Parity in MLS: An FC Dallas Story

By Curry Goff | May 2, 2016

Apr 29, 2016; Harrison, NJ, USA; FC Dallas goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez (1) and FC Dallas defender Maynor Figueroa (31) stop a shot by New York Red Bulls midfielder Lloyd Sam (10) during first half at Red Bull Arena. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

FC Dallas (and the NFL Draft) reminded me this weekend of a humbling fact; the parity in MLS is incredible.

The term parity, when used in the sports world, means that any team in a league can beat any other team in that same league. Essentially, there isn’t that much that separates the very best team from the very worst team.

The opposite of this would be like the 3rd grade football team that was handed a ball from the womb and taught how to pass before they could walk taking on my cousin’s 3rd grade football team that was handed a ball on gameday and told to go “give it their best”. Try as they might, my cousin’s team is always going to lose…

The NFL draft is a great example of parity being shoved into the faces of fresh NFL athletes. They are coming from the NCAA where they dominated the men opposite them. They were significantly better than their opposition in nearly every instance.

That’s because there isn’t much parity in NCAA football. Sure, Appalachian State can beat Michigan once in a blue moon, but the vast majority of the time, good teams are really good and bad teams are really bad.

Then, those dominant college athletes come to the NFL, and they’re just another talented player in an already very talented pool. Even though there have been instances of NFL teams going undefeated, it’s the exception rather than the norm. Even though the Patriots are good, there’s always the possibility that they “could” lose to the Browns.

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I thought on this as I drowned my sorrows and watched the demolition of my beloved FC Dallas on Friday night at the hands of the New York Red Bulls. I watched as the team that two weeks ago was being vaunted as the early season favorite to win the MLS Cup was systematically demolished by a team that, up until a week before, hadn’t done anything significant, except underachieve the entire season.

Maybe NYRB isn’t the best team to use in this example, as they are perennial powerhouses in the MLS, but bare with me for a moment.

Last week, I was ready to dismiss FC Dallas’ loss to Vancouver as a touch of bad luck. The ball didn’t bounce the right way. The team was fatigued. Their mattresses weren’t comfortable. The sun was in their eyes. Whatever.

This week’s throttling by New York, however, reminded me that no matter how good I believe this team is, they can be beaten on any day by any team.

In many ways, I should have expected this. It seems to happen every year, and I’m always shocked when it does. We start strong, we beat teams we aren’t supposed to beat, and then we shockingly lose to a team that we’re meant to destroy.

Even as I type this, I can’t fathom the inevitability of it, even though I see it over and over. The truth remains, however, that my beloved FC Dallas is a talented team in a talented league. Whether it be the Vancouver Whitecaps, New York Red Bulls, or Houston Dynamo, this team is capable of losing at any time.

Thankfully, the opposite is also true. They’re capable of winning at any time as well, but that’s not the point when you’re a better than average team.

Next: FC Dallas Unlucky in Loss to Vancouver

The truth about parity is that it builds up the underdog, and it looms over the favorite. That’s a burden FC Dallas could be carrying the majority of this season.