Last Sunday, FC Dallas opened the month of June with a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, a setback that dropped them into fifth place in the MLS Western Conference standings. It was the first of five June matches for FCD, four of which will be on the road.
On Friday, the Hoops play at New England, a place where they have lost four in a row dating back to their last Gillette Stadium win on July 16, 2003. FCD already lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to the Revs, thanks to a second-half goal by Khano Smith on April 24.
The Hoops will then host Brimstone Cup rival Chicago on June 15, a side against whom the Hoops currently have a 10-match home unbeaten streak. The Fire tied FCD 1-1 at Pizza Hut Park last September but haven't won in north Texas since July 4, 1999, when they prevailed 2-1 against the Dallas Burn at the Cotton Bowl.
Six days later, a trip to Giants Stadium looms to face the New York Red Bulls, a team FCD beat 2-0 in Frisco on April 12. FCD is 7-6-1 all-time at Giants Stadium but has dropped two of their last three matches there.
And FCD will finish out the month on June 26 at Houston, a place where the Hoops have never won. They did tie the Dynamo 3-3 on April 6 but are 0-4-1 all-time at Robertson Stadium in league play. On May 28, the sides played to a 2-2 draw in Frisco.
"We look at New England coming up and our last run of games has been difficult," said FCD interim head coach Marco Ferruzzi. "In terms of the time and preparation, we've just been rolling into the next game and opponents and it's been amidst a period of transition as well. It's been demanding but I think everybody has responded well."
Ferruzzi sees the month as an important test for FCD.
"This is a great month in terms of testing our mental strength and mental fitness," he said. "This is something that we're going to have to draw upon later, look at what we've been through, it was tough and we responded well. Could we have scrapped out more points there? Maybe we could have but what could've gotten better? Under some duress, the guys have fought through and pulled together as a group. We're going to use that for advantages later as well."
Although daunting, the month ahead is still a great chance to show what the Hoops are made of.
"I think over the course of the last three games, there are certainly things that we can take away from each game in a positive light," midfielder Bobby Rhine said. "Going on the road, we're going to need to reflect on those things. We have a difficult schedule this month, going to New England, New York and Houston, all tough places to play. Particularly with New England and New York, you've got such long travel."
Rhine was quick to credit Ferruzzi for keeping things simple since he took over as interim head coach about three weeks ago.
"We know it will be tough but at the same time, I think Marco has done an excellent job of keeping things positive and simplifying things in terms of what we focus and concentrate on," Rhine said. "I think it's shown in spells and is something we want to continue to build upon."
The Hoops are winless in their last three road encounters, the last win away from Pizza Hut Park coming April 20, a 2-0 triumph against Chivas USA. Forward Dominic Oduro, who has scored four times in FCD's last four games, said the team needs to put their past results behind them.
"We have a lot of games on the road and some tough ones coming up," Oduro said. "Right now, we're not really happy with where we are in the table. But we know that going forward, we will need to forget about everything and play better. I hope that we can come together because all isn't lost but it is going bad right now. Hopefully we can get it together and start playing some better soccer."
FCD defender Drew Moor admits that having so many road matches in June is tough but not an impossible stretch for the Hoops.
"Playing on the road is a little bit different with the traveling and all," Moor said. "I think we go to the East Coast a couple of times and then down to Houston. That always makes the schedule a little bit tougher. But to be honest, in the last couple of years, we have fared pretty well on the road. We do all the right things and are professional about it. It's nice to go on the road and get points. That's what we're going to look to do."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
