FRISCO - FC Dallas has been in this position before, and the result was the same.
After an embarrassing loss last week, FCD responded with a gritty performance defeating a previously perfect Montreal Impact team 2-0.
Head coach Oscar Pareja said this was a must-win for the group to prove to themselves and to the fans that they can quickly move on from a bad loss. Pareja added that the squad showed great resilience and that they can only go up moving forward.
“Obviously [it was] an important [game], considering what happened last week,” Pareja said. “I have to give credit to these group of boys that showed one more time that it’s a long season and we’re fighting.”
After their defensive woes last week, FC Dallas was able to keep a red-hot Montreal offense off the board. Both Didier Drogba and Ignacio Piatti were held in check as FCD had their second-straight home shutout.
“We talked week about the response, it’s something that has to happen after a loss like [last week],” defender Matt Hedges said. “We came out and did exactly what we wanted to do. We played our game and a 2-0 result against a really good Montreal team, we’ll take it.”
Coach Pareja also added that he was happy with the tactical improvement from the defense after last week, and he praised the young center backs Walker Zimmerman and Hedges for slowing down a very dangerous Montreal Impact attack.
“I saw a pair of center backs that looked very mature despite their age,” Pareja said. “When you see them both on the field tonight, you forget how young they are. Tactically, they did a great job against a player who’s fast [and physical] like Drogba. I’m very proud of them.”
Moving forward, Pareja said that the team will continue to fight through any kind of adversity they face. The challenge that will face FC Dallas throughout the season will be to play well away from home. But if FC Dallas sticks with their fundamentals, Pareja said the team will show that they will be a force to reckon with.
“In a way, what happened in Houston woke us up to the fact that this is a new season, a difficult season,” Pareja said. “While it’s important to keep winning the games at home, we also have to get results when we are away. If we can hold games with the organization, and tactically keep that discipline, we have the players who at any moment can unbalance the [other] team. We have players who can make things happen.”