The season might be just more than a quarter complete, but already, FC Dallas looks to be a better team on the road than a year ago.
Last year, the Hoops won just four times away from Pizza Hut Park. The 2007 version of the club has already played on the road five times and have an impressive 3-1-1 mark heading into this weekend's encounter with Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center.
FCD second-year midfielder Dax McCarty feels that FCD's road success thus far boils down to one thing: head coach Steve Morrow and a new mindset he has helped to facilitate.
"I really think it's all down to Steve's mentality," McCarty said. "He gives us free rein to go forward and press for wins. We never go into a stadium looking for a tie. We're always looking to win. It's down to him and all the players, too."
After opening the season with a 2-2 draw at Real Salt Lake, FCD traveled on April 12 to The Home Depot Center, a building where they had never beaten the Los Angeles Galaxy since the facility opened in 2003. FCD responded with a 2-1 win.
The Hoops exorcised another demon by winning 2-1 on May 12 at Kansas City. That represented FCD's first win at Arrowhead Stadium since 1999. Just five days later, they traveled to Chicago and came away from the Windy City with a 2-1 victory, the first time in club history that the Hoops had won in Chicago in consecutive seasons.
"I think everyone is acting differently than last year. Everyone supports each other and helps each other out both on and off the field and the atmosphere is different," said Arturo Alvarez. "[Morrow is] putting into our minds that we need to have a winning mentality all the time. The guys have done a good job on that and you can tell by the results that we have gotten."
FCD is currently riding a three-match winning streak and another victory on Saturday at Chivas USA would put them at 4-0 in May for only the second time in club history. The Hoops haven't won at Chivas since May 22, 2005 when they beat the then-expansion side 5-2.
"It definitely comes down to our mental toughness and being able to handle the atmospheres of other stadiums. We also have to adjust to the playing surfaces," McCarty said. "Steve tells us to play like we would at home - go forward, create chances, score goals and we'll worry about the defending when it comes."
But even though FCD currently has more wins on the road than at home in 2007, that doesn't mean that the Hoops have been terrible at home. Their consecutive 1-0 losses to New York and New England came to two of the best teams in the East, and the 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake on Sunday evened their Pizza Hut Park record at 2-2.
"I think we have to play better at home to be honest," said left back Chris Gbandi, who scored the game-winner against RSL in the 82nd minute. "We seem to play comfortably on the road. But I think once we realize that this is our place and if we do well in the regular season, then people are going to have to come here in the playoffs and beat us. We have to take care of business at home."
Last year, FCD weren't defeated at home until June 3 and lost just three times in Frisco all year. But on a more positive note, the 2006 Hoops got their fifth win of the season on May 20, a 4-0 home blanking of New England. This year's fifth win also came on May 20 with Sunday's win against RSL.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
