Last Saturday's 2-0 win against Toronto FC was definitely not pretty for FC Dallas. The Hoops got both of their goals off penalty kicks and to their own admission, know they didn't deliver their best effort in the victory. On Saturday, when they head to Gillette Stadium to face New England, FCD knows they will have to perform much better if they hope to beat the Revolution on their home field for the first time since 2003.
While the Hoops come off a win last week, the Revs head into Saturday's affair just six days removed from a 4-2 loss to DC United at RFK Stadium. The defending Eastern Conference champs will be without head coach Steve Nicol, who was sent off in the 68th minute on Sunday after protesting a non-call before United's third goal. With or without Nicol, the Hoops know that anytime they play the Revs, it will be a hard-fought match.
"They're coming off a tough result against D.C. and I think they will be looking to bounce back from it," said FCD midfielder Dax McCarty. "They came here a few months ago and got a 1-0 result against us. So, we look to go in there and get one right back."
FCD head coach Steve Morrow saw some things in Sunday's match that he feels the Hoops can use to their benefit.
"We looked closely at the game and at ways that we can expose them based on what we saw," Morrow said. "We feel like we can go up there with our gameplan and cause them some problems. We know we need to be solid defensively, which we've done a lot of work on this week."
As both teams chase trophies this year, the game is important on two levels. First, it will provide a preview of the U.S. Open Cup Final, to be played between the clubs on Oct. 3 at Pizza Hut Park. But the contest will also have a bearing on the positioning for the MLS Cup Playoffs.
On Thursday, Chivas USA beat Super Clasico rival LA Galaxy 3-0 and moved atop the MLS Western Conference table for the time being with 43 points. FCD has 39 points, three behind Houston Dynamo, who currently sits in second with 42 points.
"It's going to be a tough game," said FCD captain and forward Carlos Ruiz. "They are one of the best teams in the league. We have to go there and play well. We have to win this game because Chivas played last night and won against LA."
"It's a big game for us," added FCD right back Drew Moor. "We come off a good result against Toronto and want to carry that into this weekend. We have three games in eight days coming up and want to get that off to a good start. This is an important three points to get."
Anytime FCD plays the Revs, one player's name comes to mind -- New England striker Taylor Twellman, who has 14 goals in 15 games against them. On April 29 in Frisco, Twellman struck again, scoring in the 13th minute as the Revs handed the Hoops a 1-0 defeat in a devastating loss for the host side.
"He (Twellman) is a good player, a good goal scorer," Morrow said. "With all players of his quality, we have to be well concentrated. We've spoken about keeping him quiet in and around the box. We have to mark him tightly and try to stop the service into him as well."
Moor agreed. "Twellman is very good at what he does," he said. "He finds little gaps, plays off your shoulder, is always off your blind spot and makes it very difficult for you to pick him up. He finds those little gaps and holes in dangerous spots.
"We just need to stay tight against him and communicate with each other to let everyone know where he is. We can't give him any freedom because if he gets a little gap, he's going to put it away."
New England heads into the match without Nicol but FCD could also have an integral part of their success absent as well in all-star midfielder Juan Toja. The Colombian international played 89 minutes last Saturday but suffered a knock to his ankle in pregame warmups. He was in and out of training this week but was noticeably absent from a short workout on Friday.
"He's still questionable," Morrow said. "We're resting his ankle and seeing how he goes with that. We're not taking any risks and will see how he is after today."
Morrow also said that the status of center back Adrian Serioux is also in question. He played all 90 minutes for the Canadian national team on Wednesday in a 1-1 draw against Costa Rica and was mostly doing work on the side on Friday. He will travel with the team.
"He's had a tough few days," Morrow said. "He did a recovery session today. He played 90 minutes the other night and had a long flight back. We're being very careful with him and making sure he's in the right condition."
However, the injury news isn't all bad as the Hoops will get back two starters who missed last weekend's win against Toronto FC. Morrow held out both center back Clarence Goodson and Ruiz as precautionary measures and both are now ready to go.
Goodson suffered a concussion in a 2-1 win against Seattle in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal on Sept. 4. He has trained all week with no issue and will likely start. The same can be said for Ruiz, who experienced some knee soreness after the Open Cup win and missed the TFC match.
"Right now, I feel much better," he said. "I was talking with the doctor and he said it would be OK for the rest of the season."
FCD has lost three consecutive matches against the Revs at Gillette Stadium and all-time sport a 1-4-0 mark there. Their lone positive result came on July 16, 2003 when they handed New England a 2-1 defeat.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
