FC Dallas: Familiar Territory Atop The Western Conference

By Curry Goff | Apr 20, 2016

Apr 17, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; FC Dallas forward Mauro Rosales (77) and defender Maynor Figueroa (31) and forward Fabian Castillo (11) and midfielder Victor Ulloa (8) celebrate the goal by Rosales against Sporting Kansas City during the second half at the Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: FC Dallas defeats Sporting Kansas City 2-1. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Death. Taxes. FC Dallas racing out to a blazing start in the MLS season. Three of the more inevitable things in life.

Like in years past, FCD has jumped out of the starting blocks and raced up the Western Conference standings. Through eight games, Oscar Pareja and company find themselves where they left off last season, first place in the West.

They’ve done it on the road. They’ve done it at home. They’ve done it with their star players from last year, and they’ve done it with fresh faces. Whichever way you look at it, this team has lived up to every task and mustered up a fine start to their 2016 campaign. The constant tinkerman, head coach Oscar Pareja, has once again conjured up a winning side.

This week, in particular, displayed the heart and determination that is at the core of FC Dallas’ play under Pareja. With CONCACAF Champions League play looming later in the season, FCD’s schedule is frontloaded. That meant that an earlier than expected double gameweek popped up last week on the schedule.

Not only did three games in eight days sound like a daunting task, but so did playing the likes of San Jose (home), Portland (away), and Sporting KC (home) in that time frame.

San Jose hasn’t always been a difficult game for FC Dallas, but with Chris Wondolowski scoring for fun this season, it is and will continue to be no small task. Portland and Sporting KC, on the other hand, have long chronicled histories with FC Dallas, neither of which is terribly pleasant.

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Both are teams that FCD never really matches up well against. There will be the occasional game where Dallas will earn a tactical victory over either, but more often than not, the matchups are not that favorable for FC Dallas.

Plus, many fans are still licking their wounds after last year’s playoff drubbing to Portland.

This week offered an opportunity to rectify any wrongdoings and stake claim to the top spot in the Western Conference…and it didn’t start off well.

A 2-2 draw against San Jose wasn’t exactly how you would have drawn up the start of the three game adventure. I figured a win against San Jose was the most likely, while a trip to Portland looked like a draw at best, and a visit from Sporting KC was always going to be difficult. You had to get a win against San Jose, surely…

Never wanting to stick to the script, FC Dallas rebounded and went out to Portland and stole an impressive, smash-and-grab victory over the Timbers by the same 3-1 scoreline they had lost by in the first game of last season’s playoff series. As far as I’m concerned, that’s redemption at its finest.

Then, when Sporting KC came into town to challenge for the top spot in the West, FC Dallas stormed (no weather pun intended) back from a goal down to win a thriller last night, 2-1.

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The win, coming without the help of Matt Hedges, Carlos Gruezo, and Mauro Diaz, helped solidify the boys atop the Western Conference standings. There may be a dip in form to follow, as that is our style in years past, but for now, FCD is flying high and winning in all kinds of circumstances. It’s hard not to feel pretty good about where this team stands at the moment.