PREVIEW – Playoffs: Three Things FC Dallas Must Do to Stay Alive in the Playoffs
After a joyous decision day, Dallas was brought back to reality in Vancouver last weekend, where the Whitecaps dominated in a 3-0 win in which Dallas failed to register a single shot.
This week, ahead of game 2, let’s look at what the Burn need to do to stave off elimination and force a decisive game 3 back up north.
1) Go Back to What Got You Here
FC Dallas’ Decision Day triumph was a joyous occasion, but it turned out that something that many fans probably forgot about by the final whistle had a terrible knock-on effect in the playoffs. Patrickson Delgado going down in the first half on decision day, forcing him out of the lineup for game 1 back in Vancouver, ultimately had a significant impact on the Burn.
In replacing Patrickson, Eric Quill opted to keep his strike partnership from decision day on the field, with Sam Sarver and Anderson Julio playing the “wing” spots underneath Petar Musa in more of a 3-4-2-1 look. Logan Farrington, who had combined so brilliantly with Musa in the strong run to end the season, was left out. The idea, clearly, was to play through Musa and use Sarver and Julio’s speed to get in behind Vancouver’s somewhat patchwork defense.
It didn’t work. At all. Dallas generated literally zero shots, on or off target, and rarely created anything remotely dangerous. It was a thorough, completely dominant performance by Vancouver.
But it wasn’t just the offense that struggled. Quill also elected to retool his defense somewhat. Ramiro returned to right wing back, but instead of going back to Shaq Moore on the left and Ibeagha on the right, the most common backline down the stretch, Quill inverted the two. This was almost certainly to put the pacier Moore on Ramiro’s side to help with Ali Ahmed. That worked to some extent, but it meant that the very right-footed Ibeagha was put in uncomfortable positions regularly, and it didn’t exactly block Ahmed out of the game either. Dallas’ defense, which had been such a strength down the stretch, looked more like the defense that regularly conceded multiple goals early in the season.
So what now? I think it has to be a return to what got you here.
Reinstating the Musa/Farrington partnership is a must, and someone needs to be playing behind them a la Patrickson. Patrickson hasn’t always been great, but the role he occupies has been important both offensively and defensively, and it was sorely missed in Game 1. It might be Pedrinho, Sebastian Lletget, or Diego Garcia, but it has to be someone.
At the back, it should be back to the group that got you there or something with a slight twist. Either trust the group that finished the season so strongly, meaning Shaq at left center back and Ibby on the right with Ramiro at wing back, or keep Shaq on the right and bring Nolan Norris in on the left. But it is clear that Ibby or Lalas Abubakar on the left isn’t going to cut it.
Without question, Quill and his staff have their work cut out for them. It is entirely possible (and maybe even probable) that there simply is no combination that is good enough to beat Vancouver, but with how things went in game 1, a return to who brought you here seems to be the only choice.
2) Play Without Fear
As Dallas closed the season so firmly, one very noticeable aspect was how their mentality played out on the field. Despite not having very much possession, they always looked aggressive and like they wanted to be on the front foot. Games often played out the way they wanted. They snapped into challenges, were first onto loose balls, won second balls regularly, and when they got on the ball, played with confidence and even some swagger.
None of that was on display in Vancouver. They looked awestruck by their opponents. They were second best to everything, looked passive, and the game was completely and totally dictated by the Whitecaps. Other than Michael Collodi and Osaze Urhoghide, no one looked even a little bit good.
Maybe it was a very natural let-off after such a joyous, cathartic moment on decision day, coupled with Vancouver’s desire for revenge. Whatever the case, it has to change in Frisco on Saturday; Dallas has to get back the back-against-the-wall mentality that got them into the playoffs to begin with. If they can’t, their season will surely end on Saturday night.
3) Get Under Their Skin
Honestly, I’m reaching for things at this point. Vancouver is an extremely high-quality team, and Dallas may simply not have the quality to overcome them.
But even the highest-quality teams can be shaken out of their rhythm, mentally and emotionally. Dallas has to do something to put them off on Saturday night. I’m not advocating any kind of dirty play or anything like that, but Dallas needs to be the first to put in a good, hard challenge. They must be the more physical team and return to the aggression they showed in their strong finish to the regular season.
That may not be enough, but it is the building block from which they must start if they want to have any chance to prolong their season one more week.
How are you feeling ahead of Game 2 of this series?
Does Dallas have any shot, or should they just hope not to get embarrassed?
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