FC Dallas Clinch First Place In The Western Conference

It feels a little strange writing an article of this magnitude after what seems to have been such a crazy, wild season for FC Dallas.

After a second half winner from David Texeira, along with a little help from other Western Conference foes, FC Dallas clinched first placed in the West and notched another crucial win in the race for the Supporters’ Shield.

To say that the road to first place was paved with gold and fine jewels would be a misrepresentation of what has been a strange season for FCD.

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Between terrible road trips and arduous months, the boys in red and white, along with the Red Bulls, have earned more wins than any other team in MLS. That’s true even despite the times it seemed we couldn’t get a point to save our you-know-whats.

"FC Dallas clinched first place! I’m not gonna say we called this, but we definitely called this…"

Our star players went through dry spells. For periods of the season, we weren’t sure if Diaz was materializing into the player we knew he could be (for what it’s worth, he completely proved his doubters wrong as the season went on). At other times, Hedges made us scratch our heads as he failed to make plays that we had become so accustomed to seeing him make.

Thankfully, both found their strides at various times throughout the season, along with a host of young, talented players that all seemed to step up when the moment was right.

Take for example the recent play of both Michael Barrios and David Texeira who have been crucial over the past month or so. Neither had a particularly good start to their campaigns, for glaringly different reasons.

Texeira, who I’ve blamed for disappearing into games and creating little impact, struggled to make his mark early in the season. Unlike players like Diaz and Castillo who always seemed a little raw, at times, I thought Texeira just seemed a little lost.

Barrios, however, had to take time to adjust to MLS. His pace has always been deadly, but it took him a few months to figure out how to use it to lethal effect within this FC Dallas offense.

Both, surprisingly, have been brilliant of late.

Other young, standout players stepped up for Oscar Pareja in what has been a season of youthful fruition. Players like Kellyn Acosta, Ryan Hollingshead, Victor Ulloa, and Zach Loyd have all shown why FC Dallas fans have been hopefully optimistic about their potential.