Last Saturday, FC Dallas returned to MLS action with a 1-0 win against the Colorado Rapids at Pizza Hut Park. This weekend, they will look to make it two in a row when they host the Columbus Crew on Saturday night in Frisco.
On Tuesday, FCD defeated the Charleston Battery 2-1 in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match in Charleston with goals from center back Clarence Goodson and midfielder Arturo Alvarez. But while the Hoops advanced to the next round, they got a bit of bad news when midfielder Juan Toja suffered a high ankle sprain in the first half and had to leave the game.
Head coach Steve Morrow on Thursday announced that Toja would miss matches this weekend against the Crew and next weekend at Houston and could be out 2-4 weeks.
Where FCD enters Saturday's affair on a bit of a roll, Columbus comes off a scoreless draw at Chicago last Saturday. Their last win came on July 22 when they beat Toronto FC 2-0 at Crew Stadium, with both goals coming from Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
FCD hasn't won against Columbus since Oct. 5, 2005, when they defeated the Crew 2-1 in Frisco. Last year, the Crew won 2-1 at Pizza Hut Park on June 3, 2006, handing the Hoops their first home defeat of 2006 and in the return match on September 30, they sent FCD packing with a 3-1 setback at Crew Stadium.
Before the Hoops beat the Crew in 2005, their last win against them at home came on June 29, 2002, when the Dallas Burn defeated them 1-0 in overtime at the Cotton Bowl. All-time, FCD is 8-3-2 against Columbus at home but just 1-1-0 against them in Frisco.
Over the last couple of seasons, the Crew have been scuffling in the basement of the Eastern Conference, which makes FCD's recent record even more noteworthy. This year, however, the Crew have shot up the East table and would be in the MLS Cup Playoffs if the playoffs ended today.
"I think they've been solid," Morrow said. "Early on, they didn't score too many but they've been scoring more lately. They're a difficult team to play against because they're solid defensively. It's one of those teams that we've had mixed results against in recent years. It will be a difficult game for us."
Playing the Crew means that FCD will have to keep track of Schelotto the entire evening.
"He's done well," Morrow said. "He has had a few assists and has looked dangerous for them. I know Sigi (Schmid) has been very happy with his play. It's certainly one guy for us to look out for and to be aware of."
One player who was rested for FCD's Open Cup game was forward Carlos Ruiz. The Guatemalan international had suffered a bruised foot during SuperLiga and that ailment was still bothering him against the Rapids. Good news for Hoops fans is that he will likely start against the Crew.
"Carlos is fine," Morrow said on Thursday. "I felt that he needed a rest the other night. He trained today, so he's feeling a lot better."
Another FCD forward who will also be available is 19-year-old Brazilian Ricardinho, who suffered a hamstring injury in the SuperLiga match against the Los Angeles Galaxy on July 31 and hasn't played since. He trained on Friday and should be ready to play against Columbus.
Not in the lineup for FCD will be goalkeeper Dario Sala, who continues to be bothered by a nagging knee injury. He will be replaced by Ray Burse, who had a shutout in his MLS debut against the Rapids and played well in his first-team debut against CD Guadalajara in SuperLiga.
Morrow has options as far as replacing Toja. He could employ a three-man midfield with Dax McCarty, who leads the team with five assists, holding midfielder Pablo Ricchetti and defensive-minded Marcelo Saragosa. But Alvarez, who had three goals in SuperLiga plus another in the USOC, and has been playing the best soccer of his career, also figures into Morrow's plans if he doesn't continue in a wide attacking role.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
