FRISCO, Texas—With the Fabian Castillo transfer saga now firmly in FC Dallasā rearview mirror following his move to Turkish club Trabzonspor, the question of how he is replaced on the pitch remains.
While Castilloās numbers werenāt overwhelming in 2016 (five goals, five assists in 22 games), he still brought a dynamic to the field with blazing speed that by itself gave opposing backlines fits and will certainly be tough to replicate.
āFabian was special and unique,ā head coach Oscar Pareja told MLSsoccer.com. āBut thereās many other players who will step up and do what is good for the group.ā
While Pareja acknowledged Castilloās speed is unmatchable on his roster, the coach remains confident in the depth of his team to fill the void.
Specifically, he believes the verstile Ryan Hollingshead capable of holding down the fort.
āHeās a guy thatās been helping us in different spots, but weāve used him in the past as a left and right winger,ā Pareja said. āRyan has done it before – in fact in my first year, he played mostly there. He has the talent to do it for sure.ā
Hollingshead has played the winger role opposite of Michael Barrios ever since Castillo uprooted and went to Turkey unannounced following the teamās U.S. Open Cup win in Houston on July 20.
In the ensuing match against Colorado, Hollingshead put up three shots – more than any game since the beginning of June – and seemed to embrace the more active attacking role.
āI donāt know if you can say thereās more or less responsibility. Thereās just a lot that needs to be done – a different type of weight,ā Hollingshead told MLSsoccer.com. āThe responsibility is to score goals and get us on the stat sheet. Things change as far as what your priority is, but theyāre equally as important and equally as necessary.ā
Neither Pareja nor Hollingshead entertained the thought of stacking up next to Castillo – something that is next to impossible considering the sheer difference in athleticism between the two.
But that isnāt stopping Hollingshead from feeling confident about some big shoes to fill.
āThereās a lot of different types of wingers out there that offer different things and parts of the game,ā Hollingshead said. āI just try to bring what I have and my skillset to the table and be my own player and not try to formulate my game too much after other guys.
āThereās some parts of that I canāt do. Iām not as fast as Fabi. Heās special. Heās faster than any guy Iāve ever played with. You just have to focus on what you do well and try to bring that to the table.ā
With a jam-packed schedule the rest of the way, including at least one more Open Cup match, the CONCACAF Champions League, and a probable MLS Cup Playoffs run, itās not a guarantee Hollingshead will be in Castilloās old spot game-in and game-out. Pareja said the entire team is fit and isnāt showing any signs of fatigue, but there always remains the possibility of rest being thrown into the equation, and others such as Tesho Akindele or Mauro Rosales stepping in from time-to-time.
But if past behavior is the biggest indicator of future behavior, the job is Hollingsheadās to lose – and he believes it.
āThatās the whole point in being a professional athlete is fighting for a spot and going in thinking itās your spot,ā Hollingshead said. āYeah, itās mine, and I want to keep it as long as I can.ā