FC Dallas played hosts to Oscar Pareja’s return to Toyota Stadium.
Orlando City SC is one of the hottest teams in the league and FC Dallas was able to come away with a point as both sides were shutout.
The Game
Thiago Santos and Bryan Acosta returned to the lineup after serving their one-game suspensions.
for our visual learners… pic.twitter.com/0k0qOCwled
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) September 27, 2020
Santiago Mosquera was taken out of the game early on after picking up a knock and was replaced by Fafa Picault in the 21st minute.
Jesus Ferreira and Tanner Tessmann entered for Andres Ricuarte and Bryan Acosta respectively in the 66th minute.
Ricardo Pepi was Luchi Gonzalez’s last substitution as he came in for Michael Barrios in the 89th minute.
Thoughts & Takeaways
Simple Start
FC Dallas started the match with a slower tempo than they normally do.
With Oscar Pareja, it seemed that Luchi Gonzalez was wanting to commit numbers behind the ball.
“The buildup in the first half was not good enough. I will give Orlando credit, they pressed good all game,” defender Reto Ziegler said of the first half. “We played wide and tried to build in from there. In the game it was a bit slow, I think we have good players, but we need to play with more tempo from the back into the midfield to be dangerous. We need to do better and it’s not the first time that happens. IT usually happens at home and I don’t know if it’s good or not.”
As a result, the number of passes and touches in the attacking half was limited and FC Dallas emphasized building from the backline.
While this may not have normally have been an issue for FC Dallas, Oscar Pareja normally has his team’s attack on the counter-attack and commit numbers in front of the ball when defending.
Changes
As expect, Luchi Gonzalez changed his tactics for the second half. He had his backline player higher up and encourage his players to play balls that could break Orlando’s defensive lines.
The increase in verticality involved Bryan Reynolds and Ryan Hollingshead more in the attack.
The fullbacks also allowed the Dallas attacking line to move around in the box with more freedom.
“I thought we were better in the second half, more aggressive and more on the front foot,” Luchi Gonzalez said of the changes in the second half. “We pushed and they did get a man down which allowed us to be a little more adventurous going forward as well. Our subs reflected that we wanted to go for the game.”
Additionally, the touches in the second half were more uniform across the pitch, again, highlighting the tactical changes and the ability of Dallas to get forward
Tactical Battle
While the scoreline suggesting there was limited action on the field, plenty occurred that both sides can be proud of.
Luchi Gonzalez had his team well prepared to face the attacking threat and success that Orland City SC has had recently.
“It’s important to win your individual duels as well as work with the team and be organized tactically,” winger Fafa Picault said of the tactical battle. “They asked a lot of us as players and on the coaching staff. I just want to do my part in helping and I think we did well overall as a team.”
Gonzalez has shown a continued improvement when it comes to making in-game tactical adjustments to prevent his team from conceding goals and making his team more threatening in the final third.
While the final product was not present, as a whole, FC Dallas is headed in the right direction.
Featured Image: FC Dallas
