FC Dallas will look to extend its rein at the top of the Western Conference table Saturday, when the team takes on the Chicago Fire in Frisco, Texas.
After playing three matches in nine days, Dallas had a full week to prep for the Fire, who are coming off a tough 4-3 defeat to the Philadelphia Union. Dallas took six points in its first two matches of the stretch, grinding out a 1-0 win at Minnesota United and a resilient 3-2 victory against MLS leaders Atlanta United. However, the team dropped all three points in 2-0 defeat in Salt Lake City.
“Well, we went first into a difficult stretch — and the timing with having to go and play on the turf in Minnesota,” FCD coach Oscar Pareja said. “We got a great result, with a lot of will from the team to not just get the result, but just get some grind in a place that is difficult to play at and [where] last year we had a bad experience. … We came back here and played against the best team in the league. … The team showed a lot of character at the end to turn that game into a win in another tough night. It showed us a lot of personality from our players, to bounce and get over the result. It was another great result and comeback from the team.”
Pareja said after the Real Salt Lake loss he thought the team looked tired.
“In Salt Lake, obviously, when you don’t get points you’re disappointed with the defeat,” Pareja said. “Now, we’re aiming to move on and face a Chicago here, with a need of getting of points.”
The match against Chicago is a rivalry match, with the Brimstone Cup at stake. The cup, which was the first fan-made rivalry in Major League Soccer, was highly contested in the early stages of the league.
Pareja compete for the Brimstone Cup during his time as a player with FC Dallas from 1998-2005.
“I remember when we played in the Soldier Field stadium and we played in the Cotton Bowl here,” Pareja said. The Brimstone Cup was very high amongst the fans when Peter Novak and all the Polish players were there and we had our games at the Cotton Bowl. I thought those [matches] were high-level play.”
With the Brimstone Cup and the Texas Derby coming up, Pareja emphasized that each game is important, regardless of rivalry.
“I talk about MLS Cup all the time,” Pareja said when asked if he talks about the cup with his players. “All the games are just parts of the journey during the year, which is interesting for our fans. Our commitment is to get three points every game.”