FRISCO, TEXAS— While many teams prepare for their second match of the Major League Soccer season, FC Dallas will be off having to wait 15 days between competitions.
The extra week, along with spring weather, allowed Dallas to work on aspects of the game needing improvement.
“The weather has allowed us to do some stuff this week that refreshes the team.” head coach Óscar Pareja said.
One of those aspects is finishing. FCD struggled to score in its 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake, with shots hitting the post or going off-frame. When asked about any other issues, Pareja reiterated the importance of taking advantage of opportunities created.
“As a coach, you always see things that need to be fixed and trained,” Pareja said. “It’s a matter of getting sequences more automatic and more cohesiveness from the players. All those things are necessary all the time. But the finishing is something for sure that we have marked [to work on] all the time.”
The health of the back line is another issue. Dallas revamped its back-line, with captain Matt Hedges the only returning starter from last season. The Huntsmen added Swiss centerback Reto Ziegler, Bulgarian left back Anton Nedyalkov and homegrown right back Reggie Cannon. However, with injuries to Nedyalkov and goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez, the chemistry that was developing within the backline came to a halt.
“It needs time and a lot of work,” Pareja said. “Right now, we have the willingness from the players. We have the coaches spending a lot of time with them on the training ground. [We’re] just hoping to shorten the adaptation period.”
The time off was built-in by MLS for teams participating in the CONCACAF Champions League. The New York Red Bulls did not see MLS action last week. This week, Toronto and Seattle will benefit from the scheduling as they prepare for their second legs in the quarterfinal stage.
Dallas was eliminated by Panamanian side Tauro FC in the Round of 16, a disappointing start to 2018. The team would rather still be in the tournament, but will use this extra time to get healthy as it awaits a March 18 matchup with Portland.
“You may need to be positive and take the best out of the situation,” Pareja said. “So I see that we need to try and get some things done and get some training and try to stimulate the load and rhythm and stimulus that the boys needed to model for this weekend so that we’re not off from the rhythm other teams have.”
Other FC Dallas News and Notes
- FC Dallas announced three loans in the last seven days. The team loaned 2018 MLS SuperDraft first-round picks Francis Atuahene and Ema Twumasi to its United Soccer League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Energy. They also announced the loan of Canadian Adonijah Reid to the Ottawa Fury, where he made 12 appearances for the team in the 2017 USL season. This helps address the logjam they had at the wings and provides playing time for the younger players. In 2017, FC Dallas used the USL to help get playing time for their players, sending youngsters such as Reid, midfielder Jacori Hayes, and former winger Coy Craft, who is now with Miami FC.
- Left-back Anton Nedyalkov participated drills during practice today. The Bulgarian international had been out of the last two matches due to Achilles tendonitis. Expect him to be in the 18, if not starting, against Portland.
- Goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez did not participate in practice. He had been out due to a knock suffered in the CCL Round of 16 matches. Jimmy Maurer was involved in drills with the first team and Kyle Zobeck also played in practice as the second keeper.
- Homegrown centerback Jordan Cano and unsigned draft pick Amer Sasivarevic were doing some extra work with the coaches post-practice. Sasivarevic, who was selected in the third-round of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft from Grand Canyon Univesity, had an impressive pre-season. He is a gritty player who is not afraid to get stuck into tackles and can provide a role offensively with his overlaps. He remains the last non-first round pick with the team, with second-round pick Mauro Cichero on injury reserve, midfielder Christopher Lema in training with New York Red Bull’s USL side, and former Creighton player Noah Franke not with the club.