It has been a busy week for FC Dallas.
Saturday evening's match with D.C. United at RFK Stadium will mark their fourth in the last seven days, but just their first against MLS competition.
The Hoops fell to Tigres UANL last Saturday in Monterrey and again to their Mexican partner club 1-0 on Wednesday at Pizza Hut Park. In between, FCD edged USL First Division side Atlanta Silverbacks on penalty kicks in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open match on Monday.
The busy schedule isn't ideal against United, one of the league's strongest teams.
"I watched their last game," said FCD assistant coach Oscar Pareja. "(Luciano) Emilio is a guy who has played very well, someone who can put the ball in the net and is relieving some of the pressure off Jaime Moreno."
Pareja added: "Christian Gomez always is someone you have to take care of and Fred is a good player who works hard. I think they are one of the strongest teams in MLS and it will be a good test for us to go up there and play them."
For FC Dallas, one way to counter the potent United attack could be to stay on the attack. Captain Carlos "Fish" Ruiz netted his first goal since April 12 in the 74th minute against the Silverbacks and the Guatemalan international was clearly relieved to finally find the back of the net again.
"It felt good because I am under pressure," Ruiz said. "I am a forward and have to score goals. I scored the other night against Atlanta, but have to score more. We have a tough game tomorrow and if I score against them, it will be great."
All-time FCD are 4-6-2 against United in the nation's capital. The sides played to a 1-1 draw there last year; FCD last won at RFK on May 28, 2005 with Ruiz scoring in the 49th and 56th minutes as they left town with a 2-0 road victory.
Saturday's match will feature two first-year head coaches in FCD's Steve Morrow and D.C.'s Tom Soehn, a former Dallas player. So far, this year, Morrow is 3-1-0 against fellow first-year coaches, having beaten Kansas City, Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA.
Morrow was not at training Friday as he was in Boston for unspecified reasons and will join the team in Washington.
The FCD boss clearly has some options for his starting 11 for Saturday. Dario Sala will start in goal, and the back line should feature Chris Gbandi on the left and Clarence Goodson in the middle.
But with Alex Yi out for at least a month with a hamstring injury, Morrow could use Drew Moor on the right and Aaron Pitchkolan in the middle or put Moor into the middle and use veteran Bobby Rhine on the right side.
Morrow could also give Adrian Serioux the start at center back, which would mark his FCD debut. That, however, depends on Serioux's match fitness. The Canadian played 60 minutes in each leg of the Tigres series but right now, it's unclear if he is completely match fit.
In the midfield, all-star Juan Toja and Pablo Ricchetti are fixtures but the question will be whether it is Arturo Alvarez or Ramon Nunez who joins them. Up top, Morrow will likely opt for Ruiz alongside Abe Thompson but Dominic Oduro is a great option off the bench.
FCD last faced an MLS side on July 4, when they beat Chivas USA 2-0 at Pizza Hut Park. They got goals from Nunez in the 41st minute, a blast nominated for Sierra Mist Goal of the Week, and Oduro in the 83rd.
But that win is clearly in their rearview mirror as the Hoops are focused on the task at hand -- facing D.C., a side they have much respect for.
"DC is always a great team and one of the best in the league," said Ruiz. "They have great players like Jaime Moreno and Ben Olsen. I think we have the team to do well against them (Saturday)."
Saturday's game carries more weight for FCD because in-state rival Houston has now stormed ahead of them in the Western standings thanks to a 4-0 win over Chicago on Thursday.
"Well, it's an important game since Houston has leapfrogged us in the standings," said Thompson. "D.C. has a potent offense with their new additions and the guys that they return from last year.
"So, it's going to be important for us to continue to play well defensively with the shutouts that we've had in the last few games. We have to be extra focused on offense and finish a little better than we have been."
For Gbandi and the FCD back line, playing United makes for a tough day because of the free-flowing brand of football they are known for.
"The soccer that they play is so tough," Gbandi said. "Even with the new changes, not much has changed. They still try to knock the ball around and have so many guys moving.
"From a defensive standpoint, it's kind of tough because you never know where they're going to be. I think we have guys here who can get at their back four and it's up to us in the back to stop their attacks."
Saturday's match will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
