The all-important, do-or-die game for FC Dallas is here. The second leg of the Western Conference semifinals is upon us, as the club heads to the Pacific Northwest to battle Seattle Sounders FC.
The two-legged series is all tied up after the first leg, with each club earning one goal in last Sunday’s match.
Last time out
FC Dallas controlled a large part of the first leg in this series, but only managed a 1-1 draw in Frisco. Andres Escobar forced Marco Pappa to foul him in the penalty box in the first half. Michel finished the penalty kick to give FCD the advantage.
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Seattle responded with a free kick goal of their own in the second half off the head of Osvaldo Alonso, and the Sounders were content with the road goal and draw as they held their own down the stretch including seeing goalkeeper Stefan Frei come up with a big save late on Fabian Castillo.
Injury Watch
Sigi Schmid’s squad hasn’t had nearly as many injuries this season to deal with as FC Dallas. The Sounders long-term injury is forward Kevin Parsemain, who is out with an ACL tear. Midfielder Andy Rose is also listed as out with a bone bruise on his knee.
Defender Daimon Lowe is questionable going into Monday’s match as well.
Key Matchups
Blas Perez vs Chad Marshall - This will continue to be a big battle for both sides on Monday night. Marshall did an excellent job in the first leg of containing Perez in the open field and on set pieces. Marshall’s physical play does enough to limit what Perez can do on the ball. Perez will need to get more creative in the open field to find more time with the ball in the second leg. Dallas needs him to be able to create chances on goal.
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Zach Loyd vs Clint Dempsey - On the opposite end is this battle between Loyd and Dempsey. In the first leg, Dempsey wasn’t able to do a ton because of the work between Loyd and Matt Hedges. While Dempsey certainly has the size advantage in this battle, Loyd has shown to be a crafty defender that does well at marking his opponent. Loyd will need another big showing on Monday to keep Dempsey away from the goal for a second straight game.
Key Player for Seattle
Obafemi Martins - The Nigerian was the main threat during the first leg for Seattle in the attack. Hedges and Loyd did a great job of containing him but he was still able to get a couple decent looks at goal, including a one-on-one situation in the first half against Raul Fernandez. Nine times out of ten he scores that chance. During the regular season, Martins led the Sounders with 17 goals and 13 assists.
Projected Lineup
Schmid isn’t expected to make too many broad changes from the lineup used in Frisco. FCD should see another 4-4-2.
Goalkeeper: Stefan Frei; RB: DeAndre Yedlin; CB: Chad Marshall, Zack Scott LB: Leo Gonzalez; RM: Brad Evans; CM: Osvaldo Alonso, Gonzalo Pindea; LM: Lamar Neagle; FW: Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins
Keys to advancing
FC Dallas picked up a solid result in the last meeting between these two sides but Seattle is definitely in the driver's seat going into the return leg. The away goal that Seattle earned last Sunday gives them just a little extra cushion for Monday’s game.
This means FC Dallas has to press for a goal early on to make things interesting. The Dallas attack sputtered in the first leg with only a limited number of shots on goal. That has to change in this leg as well as the emphasis on set pieces, an area where FC Dallas was at their best during the regular season.
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Defensively, Dallas doesn’t have to change a whole lot from the last leg in this series. Hedges and Zach Loyd will need to continue to do their best work at containing the touches and space that Martins and Dempsey get. At the same time, the set piece defending has to tighten up to not allow open gaps like Alonso received in the last game.
The big factor in this game will come down to how well FC Dallas responds to playing on the turf at CenturyLink Field. The ball bounces just a little differently on the fake grass and will speed up at times on the long balls. FCD will need to be sharp in their passing and be sure to only go at long balls over the top when the runs of Fabian Castillo, Tesho Akindele and Andres Escobar can reach the ball.
This is truly a win or go home game for both clubs. Smart passing, defending and shooting will go a long way in extending this season for another couple of weeks.
