There was a specific trait I used frequently when describing the 2010 FC Dallas team — they were incredibly difficult to play against. Following the 1-0 victory over Alianza in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League qualifying match in San Salvador, El Salvador last week, a sharp realization hit me: the 2011 version might be even more tenacious.
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Immediately following the injury to reigning MLS MVP David Ferreira, the team was searching for a new identity. What they found was a level of resolve they hadn't discovered before. Following the 1-0 win over Alianza, never before had that realization rang more true.
Now that momentum is in their favor, what should we expect from FCD tonight? They have a 1-0 advantage over the visiting El Salvadoran side, so surely FC Dallas will sit back and absorb pressure, hoping to maintain another shutout — right?
Not for one second.
There is another characteristic to this FC Dallas team — they don't change their style of play under any condition. That character trait became even stronger with the injury to Ferreira. These players know who they are and how to carry out their tasks.
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I would expect FCD's full attention to defensive detail early on in the game, but we have come to expect that at Pizza Hut Park these days. After all, FC Dallas has claimed a clean sheet in eight of their last nine home league games. A new standard has been set by this club.
On the other side of the ball, the Dallas three-man central midfield fights, scraps and claws to pick up the pieces while collectively building attack after attack, utilizing dynamic wide players to set the speed of play. Will that change against Alianza on Wednesday night? No. Tactics don't apply here, not even with a 1-0 advantage.
Now Alianza may take a page from Real Salt Lake, Sporting Kansas City and DC United when it comes to their defensive posture through the game's opening 45 minutes. Those teams asked the home side to create the game. However, this time the honus is on the road team, and if Alianza attack too much they will leave themselves susceptible to the breakneck pace of the Dallas attack.
Final outcome: expect more than one goal and a shining moment in FC Dallas club history.
