Less than two weeks after they fell to the New York Red Bulls 3-0 at Giants Stadium, FC Dallas gets a return match against the lone team in MLS yet to allow a goal when the Hoops play host to them on ESPN Primetime Thursday at Pizza Hut Park (ESPN2, 7 p.m. CT).
And make no mistake about it - FCD has revenge on their collective minds.
"Of all the games this year I think we have played pretty well in three of the four, but that was the one that we were really disappointed with our performance," said FCD center back Clarence Goodson. "It's time to set it right. It's as simple as that."
FCD comes off a 3-1 win against Colorado last Sunday in Frisco, in which midfielder Ramon Nunez scored twice, while New York defeated reigning MLS Cup champion Houston 1-0 on Saturday, getting their lone goal from Jozy Altidore. The 17-year-old netted his second tally of the year after also scoring in the April 15 win against FCD.
Saturday's result marked the third consecutive clean sheet by the Red Bulls thus far this season, a fact that hasn't escaped FCD head coach Steve Morrow or his players.
"They have good stats and you can't argue with those," Morrow said. "They've been playing well defensively. But I don't think it's just the back line. As a team, they're a lot better organized this year and everyone seems to know their roles. Everyone is defending well as a team. Hopefully we can put an end to that [Thursday] night."
Goodson agreed. "Anyone that hasn't allowed a goal yet is pretty surprising in a league that has a lot of goals," he said. "They've done well and have had some good results. Anytime you put up donuts in this league, it's a good result."
The Red Bulls are one of three teams with seven points at this point in the season -- along with FCD and the Chicago Fire. FCD has, however, played one more game.
"Someone asked me the other day if there were a few teams that surprised me and I said [the Red Bulls] were one of them," Morrow said. "They had a few acquisitions in the offseason and they have settled in pretty quickly. So far, I would say they have been better than I would have expected."
New York last faced FCD in Frisco on July 8, 2006 and the Hoops jumped on the Red Bulls early with Dominic Oduro netting his first career MLS goal in the second minute and David Wagenfuhr adding his first league tally in the 33rd of a 2-1 victory. FCD would like to draw first blood against them yet again.
"Anytime you can score early and jump on teams, it really changes the game," Goodson said. "We try and do that every game. It would be great to get out there, score an early goal, take control of the game and have a good game."
The FCD boss will likely trot out the same starting 11 that he used on Sunday for Thursday night's affair but the week wasn't without some drama for one of those players, starting goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.
Early in the week, Hislop experienced flu-like symptoms and took it easy on Monday and Tuesday. Then, on Tuesday evening, as a round of fierce thunderstorms moved through the Dallas area, a 60-foot tree fell on his house, causing considerable roof damage and forcing him to miss Wednesday's training because he had to meet with insurance adjusters.
After training on Wednesday, Morrow emphasized that he expected Hislop to be available and expected to get him in for a training session later that day.
As for the rest of the lineup, it should feature a back line of Drew Moor on the right, Goodson and Alex Yi in the middle with Chris Gbandi on the left. The FCD midfield could consist of Juan Toja, Dax McCarty, who got his first career MLS assist on Sunday, Nunez and either Arturo Alvarez or Aaron Pitchkolan. Nunez will likely play directly behind the two strikers in Morrow's 4-3-1-2 formation.
Up top, captain Carlos Ruiz, one of three FCD players with two goals already this year, looks to be fully healed from the hamstring issues that limited him against the Rapids. He will likely start alongside Kenny Cooper, who has two goals and one assist this season.
However, earlier in the week, Morrow said that Oduro will get his first start of the year in the near future. Whether or not it happens this week for the young striker remains up in the air. The Hoops will once again have a quick turnaround following Thursday's game, as they play host to the New England Revolution on Sunday.
One player who will not yet be available for FCD is Argentinean midfielder Pablo Ricchetti, as the club is still awaiting his visa approval. He and the Hoops have agreed in principle to a contract but Ricchetti can't officially be added to the roster until the necessary paperwork comes through. It's a process that is frustrating for Morrow.
"I don't want to talk about that," he said. "I look around the league and there are other players coming in like Juan Pablo Angel (in New York) and (Guillermo Barros) Schelotto (in Columbus), who are close to getting their visas within two days and we've been going for two weeks and still no news. It's very frustrating."
What is proving most frustrating is that Morrow and the FCD brass are doing all they can to speed the process along.
"There's nothing we can do," Morrow said. "We're making calls and trying to go through the league to find out where the process is at.
"It's very frustrating for us and for Pablo as well. He needs to get his family up here. He misses his family. He really shouldn't leave the country while the process is going on. It should be any day. Juan Toja's (visa) didn't take this long. We're surprised and frustrated."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
