Last week's home-and-away series with Chivas USA didn't exactly turn out as well as FC Dallas had hoped. The Hoops came away with just one out of a possible six points after a 1-1 draw last Saturday at The Home Depot Center, then a disappointing 1-0 loss on Wednesday night at Pizza Hut Park.
But that is ancient history and FCD must now focus on the task at hand - a Saturday trip to face Real Salt Lake. A Hoops victory would clinch a playoff spot for them and also get them back on track after a pair of lackluster performances against Chivas USA.
FCD head coach Colin Clarke knows his club must learn from their mistakes against Chivas USA and then forget about those results.
"(On Wednesday), we had too many people have an off night with the ball and we didn't move it well," Clarke said. "It's one of those things. We'll learn from it, completely forget about it and move on."
The Hoops still lead the MLS Western Conference standings with 46 points, seven ahead of second-place Houston, who faces Chivas USA in the Bayou City on Sunday night.
RSL, on the other hand, are fighting for their playoff lives. With 33 points, Real are five points out of the fourth and final playoff spot in the West as both Chivas USA and Colorado are tied with 38 points apiece.
That will make Saturday's match with FCD much more meaningful and that is fine with Clarke.
"This is good stuff," he said. "It's like playoff soccer because the games mean something, which is what everyone has wanted. They're going to be fighting for every point as are we. We have five games left, want to win all five and are looking for as many points as we can get."
Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Chivas USA was especially painful for the Hoops because they outshot their foes by a margin of more than 2-1.
But not even gaining a man advantage after Chivas USA striker Jesus Morales was sent off in the 76th minute, following his second yellow card within four minutes, could give FCD the boost they needed. The Hoops mustered only four shots against Chivas over the final quarter hour.
FCD had their chances offensively, but they just weren't falling. One player who had a different view of Wednesday's loss was all-star midfielder Richard Mulrooney, given a night off by Clarke. He noticed many things his team can improve on.
"Everything (we can improve on), the simple things like passing, controlling and moving of the ball," he said. "Also we can do better on the more complicated things like changing men in the run of play, crisscrossing our runs offensively and everything needs to get better. It's not something specific that isn't working, it's everything."
Mulrooney will certainly return to central midfield on Saturday as his normal playing partner, captain Simo Valakari, will sit out the Real Salt Lake game because of yellow card accumulation. He will take on Valakari's role as a defensive force in the middle.
"I'll probably be sitting a little more and distributing," Mulrooney said. "I'll also take on his role of breaking up plays and not letting them break down the middle. It's not that Simo (Valakari) plays a totally different position than I do, he just sits back a little more. I might have to do it this time so we can put more attacking players in front of me. I'm comfortable with that."
The Hoops have not lost to RSL this year. On April 5, they beat them 2-1 in Frisco with Mark Wilson getting the game-winner on his first career MLS tally. Then, on July 22 in Salt Lake, the sides looked set to finish in a scoreless draw before second-year FCD forward Abe Thompson scored his first goal of the year in second half stoppage time, allowing FCD to steal the three points on the road.
"It (Salt Lake) is a place where we've done well," said center back Drew Moor. "We did well up there last time shutting down guys like (Jeff) Cunningham and Andy Williams. We look to do the same this time. Saturday is a new day and we just need to stick together, play hard and get back on a winning streak."
With Valakari out, Clarke will likely keep Marcelo Saragosa in the center alongside Mulrooney with Ronnie O'Brien, who has played well since getting over a hamstring injury that limited him earlier in the year, and Ramon Nunez on the flanks.
Up top, it will be Kenny Cooper, who leads FCD with nine goals, and Carlos Ruiz, who hasn't scored since a 2-1 home win over Chivas USA on June 11.
Dario Sala, the team's starting goalkeeper for the entire season except for a U.S. Open Cup match at Houston, will be between the posts. In the back, Clarke has stuck with Chris Gbandi on the left and Bobby Rhine on the right. But in the middle, he has run a number of players in and out of the lineup to find out who he will go with in the playoffs.
On Wednesday, it was Greg Vanney and Alex Yi. Moor, who has started 22 games this year, is a possibility, especially since he hasn't played since a 2-1 win at Colorado on Aug. 30. Also in the mix are Clarence Goodson, who has played well as of late, Vanney and Yi.
"Drew (Moor) has had a long season," Clarke said. "Greg (Vanney) had a little bit of a break for a few games. We're giving Drew a little break and going to see how he does when he comes back."
Saturday's game (kickoff is at 8 p.m. CT) is the first of a home-and-home between the clubs. They will meet in Frisco in a week's time in the return match.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
