FC Dallas will look to improve to 2-0 on the young MLS season on Saturday night as they head to Kansas City to take on Sporting KC at 8 p.m. Dallas (1-0-0) is riding high after a grueling opening week that included a trip to Panama in CCL action before taking a 2-1 game over the LA Galaxy in their 2017 opener. SKC (0-0-1) had a less exhilarating week, playing to a 0-0 draw with DC United last Saturday in the nation’s capital.
The Ghosts of CM Park
Road games in Kansas City have haunted FC Dallas in recent memory, having dropped four straight matches in what is now known as Children’s Mercy Park. Last year, the infamous no-goal call in the opening half gave way to a 2-0 Sporting victory. In 2015, Dallas dropped 3-1 and 4-0 league decisions as well as a 6-2 Open Cup loss. Across the last four games at CM Park, Dallas was outscored 15-3.
The last, and only, win to come in the building for FCD was a come-from-behind, 3-2 win in August 2011 in which Dallas was down, 2-0, and scored 3 goals in the final 20+ minutes of the match – including 89th minute and 91st minute tallies – to stun the home crowd. The game-winner was Bobby Warshaw’s first professional goal and would be the last Bobby Rhine goal call on the broadcast before his untimely passing just nine days later (you can listen here).
Key Match-Ups
Carlos Gruezo vs. Benny Feilhaber: Over the last two seasons, Feilhaber has found the back of the net four times against Dallas and assisted on six goals – accounting for 10 of the 19 goals Dallas has allowed in the last seven meetings.
Matt Hedges vs. Dom Dwyer: While Feilhaber is a threat to both score and distribute, Dwyer is the pure finisher. He has seven goals in the last seven meetings, including a four-goal performance during the 2015 LHUSOC shellacking.
Last Time Out
(4-3-3): Tim Melia; Seth Sinovic, Matt Besler, Ike Opara, Graham Zusi; Benny Feilhaber, Ilie Sanchez, Roger Espinoza; Gerso Fernandes, Dom Dwyer, Jimmy Medranda
Key to Three Points
Saturday’s match kicks off a busy week for FCD with a CONCACAF Champions League Semifinal leg at home on Wednesday before the 2017 Home Opener a week from Saturday. With a playoff match on the horizon, Oscar Pareja could elect to utilize some of the depth on his roster. Regardless, FCD will have to shut down the Sporting KC attack that has struck 19 times in the last seven meetings, while capitalizing on their chances on the other end of the field to take home the first result in Kansas City since August 2011.
