FC Dallas Suffers Lackluster Loss In Portland
By Curry Goff
It had to happen at some point. No team in MLS history has gone an entire season without losing a match. This year would be no exception. FC Dallas was always going to lose at some point.
I just wish it wouldn’t have come in this fashion.
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The first four games of the season collectively painted a picture of what this FC Dallas team would be – hard-working, mentally-sound, and organized. While each of those four games highlighted a different attribute of the squad, this one loss was shocking enough to make me question many of the things I had previously thought.
Here are a few questions that still have me scratching my head:
Is Texeira becoming a lost cause?
Without Blas in the starting 11, the attack looked pretty toothless. I admittedly wanted Pareja to field David Texeira in attack. He has shown glimpse of form over the past two years and have given many an FCD fan hope that he can spearhead the attack at some point in the future.
Like the Seattle game, unfortunately, Tex never seemed to click with the rest of the attack against the Timbers. It often seemed like he didn’t know where he was supposed to be or how he was supposed to link up with the other forwards. I don’t see Tex featuring in the starting 11 again anytime soon, provided Blas is healthy.
What’s wrong with Diaz?
His injury last season admittedly stunted his production in the 2014 campaign. What’s troubling is that Diaz seems to be as healthy as can be this year. Many people (including me) thought that this would be a breakout year for the Argentinian.
In what should be his best season yet, he is looking remarkably ordinary. You can still see flashes of brilliance in his play, but the consistency that we have come to expect is not there. Of all of the troubling things that happened in this loss, Diaz’s continual struggle to find form is arguably the most worrisome.
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Was Saturday the end for Atiba Harris?
Harris has been transitioning into a new role for the majority of the season. With no real right back to start the year, Pareja worked Harris into the fullback role early and often. The problem with this is that HE’S NOT A RIGHT BACK.
Unlike Zach Loyd or Ryan Hollingshead, Harris has not shown the versatility to be able to switch positions at the drop of a hat. Because of this, over the past several games, Harris has looked like the weakest player on the pitch for FCD.
I have a hard time blaming him for it though. After all, he’s not playing in his preferred midfield role. He was a goal scoring threat for San Jose last year (I guess that’s a relative term, considering he was their 2nd leading scorer with 4 goals), and now he’s being asked to provide width in attack while simultaneously getting back to cover on defense. He has the mind of a midfielder with the responsibilities of a defender. The combination of those two attributes has seen Harris struggle to mesh into the right back position.
Again, this loss was bound to happen. The team seems to be ready and willing to shake it off and discount it as a “not our night” type of thing. While I might agree with their take, the performance was pretty lackluster and left FCD fans with little consolation.