Steve Davis: “Dallas” scores extra points in 2023

FRISCO, Texas – Score 53 points in the standings last year was commendable for Dallas. High five guys for playing at home in the playoffs, for accelerated progress and all that!

But that created one tiny problem, though not a bad one: how to improve on this impressive score in 2023?

Without getting into the wilds of strategic approach, personnel selection, or advanced tactics, the very short answer is: find a few more points away from Toyota Stadium.

This week, FC Dallas will hit the road for the first time this season, their second season under their very analytical Spanish manager Nico Estevez.

In his first year as MLS head coach, Estevez helped restore the FCD’s longstanding reputation as a high-performing house. Only three other clubs (out of 28 in the MLS last year) have earned more points at home.

MLS clubs historically average 1.75 points at home; anything at or above 2.00 is pretty much gold in MLS. That’s where Dallas landed last year, so much improvement would be a tough climb. On the other hand, digging a few more points away from home looks more doable.

Not that the FCD was bad when it left North Texas in 2023. But 19 earned points allowed him to take 6th place among 8 playoff clubs in the Western Conference. Not bad, but there is room for improvement.

What’s more, FCD came so disappointingly close last year to a much better record away from Toyota Stadium. The goal in 2022 was 20 points, and Dallas was very close to it. For example, if not for one mistake, FCD was amazing in the early game in New England; not a single point earned in it. Even more disappointing were the points losses from the winning positions as the FCD failed to hold on to a final lead in Austin, Houston, Sporting Kansas City and, most notably, Vancouver. This particularly bitter pill was swallowed at BC Place in British Columbia, where Estevez & Co. will fly an FCD plane this week.

Of course, it was hard to swallow these late leads in Austin and Kansas City. And that match in Houston was crazy when Jesús Ferreira showed up to make a deal in the 93rd minute, only to see teenager Hadebe equalize in the 101st minute.

It’s crazy, to say the least. But most of all, Estevez is annoyed by the defeat in Vancouver.

Even without top goaltender Maarten Paes and dynamic winger Alan Velasco, Dallas were in control in Vancouver last May, creating almost every chance. Everything looked great – until after 70 minutes it completely fell apart. Defender’s error, then goalkeeper’s error, aggravated by a bad tackle and “buff!” there was a potential victory.

A few days later, when a Dallas Football team asked about it, Estevez laughed and looked confused, as if he had just been asked to explain thermodynamics. “I still don’t know how we lost!”

It basically boiled down to this: the season was relatively early and the young team was still accumulating and strengthening their know-how and self-confidence. As things started to spiral out of control, FCD didn’t yet have the right material, the subtle blend of poise, determination and bold self-confidence needed to nurture the lead into the home stretch.

That was almost 10 months ago and a lot has happened since then. The trade for Sebastian Lletjet provided valuable additional veteran cunning. Paul Arriola is no longer a rookie; now he is the captain of the team, and he has a better chance of becoming a leader. Collective maturity was achieved in two fierce playoff matches. Ferreira was in the World Cup and Paxton Pomykal wins balls and leads midfield like a player who is likely to would go to the world championship if the team was selected today.

All of this to say that Dallas still has to work hard and smart to create points-scoring opportunities on the road, but conditions are better now to hold the lead or tie.

However, it’s difficult. Especially in BC Place. Estevez says it’s a different place for football (it’s a dome) and a building where the Whitecaps don’t even have to play well. If they are close, the Whitecaps mentality and home crowd often give the final push.

“We need to understand that it’s not just about performance,” Estevez said this week. “It’s about the mentality to stay in the game all the time and get things done.”