FRISCO - FC Dallas got its preseason feet wet over the weekend, but now the team is going all-in on game action with CONCACAF Champions League just two weeks away.
After Saturday's split-time, 1-1 draw with Chattanooga FC, the team will prepare for a heavy load of preseason activity with four games (two friendlies and two reserve matches) over the next five days, with another three games scheduled in Arizona next week.
“We’ve built a base over the last couple of weeks of training and double days and stuff," midfielder Ryan Hollingshead said of the heavy load of games. "We have built up a good level of fitness and now we need to just sharpen up some things on the field in game situations.”
During these upcoming games there will be no shortage of competitiveness, with starting positions and jobs on the line.
“This is your chance to prove you want a spot on this team and for other guys who have been on the team it’s a chance to prove you want to start," Hollingshead continued. "Everybody’s got something to play for.”
“Practice is definitely one thing, it’s good to be good in practice but at the end of the day it comes down to how well you play in games," said 2014 SuperDraft pick Tesho Akindele, who knows what the rookies are facing in the coming weeks. "If you’re fighting for a starting spot if you’re fighting for a contract if you’re fighting for whatever, you have to perform in the game. It gives everybody a good opportunity.”
While the depth players are battling it out for starting spots, head coach Oscar Pareja has confidence in his team and their ability on the field just two weeks away from CCL action.
Tthe majority of the players are here the guys that I have been working with the last four years, we have an idea that has made us who we are," he said. “I want everybody to understand that I truly believe in what I can do and the players that I have, that’s clear.”
FC Dallas faces fellow CCL competitor Santa Tecla FC on Wednesday night at 7PM and CS Cartagines on Saturday at 4PM at Toyota Stadium. Tickets and more info can be found here.