RECAP: Three Positive Trends From FC Dallas’ Disappointing Draw Against the LA Galaxy, 2-2
The Burn dropped another important two points on the second game of their three-game home stand, setting up an incredibly important mid-week clash against Minnesota United.
Despite the disappointment, there are a few largely positive trends to look at.
1) More Control of Possession
This was one of the things I called out as something to watch in the three-game home stand, and so far, it has proven true. The Galaxy are a team that very much wants the ball under Greg Vanney. In the second half of 2025, this would easily have been a game where Dallas had 40% or less of the possession and simply sat back, absorbed pressure, and hit on the counter. But in 2026? Possession was just under 50/50, with Dallas having 47% of the ball.
As I said in the article before the home stand, Eric Quill is not attempting to turn Dallas into some possession-based, ball-dominant team. Still, he also doesn’t want his team to be unable to control the ball and the game, particularly at home. This is probably, to this point, the biggest evolution you can see in FC Dallas in 2026. I doubt they’ll end the season with a possession number higher than 50%, but I do think it will get a lot closer by season’s end, and their continued evolution with the ball is something I’m going to be watching throughout the season.
2) Kaick
Kaick was actually dropped to the bench at the start of the St Louis game to start the home stand, but subbed in for his fellow Brazilian Ramiro after Ramiro’s nasty knee gash forced him out of the game early. Kaick was… okay against St. Louis but had a very, very solid game from the start (and the full 90) against the Galaxy. The 20-year-old is not a perfect player; he was one of a few players culpable for the defensive breakdown on the Galaxy’s game-tying second goal, but he continues to improve every game. He’s starting to develop much more calm and understanding of when to unleash his ferocious intensity and work rate. When he arrived, he never seemed to understand when to best utilize that and constantly found himself dragged and pulled around by opposing offenses, but he has grown immensely in that regard.
For me, the next step I’ll be watching is his continued improvement offensively. He has improved in this regard, but I still find him a bit wanting at times in his first touch and decision-making. His first touch lets him down a bit too often, and he, at times, takes too long to make his decision on what to do with the ball, even if the decision ends up being the correct one. I’m hoping to see him continue to get starts in defensive midfield, and I’m excited to see how he further evolves his game.
3) Bringing Back the Back 4?
For quite some time now, Dallas has played, almost exclusively, in a back 3 or back 5 formation. There have been some exceptions, mostly when Dallas has been strongly chasing a goal and really pushing numbers forward, basically throwing tactics out the window to get on as many attacking pieces as possible. But with the game still at 2-2, Dallas shifted to a back 4 for the final 10 minutes, with Nolan Norris replacing Sebastien Ibeagha and playing left back, sliding Shaq Moore over to play alongside Osaze Urhoghide, while Herman Johansson played as a right back instead of a wingback.
To be clear, this was an attempt to chase the game-winning goal, but it wasn’t a tactics-free zone sort of play as Dallas was clearly structured in a 4-2-3-1 with Musa up top, Moreno and Valiente on the wings, Cappis at the 10, and Kaick and Ran Binyamin (who subbed on for Deedson) as holding midfielders.
With Bernie Kamungo out, Dallas has an issue at left wing back. The coaching staff clearly doesn’t see young Josh Torquato as an immediate solution, and Deedson, who, to be fair, has not been bad, looks far from comfortable. With Kamungo likely sidelined until after the World Cup, it would not surprise me to see Quill and his staff continue to use the back 4 at times to fit better the profiles they have available in both defense and attack.
Can FCD get off the snide and pick up all three points on Wednesday against Minnesota?
Discover more from Dallas Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
