The surprising first-round playoff loss by FC Dallas to the Colorado Rapids a year ago has been well-documented. But the Hoops head into this weekend's first leg of the MLS Western Conference Semifinals against the Rapids not ready to soon forget about their playoff disappointment of a year ago, but rather looking to set things right.
"Last year, we fell short," said FCD midfielder Ronnie O'Brien. "I think it was because of hard work and determination. We went up there and the 0-0 (in the first leg) wasn't a good result, had our chances to win here and didn't. It was a painful lesson to learn, especially for the young boys. Hopefully, this year we have learned our lesson. We have had a good season and can march into the playoffs pretty strong."
Fellow midfielder and captain Simo Valakari echoes O'Brien's sentiment about this year's squad.
"I've said it since day one, this team is a stronger squad and we have more depth," Valakari said. "We have been together one more year and that has helped us with the team concept. We play better with one another because we know everyone better. It's a different team this year. They (Colorado) knocked us out (of the playoffs) last year and we respect them. We know that they are a good playoff team. It won't be easy, but it will be a good series."
In the regular season, FCD went 3-0-1 against the Rapids, winning twice in Frisco, 1-0 on June 24 and 4-1 on July 29. On August 30, the Hoops also won 2-0 in Denver, where the sides had previously played to a 2-2 draw on April 15.
Colorado hits the postseason fresh off a 3-3 draw at Houston last Saturday. FCD comes off a 5-2 loss at the Los Angeles Galaxy, also last Saturday.
But FCD head coach Colin Clarke is quick to dismiss last week's loss since his squad really didn't have anything to play for since the Hoops had clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a 2-1 win against L.A. the week prior at Pizza Hut Park.
"They (our players) are looking forward to the playoffs," Clarke said. "Last Saturday was a game too many. I would put a lot into the game before knowing that we had to beat L.A. here at home to knock them out and get home-field advantage in the playoffs. I think we suffered from that last Saturday. They're going to be ready."
Last fall, the Hoops traveled to Denver for the first leg and left with a scoreless result in a hard-fought match. In the return leg, FCD forward Carlos Ruiz scored twice, in the 67th and 105th minutes for the hosts, but Colorado's Ritchie Kotschau leveled the match at 2-2 in the 106th and it was headed to penalty kicks. The Rapids were perfect on all five of their attempts while FCD converted only four and Colorado advance to the Western Conference Championship.
One thing the FCD players have done is to use last season's setback to the Rapids as motivation for this campaign.
"It's like anything you do in life," Valakari said. "You get the little setbacks and you either learn from them or dwell on them. I think we have learned from that. We have learned that you have to work hard and do the little things well in the playoffs. We have strong players and strong character and have done everything in our power to be ready for this moment."
For O'Brien, it's all about respect. "Dallas has always sort of been an underdog in this league," he said. "No matter how well we're doing, people always think we're going to fall on our face (in the playoffs). Last year, we did and went through a bad patch of games. This year, we didn't do that so much. Hopefully that means were a bit stronger mentally this year and can go on, get to the conference final and MLS Cup Final here."
FCD will head to Colorado with leading scorer Ruiz hitting his offensive groove and fellow striker Abe Thompson, who has played very well down the stretch, also ready to contribute in his MLS playoff debut.
In the midfield, O'Brien is always a threat to create and to finish as one of the top right-sided players in the league. On the left, Dallas native Kenny Cooper has performed well all season and was second on FCD with 11 goals in the regular season. Valakari and Richard Mulrooney will anchor the center of the park.
Admittedly, the Hoops back four come off one of their poorest performances of the season last Saturday against the Galaxy, but Clarke isn't likely to deviate from the normal lineup of Chris Gbandi on the left, Bobby Rhine on the right with Drew Moor and Greg Vanney in the middle.
In goal, things are not quite so settled. Shaka Hislop has started the last four games between the posts for FCD but Dario Sala, who started every game in the regular season before suffering a calf injury on Sept. 16 at Real Salt Lake, has been training this week and will also be available for selection. Clarke's decision could come after training on Friday or even as late as Friday night after the team has arrived in the Mile High City.
Temperatures in Denver are forecast to be in the 30s with the possibility of snow for Saturday's match. But that is no concern to Valakari.
"It doesn't come into play," he said. "You just have to play and we love it. It adds something to the game as well. It's the same for both teams. That's just the playoffs. It can rain cats and dogs, but you just have to go out and play for 90 minutes."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
