As the United States celebrates its independence on July 4, the Black-and-Red will be looking to celebrate a win over Western Conference foe FC Dallas at 8:30 PM at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
The Longhorn State club currently sit in second in the West with a 7-3-7 record, three points behind leaders Sporting Kansas City with two games in hand. Dallas have been in good form in June, losing only once to Portland (2-0) and are coming off a 3-1 victory over Toronto FC on July 1.
Despite FC Dallas’ high standing in their conference, the game presents an opportunity for the Black-and-Red. Two of their stars, midfielder Kellyn Acosta and defender Matt Hedges, are currently serving with the USMNT in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which could open up room in the middle of the pitch for Luciano Acosta and company.
The Argentine’s dribbling skill and ability to create separation from defenders is well established. Against Montreal, Acosta showed his ability to carve up a defense several times, including one run late in the match in which only the crossbar denied him a goal. Without Acosta, look for space in midfield to open up, something Acosta and co. can take advantage of.
But even without Kellyn Acosta and Hedges, Dallas still possess numerous dangerous players, including forward Maximiliano Urruti and midfield creator Michael Barrios. Urruti, who signed with Dallas last season and scored nine goals in 30 MLS appearances, has already improved upon that goal total this year with 10 in 15 games. Barrios, meanwhile, has racked up eight assists so far this year.
The short turnaround for both teams almost certainly means squad rotation will be in effect, and with a strong midfield battalion of Ian Harkes, Marcelo Sarvas, Jared Jeffrey, Acosta and Julian Büscher, head coach Ben Olsen will be able to draw on numerous players to step up at Toyota Stadium.
Olsen also knows that the story remains the same when it comes to the difference between winning and losing: “The effort from the team was there,” he said. “but unfortunately it’s the same story of us being unable to make plays in the offensive end.”
New signing Deshorn Brown, who made his first start as a United player on Saturday, knows that positivity is key. “No matter how tough it is, you’ve got to stick together as a team, stay positive and things will start to change.”
The match kicks off at 8:30 PM ET on NewsChannel 8 and CW Richmond.
