Over the last five years, MLS has steadily drifted away from counterattacking soccer and toward more of a possession-based game.
FC Dallas and the Vancouver Whitecaps, however, buck that trend. Wednesday night's Western Conference Knockout Round between the two teams (9 pm ET; TSN1 in Canada, MLS LIVE in the US) is, thus, a throwback. They'll party like it's 2009, sitting deep when they have the ball and trying to get at it up the flanks, going fast and direct at goal.
Or … maybe not:
Which Dallas will we get?
Dallas are 2-4 when Blas Pérez and David Texeira, the preferred strike pairing of late, start together. This is an instance of the results aligning with the eye test: Perez and Texeira's lack of chemistry up top is undeniable, and the fact that they've been forced into an odd-couple pairing since Tesho Akindele hit the rookie wall speaks to Oscar Pareja's limited options.
Enter Mauro Díaz, a pure No. 10 who is a magical little unicorn:
Which team will win in the Knockout Round?
That's advanced chemistry between him and Perez, something missing from science class since April.
Beyond combining with his No. 9, Diaz also brings the ability to release the wingers into space if given an inch. Much of FCD's attack has been based upon the 1-v-1 skills of Fabián Castillo and Andrés Escobar, but both have been limited off-the-ball threats as the central midfield has veered more direct and utilitarian. That's been overlooked because we remember the wins over Seattle and LA (and yeah, one over Vancouver, too), and big results speak really, really loud.
Louder still? The fact that Dallas are just 4-5 in their last nine. They've been holding on for dear life instead of climbing.
So it's possible (I'm going to say "likely," even) a lineup and tactical shake-up will be the jolt Dallas need. They were 16th in MLS in possession at 46.9 percent in 2014, but with Díaz going 90 in the first seven games of the year, they were over 50 percent five times. Yes, they won each of those games.
As Jesse Marsch points out in the video above, Díaz probably isn't good for 90 in this one, and it's almost never a good idea to start a guy who you're going to need to burn a sub on.
But it is a good idea to play your best card first. Díaz is FCD's trump, their chance to use possession to their advantage, offer attacking thrust out of the central channel, and free up Castillo and Escobar to get behind the fullbacks instead of just running at them.
Tactical Outlook:4-2-3-1 with Díaz pulling the strings
X-factor: Dallas are second in MLS wth 14 set-piece goals
Clear and counter
Vancouver have a lot in common with Dallas, right down to the attacking midfield magician from South America. Pedro Morales is the man in British Columbia, worth every cent of his DP contract and one of the league's best at spreading the field of play. He punishes teams that either run extra men at him or are too slow to close him down.
Everything the 'Caps do runs though him, and the numbers show it: only one attacking player in the league (Javier Morales) had more touches, while only four guys created more chances.
The problem is that, more often than not, those chances went wanting:
Vancouver's attack in a nutshell right there. Also Vancouver's finishing in a nutshell, as the main strikers – Erik Hurtado and Darren Mattocks have alternated in the role – have combined for one goal in the last three months. They aren't going to win in a high-tempo shootout.
They can win – have won a bunch – with defense, however. The 'Caps enter this one with 393 straight minutes of shutout soccer, and only LA and Sporting KC allowed fewer shots on target than Vancouver's 140 this year.
Unlike those two teams, however, Vancouver do it by sitting back. No playoff team has more clearances in their own defensive third than the 'Caps, who use a forest of big defenders to shut down angles and force you to pump in hopeful crosses. To wit: Dallas averaged just 16 crosses per game this season, second-fewest in the league. But the last time these two teams met, on October 4, the 'Caps coaxed them into 24.
As far as strategies go it's not tika-taka, but it's been damn effective. The addition of Kendall Waston gives the team an anchor, and they've conceded less than a goal per game over the last four months.
Tactical Outlook: 4-2-3-1 with a deep line of confrontation
X-factor: right back Steven Beitashour's out with a hamstring pull. Big trouble, because that's Castillo's neighborhood
One more reason to watch:Kekuta freaking Manneh
