With their 2-1 win against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night, FC Dallas not only ended a 330-minute scoreless streak with rookie forward Dominic Oduro's goal in the second minute, but also closed the ended the book on a three-game losing streak.
Still, while the Hoops lead the Western Conference, there are some areas of concern as the season enters its second half. One area is the high number of goals that FCD has given up right before halftime. In their first 17 games this season, the Hoops have surrendered nine goals between the 31st and 45th minutes, more than they have allowed at any other interval.
In three of their five losses so far this season, the opposition has scored within that window, including when Houston scored three times right before the half in their 4-3 win against FCD on May 13. In the five games that the Hoops have allowed a goal just before the break, they have won only once, a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake in Frisco on April 8.
FC Dallas head coach Colin Clarke is well aware of the trend.
"I don't think there's a reason behind it," Clarke said. "It's something we're aware of. Our concentration has to be better right before halftime when we head into the locker room."
One possible explanation is that FCD has scored six goals between the 16th and 30th minute, meaning that they are most susceptible to giving up a goal right after they have found the back of the net. That theory makes sense to defender Drew Moor.
"Teams are most vulnerable right after they score," Moor said. "We don't want to be one of those teams. It's kind of the nature of the game. When the other team gets scored on, they want to come back and level the score. That's something that we can't let happen."
Fellow defenders Chris Gbandi and Greg Vanney think it all boils down to focus.
"I guess you could say it happens because of a little lack of concentration (just before halftime)," Gbandi said. "You're at that point in the game where you're right before the half and guys tend to let up a little bit around then."
Vanney agreed. "In the history of the sport, I've always heard that in the first and last 5-10 minutes of each half are where goals are given up the most. It's totally a concentration thing."
While the Hoops have given up the bulk of their goals right before the half, they have also scored the bulk of their goals in the final 15 minutes. That is something that hasn't escaped Clarke's ever-watchful eye.
"It shows that we're getting stronger at the end of games," he said. "Heading into the season, we talked about scoring a goal and not giving one up (right after). We've done a better job of holding onto the lead and not doing that this year."
Vanney feels that allowing goals before the break is just human nature.
"It's human nature that when you get tired, your mind relaxes," he said. "I think it's a matter of training that guys have to realize that you can't let your mind relax at any point during a game. It's OK to let your body relax at points in the game, but your mind can't relax. It's more of a personal exercise for each player. It's got to become a habit."
But Gbandi sees such goals as a confidence killer heading into the locker room at halftime.
"The first and last 10-15 minutes of a half are important," Gbandi said. "You want to go into the half strong and energized. But when you give up goals right before halftime, you go in with your head down because you just gave up a goal. It's something we need to work on."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
