Never mind the calendar—FC Dallas’ season should have been over by Independence Day.
A surreal spate of injuries and suspensions, some controversy surrounding its biggest star and a brutal stretch of seven defeats in 10 games left the 2010 MLS Cup finalist laps behind in the playoff race.
“We could’ve given up a long time ago. With a lot of the young guys and missing some key guys on the team, this could have turned ugly,” Dallas veteran midfielder Daniel Hernandez told Sporting News on Friday. “I don’t think we ever expected an up-and-down season like we’ve had. I have to compliment my teammates just to keep fighting and never giving up.”
Dallas’ refusal to pack it in has paid dividends. Buoyed by the return of 2010 MLS MVP David Ferreira from two long-term injuries, Dallas quietly has won four of its past seven games to pull to within eight points of the fifth and final playoff spot in the West. FCD (7-11-8) beat the team it’s chasing, the Vancouver Whitecaps, on Wednesday and head into Saturday’s game at rival Real Salt Lake (13-9-3) more confident than ever.
“This is the most important game for us this season,” Hernandez said. “We need to get some sort of result. I think we’re playing our best soccer right now. I don’t think there’s a clear conclusion of where we’re headed, but it would definitely be great for us to get a win.”
Ferreira finally returned to the starting lineup on July 7 and played his best game of the season Wednesday in Vancouver, where he set up both goals in FCD’s 2-0 win.
“Being out 16-18 months, even when he came back, he wasn’t his normal self,” said Hernandez, a Texas native who has added some coaching responsibilities this year to his normal duties in central midfield. “He struggled a bit in the first few games. It’s normal. But I definitely think he’s getting back to form, more back in game shape.”
While Ferreira is back, other injury concerns remain. Captain Ugo Ihemelu remains lost to concussion symptoms and Panamanian striker Blas Pérez, who was supposed to anchor FCD’s front line, hasn’t played since late May because of a foot injury. This after Pérez had five goals in his first 13 games.
What Dallas might look like with Pérez and Ferreira on the field together, with Fabián Castillo (four goals, three assists) and an in-form Brek Shea marauding down the flanks, remains a question Western Conference rivals would prefer not to have answered.
Shea is, of course, a huge piece to the puzzle. It has been a brutal year for the 22-year-old, who has been ineffective for considerable stretches, jousted with Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman (which resulted in a two-game vacation) and was suspended by MLS in May for throwing the ball at an assistant referee.
“You’re talking about a guy who wasn’t even a full-time starter, and within a year he was all of a sudden under this pressure,” said Hernandez, who has started 20 of Dallas’ 29 league games this season. “He was the next MVP. And you’re getting all these endorsement deals, and you’re starting for the national team. It’s been a lot for him, and it happened quickly.”
Shea was a surprise call-up to for Wednesday’s U.S. game in Mexico and came off the bench at the Estadio Azteca to set up the winning goal. If he can use that success as a catalyst for the remainder of the MLS campaign, Dallas might just be in the playoff hunt at the end.
“We need him to be at his best; that’s one of the things I try to reiterate to him. Regardless of his age, he’s a leader on this team, and people look up to him,” Hernandez said. “When someone is in the spotlight like that and they’re the face of the team—everywhere you see FC Dallas it’s all about Brek Shea, and there’s nothing wrong with that—there’s responsibility that comes with that.”
Shea has no goals and one assist since the beginning of May. That isn’t good enough. But there are signs now that the young star and his once-floundering club are beginning to find themselves again. A good result Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium and some long-awaited consistency in the lineup could make a season that once appeared lost interesting to the very end.
CAPITAL INTRIGUE
Thursday’s trade between D.C. United and the Philadelphia Union added an additional subplot to their RFK Stadium showdown on Sunday (5 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network). Colombian striker Lionard Pajoy, who disappointed in Philly with five goals in 20 games, could start for United (11-8-3) while outside midfielder Danny Cruz, should be in the mix for the Union (7-12-2).
Subtle jabs already have been exchanged.
“I think it will be a lot for the commentators to talk about. We’ll see which strikers score a goal for their new team,” Union coach John Hackworth said. And Pajoy said via United’s website that he’s “accustomed to winning titles and being a champion. That’s what I came to look for in Washington.”
Throw in Union forward Freddy Adu’s return to his hometown and United’s quick slide to fifth in the East after a tough stretch featuring three losses in four games, and you get a game far more intriguing than the standings might indicate.
AMERICANS ABROAD
With Clint Dempsey on the outs at Fulham, Geoff Cameron still unavailable for Stoke City and Tim Ream’s Bolton Wanderers relegated to the second division, this weekend’s kickoff to the 2012-13 English Premier League season will be somewhat anti-climactic from an American perspective.
The focus will shift to Aston Villa, which will open its campaign Saturday at West Ham United. Defender Eric Lichaj and goalkeeper Brad Guzan each are vying for starting roles with Villa, which finished a disappointing 16th last season.
Brad Friedel’s Tottenham Hotspur visits Newcastle United on Saturday and Tim Howard and Everton will host Manchester United on Monday.
Several more Americans begin play in the Championship (second division) this weekend, highlighted by Bolton’s Saturday game at Burnley.
On Sunday, striker Jozy Altidore will look to follow up on last weekend’s two-goal performance against Ajax when AZ Alkmaar (0-0-1) hosts Heracles Almelo (0-0-1).
source: aol.sportingnews.com
