FC Dallas will not hit the field again until May 12 when they travel to Kansas City to face the Wizards. After the opening month of the season, a period in which they have played six games, most among all clubs in Major League Soccer, and come away with a 2-3-1 mark and seven points, they face their first extended break of the year with conflicting emotions.
On one hand, having just finished a three-game homestand in the past week and come away with a disappointing three points, the Hoops are ready for the break, especially after starting the 2007 regular season with three consecutive games away from home.
However, FCD comes off a pair of disappointing 1-0 defeats heading into the layoff. On Thursday, they fell to the New York Red Bulls after Bruce Arena's team came into Pizza Hut Park and controlled possession throughout.
Then on Sunday, the Hoops did a much better job in possession but couldn't convert that into any solid chances and fell 1-0 to New England. With Sunday's loss, FCD forwards Kenny Cooper and Carlos Ruiz, their top two scorers a year ago, have now failed to find the back of the net in four consecutive matches.
"I don't know if it's a welcome break," Cooper said. "We got off to a good start on the road and then we came back against Colorado at home and had a great result. We didn't follow that up (in the last two) and this isn't how we wanted to finish up before the break. But it is what it is and we have to move on positively. I think we're going to."
Despite the losses, FCD still finds itself tied for the lead in the Western Conference heading into this weekend.
"It's two things," right back Bobby Rhine said. "We've had two disappointing results at home, so we know we have some things that we need to work on, correct and remedy. At the same time, we're able to get a bit of rest for the guys that need it and get those injured guys back to full health."
Head coach Steve Morrow admitted the timing of the break would have been easier had his side claimed victory in at least one of their most recent games.
"It would have come at a good time if we had just won," Morrow said. "I know what it's like for the players as well. And for us as coaches, it's not easy heading into the break with two 1-0 losses at home. From that point of view, we would rather be back on the field and playing again."
Morrow does like the fact that the layoff will allow FCD to get some injured players nursed back to full health.
"It's been a tough schedule for us with six games in three weeks," Morrow said. "We've suffered a lot of injuries in that short space of time as well. From that regard, it's welcomed to have a little bit of time to get that recovery. We'd rather it was next Saturday and more of a regular schedule. But this will give us time to get some bodies back fit and to recharge our batteries a little bit."
Heading into the break with two losses in a row can be both good and bad. On one hand, those results could motivate the entire team to do better. While on the other side of that, having nearly two weeks off could allow the Hoops to dwell on those setbacks a bit.
"I think at this point, over the next week, we'll take a look at some video from the last few weeks and see some things we did well and some things we didn't do well," Rhine said. "Mostly, we will try to keep it positive. We will look at those issues that have popped up with the team and work on correcting them."
Morrow added: "We had a talk this morning. After defeats, I don't always say too much in the locker room. So, I thought it was important to address a few things this morning, which I did. Now, we can put things behind us a little bit.
"We'll look at the last few games with players and use this week as an opportunity to sit down with them individually and collectively as a group. We want to pick out some things that we think we can improve on and get better at."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
