The Season That Has Been For FC Dallas
By Curry Goff
With this past weekend serving as a much needed break from what has been a whirlwind season, we take the opportunity to assess what has happened in FC Dallas’ campaign so far.
It truly has been an up-and-down, topsy turvy kind of season for our beloved FC Dallas. Like a teenager going through puberty, this year has been a roller coaster ride that you never quite know you’re enjoying until you take a moment to soak it all in.
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Let’s take a look at where we’ve been.
Trailblazing Start
We’ve experienced the rush of starting the season off with a bang. Coming out of the gates, the preseason hype around FCD materialized into a frantic start that saw us jump up the top of the Western Conference table and into first place through four games.
That opening flurry of positive results left FCD fans with hopeful optimism. This team has always had loads of potential. With an average age of 25.41, FC Dallas boasts the fourth youngest team in all of MLS. While youth doesn’t always mean promise, you got the feeling with young talents like Kellyn Acosta, Fabian Castillo, and Mauro Diaz that this team was always on the verge of breaking out.
Reality Check
Just when you thought FC Dallas was going to go the entire season without losing a game, not so humble beginnings led to humbling losses to Portland and Colorado. Not that Portland is a bad team, but the loss came when FC Dallas seemed to be on top of the world. Colorado, on the other hand, has been a nightmare all season. Don’t get me started on that train of thought…
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The Road Trip We Don’t Speak Of
After the fine run of form and the humbling losses, FC Dallas then went on a stretch of five road games. All in all, it was a span of nearly a month and a half away from home. It was a chance to lay down a marker and get some positive results in tough atmospheres against a few difficult opponents.
As it turns out, FCD laid down a marker, but not the kind you would want your favorite team to lay down. Amassing a grand total of two points and two goals over the road trip, FC Dallas found themselves limping back home with little pride and not much to show for an exhausting stretch of play.
When you talk about peaks and valleys in the middle of a season, this was definitely the valley of all valleys.
The Regeneration
Since that road trip, FCD has gone on a tear. Rebounding with an oh-so-beautiful victory over Houston in their first game back at Toyota Stadium, Oscar Pareja and company went on to win five games in a row against relatively stiff competition.
It was not the way that you expected FC Dallas to rebound, but it certainly was a welcome interruption to the doom and gloom we felt during the road trip.
What’s Next?
If previous results are any indication of what is to come from FC Dallas over the final stretch of games, we’re probably set to lose our next five games, win the next five after that, and finish somewhere around the top of the table…
It just depends on where the end of the season falls in our roller coaster. If we’re on a high, we could ride that wave into the playoffs and predictably fall short in the first round. Then again, if we are in a valley and sneak into a playoff spot, we may experience a rise and ride that wave deep into the postseason.
Either way, we have come to expect excitement from this FC Dallas squad. With a marquee matchup coming up Saturday night at home to the LA Galaxy, we may yet get an indication of how the final run to the playoffs will play out for our boys. Let’s hope Gerrard and Gio don’t mesmerize us with their accents and lure us into their charm.