FRISCO, Texas – Armed with a new coach and a deep roster, FC Dallas make their return to the MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T, on Wednesday night for the first time in three years in what promises to be yet another heated clash with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The edge to their previous three meetings this year, an edge that dates even further back in the series, all but ensures that their win-or-go-home Knockout Round match (9 pm ET, TSN1 in Canada, MLS LIVE in US) will cap the birth of a new rivalry.
“I think it is becoming a bit more this year,” said FCD head coach Oscar Pareja. “I can feel that rivalry growing.”
The former Dallas player brings an inexperienced club into the game, with only five players remaining from the last FCD squad to make the playoffs, one that suffered a disappointing 2-0 home loss to the New York Red Bulls in 2011.
Which team will win in the Knockout Round?
“It’s a young roster with a lot of players who have not been in the playoffs before,” Pareja said. “My approach to them is get one game at a time with the same intensity and importance. That way I can make them understand that is the way you have to play this game, with urgency and responsibility.”
The Colombian coach has developed a number of players on the roster over the course of the season and now has multiple options at key positions. At forward, he can call on Blas Pérez, Tesho Akindele and David Texeira, and fullback options include Jair Benítez, Moises Hernandez, Je-Vaughn Watson and Kellyn Acosta – but possibly most importantly, there's depth at central midfield, where playoff veteran Adam Moffat and free-kick specialist Michel have at different times played next to Victor Ulloa.
“Adam brings more bite and tightness when we need to clog the middle and we need more a defensive role player,” Pareja said. “Michel gives us distribution, and he is very organized tactically. We have players in that position that can play in different roles and give us different ingredients to set the plan that we have for a particular game.”
One of FCD's strengths over the course of the season has been a “next-man-up” mentality, a quality that has been needed quite often with all the injuries, suspensions and international absences the team has faced.
“They understand that this is a competition, and as much as I love each one of them, they know that this is about the team first,” Pareja said.
One possible key player is left back Hernandez, who, like Ulloa, is a Homegrown Player getting his first real run of games with Dallas this season.
“It has been a learning year for him,” Pareja said. “He is understanding closely now what it takes to be an MLS player. I know he appreciates the opportunity he has gotten this year, knowing he has the talent and the physical attributes to be a good player. But obviously those experiences are needed.”
That depth might come in handy should FC Dallas continue beyond Wednesday night’s match.
But first they will have to do something they have not done since a 3-0 win over the LA Galaxy in the Western Conference Finals in 2010: win a playoff game.
