vancouver, Salt Lake, and Los Angeles. FCD has looked great in certain time frames per match this year, but not the full ninety (first half vs. New York and Portland, first thirty vs. DC and Sporting, final thirty vs. New England and Montreal). That encompassing ninety minutes of brilliance is the display the team, as well as its supporters, are waiting for.
(image courtesy of fcdallas.com)
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