Nestled in the heart of Frisco in suburban North Dallas is the new Pizza Hut Park. It is designed to be a slice of heaven for soccer fans longing for the European atmosphere of a soccer game. The fans have a clear view from every seat of a gorgeous soccer field with all the amenities (soon to be completed), and all this used to sound like a good thing.
The problem is an old one, however, as not even the most beautiful confines will get people out forever if the team doesn't provide a product people want to see. As I write this the team that plays at Pizza Hut Park has yet to win on what is likely the most beautiful surface in the league. Currently FC Dallas is on a nine-game winless streak and – as if matters could not get any worse – they are in the midst of a huge home stretch in a stadium where they are winless in their first 4 tries.
It's all in the ingredients
This is a team where the fans and many of the media were fooled by the illusion of a strong start and a lineup that included Greg Vanney, Richard Mulrooney, Ronnie O'Brien, Eddie Johnson and Carlos Ruiz. The illusion is a team that early in the year was playing team defense, was strong up the heart and had plenty of firepower.
The mistakes that an inexperienced back line were making (and there were plenty) were not getting exposed. That's partly because the team was defending as a unit and partly because their opponents that were not operating at full throttle early in the year. What's changed from the team that many predicted to make the MLS championship game known as MLS Cup to be played in the very same stadium? Well, quite a few things actually, but the heart of any team that wants to be a contender is the defense. You have to be strong up the middle.
The first ingredient seems to be Mulrooney. He was the early heart and soul of this team. Timely support of the offense or covering of the defense allowed Simo Valakari to play more of a well rounded role and balance out the middle of the field much better than the many replacements that have come in since Mulrooney's departure due to injury. They have all done a decent job in spurts, but have not been able to add consistent efforts both ways that can duplicate Mulrooney's. Some people with a little more experience behind the scenes were cautiously optimistic about the start but warning about the inexperience of the Dallas defense, and those predictions now seem to be very accurate. Beyond the surface however, the secret ingredient might have been the loss of Mulrooney. That has left that inexperienced defense isolated more than just a few times.
The Second Ingredient for me is the team defense.
This team, like most teams, has a lot of players gifted at the offensive end but it was obvious that as a team many of these players were out-fighting the opponents at both ends of the field. The leaders on the best teams respond or even prosper in adversity. That's what makes the difference between them and guys with similar abilities in a league with so much parity. When you look onto the field lately the most obvious thing you can see is that this team plays hard and well for spurts but then a crucial mistake will seem to cost them a critical goal.
The truth appears to be what lies underneath and the support the goalkeeper and defense is getting from the rest of the unit. The defender that is beat or the goalkeeper that is beat is the result of the entire team defense not doing the job they were doing when things were going well. This is a team that needs to get back to where it started which is defending as a team. The offensive end must be much more willing to do the defensive end as a unit before all the success.
The spices are all the little things that make this pie the final product. The field – as beautiful as it is – is not the same as the Cotton Bowl and needs to be adjusted to. This will take time. Only that same time will tell whether this group of players will step forward in adversity or blame others.
Can they find the permanent answer to Mulrooney's loss? The perfect pie will take the sum of all these ingredients. It will take a strong committed vision when everyone else wants to push the panic button. It will not be because of a player or a coach making a mistake or whether Ramon Nunez plays, but the less obvious complexion of how this team combines all its ingredients. There is no question they showed early in the season they have the right flavors to make it happen. I, for one, am looking forward to going north to one of the most beautiful parks in the country to enjoy the senses of a soccer game in a great atmosphere. I look forward to seeing the final ingredients and how they complement each other and allow us to further enjoy the taste of what will become the flavor of FC Dallas soccer.
