FRISCO, Texas ā FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman knows his team is in for a battle this weekend, despite boasting a franchise record 11-game unbeaten streak and perhaps more confidence than theyāve had all year.
The reason? FCD are headed to Columbus on Saturday, a place they havenāt won since 2007.
āIt is going to be a tough game,ā Hyndman said. āColumbus is a very good team. Itās hard to get a result there. Theyāre a mature team. They seem to play with a lot of confidence and the ball bounces right for them in that environment.ā
With a 9-2-0 mark at home this season, the Crew have the most home wins of any club in MLS.
āTheyāre a team that doesnāt make a lot of mistakes that cost them games,ā the Hyndman said. āSo, they force you to make the mistakes. Theyāve scored 31 goals, and 15 of them have been from set pieces.
"When youāve got a [Chad] Marshall, an [Andy] Iro, that are 6-foot-4, 6-foot-5, we have to be cautious about giving them free kicks and the corner kicks. Itās easier said than done.ā
[inline_node:315886]In the past, Hyndman has focused more on improving his own side than he's worried about the opposition. For Saturdayās match, however, he admits he and his assistants are focusing more on the Crew, a sure sign of how far FCD have come since he was hired in June 2008.
āThis is the first time that weāve been able to start thinking about what our opponents are doing because weāre doing a lot of things better,ā Hyndman said.
Despite their previous woes in Columbus, itās been a year of breaking trends for FCD. They posted their first-ever win in Houston earlier this season and also earned their first win at RFK Stadium in Washington in five years.
āWe need to go out confident and stay focused,ā midfielder Atiba Harris said. āWe stayed focused in DC and in Houston. We just need to go into Columbus and focus for 90-plus minutes. Hopefully we do that and come out with a result.ā