What To Expect From FC Dallas
By Curry Goff
Call it euphoria. Call it youthful exuberance. Call it whatever you want. FC Dallas is coming into the 2015 season with more hope and promise than any year in recent memory.
As a Dallas sports fan (and an avid Arsenal supporter), I’m inherently cynical when it comes to my sports teams and anyone telling me they’re going to be good. All my teams have a track record of building me up just to let me down at the crucial/pivotal/critical/worst-possible moment.
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With this inherent cynicism comes a desire to always look at things objectively. The moment, as a Dallas sports fan, that any form of emotion or passion-filled subjectivity creeps into my head, it’s all over. Next thing I know, I’m venting to my coworkers about how “this year was supposed to be better” and complaining (read: crying) on my couch in front of my wife.
With all this said, I think it’s time to do just that, take an objective look at what expectations FC Dallas fans should have for this season. Let’s start by looking at strictly internal factors.
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The Team (Optimism)
New additions, coupled with returning starters, make this FC Dallas squad the strongest (and youngest) it has been in a while. Young stars like Castillo, Akindele, and Diaz will partner with the likes of Perez, Kennedy, and Michel to provide a wide array of talent and age. At the ripe old age of 24, new USMNT member Matt Hedges seems a wily veteran in this squad.
The Team (Hopeful Optimism)
I’m still not quite sure about the fullback positions for this FCD team. The depth chart is fine, but the quality is definitely the weakest of any part of the squad. Everywhere you look, there is quality and/or experience in the starting lineup, except for at the fullback role.
Also, as is the case with any team, the question remains as to whether or not the team can stay healthy. Many young, promising players for FCD have had injury troubles in the past. For this reason, I’m a bit hesitant to label players like Diaz, Hollingshead, and Texeira as potential breakout players. Diaz, who very well could be FCD’s MVP if he stays healthy, is the one I’ll be watching more than most on the injury front.
As it turns out, in MLS, you have to play against other teams. In light of that novel idea, let’s look at some outside factors.
The Competition (Optimism)
Of all the teams in and around FC Dallas’ position in the standings last season, FCD has arguably had the best offseason. Strictly going off of last season’s performance and offseason moves, no one appears more poised than FCD in the 3-6 positions in the Western Conference to make a move up the table.
The Competition (Hopeful Optimism)
More than last year, if Oscar Pareja and company want to reach the playoffs in the tough Western Conference, they will have to take care of the “easier” teams in the league. With LA signing Steven Gerrard, NYCFC looking stupid good in attack (Mix, David Villa, Lampard…), and a host of other incredibly talented teams, wins against the teams lower in the table will be key to FCD reaching the playoffs again.
We are going to lose games this season. It’s vital, though, that the games that we lose are the ones that we are “supposed” to lose. I don’t see any one team dominating this season in the way that many have in the past. The top teams are going to beat up on one another (kind of like Big 12 basketball this season). If FC Dallas can win a few of those and take care of who they’re supposed to take care of, they’ll find themselves where they want to be.
All this said, how many points will FC Dallas finish the 2015 season with? In my opinion, probably somewhere around the 54 they ended last season with. The top teams have gotten stronger and I expect FCD to lose a few more than they did last year to the elite teams. If everyone is healthy, I think that number could inch closer to 60. That should be enough for at least a fourth placed finish and another trip to the playoffs.
I’ll curb my excitement at that. I’m starting to feel too much of that emotion I was talking about earlier.