FRISCO - Just like that, FC Dallas’ preseason is over and CONCACAF Champions League kicks off.
After returning from Tucson on Saturday evening, the team left for Panama City on Monday morning ahead of their Leg One Round of 16 meeting with Tauro FC on Wednesday night at 7 CT. With weeks of work leading up to their 2018 CCL opener, Oscar Pareja says his team is ready.
“We have been preparing this team for the last four weeks and we’re excited looking forward just to starting competing,” he said Monday before the team left. “We aimed last year for a good participation in CONCACAF and we have that opportunity back.”
“The feeling is good because in Arizona, we played a good 45 minutes against Portland and we said it was the last test before this Champions League game,” defender Reto Ziegler said. “I think we are ready now. Today we tried a lot of set pieces and it could be the difference Wednesday night.”
That last preseason game against Portland Saturday was the very first time the projected Starting XI were in a game setting together since the addition of Santiago Mosquera early last week. Dallas was firing on all cylinders for the opening half with Maxi Urruti netting a brace and the back line looking strong in their final showing.
“We know what we have to do. We have a lot of quality in this team,” Ziegler added. “Of course it’s Champions League and it’s an away game, so we have to be ready.”
FC Dallas and Tauro FC kick off Leg One on Wednesday night at 7 CT. You can catch the match live on UnivisionDeportes.com or on tape delay on Galavision later that night.
