Zip It: Real Salt Lake vs FC Dallas
September 27th, 2009 . 9:18 pm . By: Jay Brownlee
In what might have been the most complete match of the season, FC Dallas went ahead in the 5th minute against the early run of play. Dax McCarty’s hustle earned a win of the ball deep in the Salt Lake end. McCarty sent a pass to the feet of David Ferreira, whose cross into Dave Van Den Berg was deflected up to a streaking Cunningham. Cunningham took the ball on the volley and slammed it past helpless Nick Rimando for the 1-0 lead. Just five minutes later, McCarty’s hard work again paid off, as another ball winner fed Dave Van Den Berg, who passed to Ferreira making a run into the box to Rimando’s right. Ferreira’s classy finish put Dallas into the lead just 10 minutes into the match. Although there were some fearful moments, FC Dallas’ newest backline of Heath Pearce, George John, Ugo Ihemelu, and Jair Benitez held Salt Lake in check, for the most part. When they occasionally allowed chances, new team captain Dario Sala made the saves to keep a rare clean sheet. Reportedly, FC Dallas Head Coach Schellas Hyndman emphasized killing off the match at the break. The team responded with a solid second half of possession, marked by ball control without falling into unattractive bunker-ball. Dallas all but avoided any serious drama in the second half of the match, except for one poor decision by match referee, Kevin Stott, who nearly inserted himself into the match on the visitor’s behalf. The play started at the top of the box to Sala’s right, as late insertion Marvin Chavez, tracking back in defense, saw the ball deflect off his shin and back to Sala, who picked up the ball. What looked like a harmless play suddenly took a bizarre turn as Stott awarded Salt Lake with an indirect kick at the top right corner of the six-yard box. Stott’s ruling that Chavez had played the ball with intent back to Sala was shown to be in complete error on the subsequent replays. On the ensuing free-kick, it was Chavez hustle that preserved Dallas’ two goal lead. Dallas, who has struggled defensively on set-pieces all season, appeared to again suffer some confusion. Were it not for Chavez’ bodily sacrifice, another match might have spiraled out of control for the home club. As it was, Cunningham’s unassisted corker in the 87th minute finished off Salt Lake, whose monumentally bad road form continued to haunt the club in the season after their first playoff appearance in their brief history. With the loss, realistic playoff chances for the team headed by former Dallas Burn favorite Jason Kreiss all but ended. On the Dallas side, it was a fine win and an extension of excellent home form that has seen the club go 5-0-1 since a loss to the hated Houston Dynamo way back on June 13. For fans looking for trends going into next season, re-making the home pitch into an unwelcome place for visitors has to rank near the top of positives in an otherwise dreadful season. Another positive is the remarkable FC Dallas goal-production. The three goals Saturday night saw FC Dallas extend score their league-leading totals with their 44th goal. For a team that began this year’s campaign with only five goals in their first seven matches, this club’s ability to score goals in bunches (including an unbelievable two six-goal matches) is now official. Of course, Dallas has given them up in bunches as well. The clean sheet kept the Men in Stripes at 43 goals allowed, tied for worst in the league. For me, however, the method Dallas employed to win this match was more impressive than the score. Rare has it been that this team looked to bury their adversaries after surging to an early lead. Dallas not only put the clamps down on the frustrated visitors, but produced what can best be described as a gritty, workman-like performance. As odd as it may sound, Dallas did not seem to panic in the face of success; neither did they seem to get too high. Instead, their hard work seemed to be focused on sucking the life out of a down team. That Dallas performed so well in a week where internal strife (again) threatened the team is impressive. Team captain Pablo Ricchetti’s mid-week meltdown that saw the player essentially quit the club could only have weighed heavily on the clubhouse. Yet this is the third match of the year Dallas has stormed to a win after a major event, the other two in the wake of the separate departures of Kenny Cooper and Drew Moor. So now Dallas has four remaining matches in this year’s campaign. Only five players from the opening-night lineup remain there. Names have come and gone at a furious pace. So have the losses and disappointments. But there are signs and hope that this can be a good club next year. Believe it or not, things could always be worse. Dallas is not- and has not yet- learned how to be a winner. But they showed a little of what is needed to become a winning team. The signs are all there, the question is only if they can get there. Either way, only four more chances exist this season to build for the next. 38 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment |
Where would this team be without Dax, DVB, and Cunningham right now. Those guys won’t stop producing.
Add Sala and Ferreira to your list Kevin and I agree.
Please, please, please sign Dax!!! Sign him now!!! Sign him now and make him captain!!! (He is out of contract after the year, right?)
Does anyone know the attendance?
Methinks Dax will be in Philly for 2010, and that’ll be a very sad thing for FCD.
I wonder how this team has compared with the rest of the league over the second half of the season? Seems like a terrible start has saddled them, but they are playing very well as of late.
Sala should not be added to that list he has given up to many goals. I personally can not stand him at all.
ms,
some stats to back up your terrible start, but playing well of late observation.
First 11 games -> 7 points (19 pt pace for whole season)
Last 15 games -> 23 pts (46 pt pace for whole season)
This has, amazingly, been an above-average team over the last couple months.
dergin, I also think it very strange that no one has the attendance numbers. I figure we cleared about 8k from my view in the stands, but I guess it could have been less. The number they are allowed to post may be much less.
I lot of people won’t like to hear it because they don’t like SH, but it appears he had a plan and the team is improving. Pehaps next year we will be pleasently surprised.
Sadly,I can see a possibility of Dax not being with FCD next year, but I don’t think it is a foregone conclusion.
I don’t see any way possible FCD lets him go in the expansion draft. Certainly his stock has gone up this season and, if FCD no longer wants him, they can get some good value for him in the offseason.
Philly will take Wagner or Ray J. Dax is worth too much to not trade.
There was no more than 5k in the stands. What a joke Hispanic Heritage Nite was, as we know that the marketing to the Hispanic Community has all but died since the Southlake move.
Trust me on this one people: SH will find a way to screw any and everything up. He did it at SMU year after year. He had no school competing with him IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS for players, but couldn’t muster even 1 NCAA championship. Not 1!!!! Think about that. So how is he ever going to connect with the pro player (unless, of course, that pro player went to SMU) and get the best out of them when he doesn’t even know what the best is?
Chad,
I’m no SH fan (or SMU for that matter) but……..belittling SH’s record @ SMU is misplaced criticism. If you knew anything about college soccer you wouldn’t make the above statement.
Actually private colleges have a difficult time in the NCAA’s for Men’s Soccer.(as well as other “equivalency” sports)
In the last twenty years only two private schools have won the title- St John’s and Wake Forest. There’s a HUGE reason for that.
The NCAA limt for mens soccer scholarships is the equivalent of 9.9 full rides. ncaa allows them to be split any number of ways, but this still forces those on partial scholarship to foot the bill (and at SMU it aint cheap) for the remainder. Typically state supported universities will waive out of state tuition (doesnt count as ncaa financial aid) as well as being MUCH, MUCH cheaper than a private school.
When you need twenty plus athletes or more it becomes an art and a science to recruiting good players. Basically it’s come and play soccer @ Big State University- get a waiver of non resident tuition and a partial soccer ride=$$. OR come to SMU, get a partial and yo still have to pay $$$$$$$$$$$.
Many very good players choose to pay their own way to an out of state school rather than trying to get by on a partial @ SMU.
Having said all that….fire Schellas.
What Steve says is true & I had noticed the same. But we through in a few stinkers that showed lack of leadership, heart, orgnanization, etc. Those being most notably at New York and recently at KC. If we win those two games we’re .500 and in the playoff hunt. That we didn’t shows that SH has a lot of ‘coaching’ left to do.
I don’t know what caused the sudden stream of incoming new players, but they are a welcome addition. Could any of them happened sooner? Was it part of the plan all along? Or was FCD forced to face themselves in the mirror?
Some thoughts about SH and the possibility of the team’s success next year: I very much have mixed feelings about SH. He is a person I don’t think I could work for, however I’ve know folks that were successful despite my lack of respect for their methods.
- When SH was SMU coach, he said a number of times that kids now days were just not as tough as they used to be and that he had to be careful what he said and did to them. Another example (of the many noted here) that his interpersonal skills are not the best. Definitely not a player’s coach, and probably effected his success in recruiting at SMU.
- On the other hand, the professional game might be a much better situation for him. Here, he can get rid of and acquire players much more easily until he has a group of guys that are comfortable with him. (And he has the patience of ownership for this kind of process.) Last time I looked, in the little over a year that he has been here, 14 of the 24 players on the roster have moved on- and the number certainly will increase by next season.
- I think bringing in some of SH’s old players has been helpful for the team in that you have some guys that can explain SH to the rest of the team. Bill Parcells is renown for this.
So assuming that SH is able to evaluate talent and knows soccer strategy well enough (not saying that he does or doesn’t) I can see a path to success for him. He still has some lineup challenges, like retaining Dax, hoping Cunningham’s 32 year old body stays keeps performing, etc.
The team is winning (more often, at least) despite their coach, not because of their coach. I doubt Richetti’s unhappiness is isolated; if he’s saying it, I bet the whole team is thinking it.
I know I am outnumbered by those among us who can read minds, Jay Brownlee among them. But I’m going to question whether Richetti’s statements this week weighed heavily on the clubhouse. It is also possible that the team was aware of Richetti’s feelings and his stating them publicly had little effect.
What is needed here is less speculaton and more actual reporting. This is a knock on the Dallas sports media and not Buzz – but if we had more beat reporters with ties to the players, we might get more deep-sourced commentary on the emotional state of the clubhouse. In any case we wouldn’t have to “bet” on it.
I’ll stick up for Hyndman here: this team is showing visible improvement and the last few games don’t look like a team that has given up on the season or the coach. Clearly they have looked great in their last few home games. Even in their bad loss at NY they looked a team that made mistakes not a team that has given up.
If this is all the better it gets, then SH has to go. But as long as the improvement continues at its current pace or better, I’ll back the guy.
The team on the field Saturday did not look unhappy.
Did anyone ever consider that maybe Pablo was part of the problem?
El Andy….you actually mean that the rest of the players (who are now gone from FCD) are thinking what Richetti is! There are simply too many new players on the squad to be involved in a bad attitude groupthink along with Pablo Richetti. Also, winning changes everything, and this team has started to show some remarkable form, indicating that there is some method to SH’s madness.
Chad’s comment is unfounded and rather ridiculous. It is very difficult for almost all college coaches to make the transition to the pros in all sports, even those with a track record of winning NCAA championships have washed out completely at the pro level, whereas some coaches are able to make the transition, and a some of it depends on the Owner’s level of support to give that coach the time required to build the competence required to succeed. Will Shellas make the transition? I think that is an open question, one that is in part up to Shellas to answer. Is he willing to conduct the self-critical analysis and make the necessary changes? If not, then he will be a wash out, but so far, the second half of the season has justified holding onto Shellas as coach for 2010. People who are still holding onto their anger over the first half of the season need to take a deep breath and get over their emotionally-based grudges and misgivings. Objectively, this team is MUCH better than the team Steve Morrow built, and that Shellas inherited, and I say that despite the huge losses of Toja and Serioux, etc. which was 100% beyond his control.
The typical Dallas fair-weather sports fans consist of a pack of whiny, impatient, pouting babies. they want Rome built in a day, and will stamp their feet and hold their breath, but throughout the midst of their pointless temper tantrum, a much, much better team was being built in the process.
Oh, by the way, those of you who took your ball and went home have missed some great football at PHP. We have won 5, lost 0, and tied 1 since mid-June. Oh…and we clean-sheeted Houston in the process.
I really like Pablo and think he is a great guy, but I can’t help but to agree that he may have been part of the morale problem. This isn’t the first time he took the wrong avenue to vent and went to the media. He could have at least waited until the season was over.
Failure to give the coach any credit for the successes in the 2nd half of the season, but all of the responsibility for the losses is just a case of outright ignorance. SH shares the blame for the poor performances and shares the credit for the good.
I completely agree with Jonesing. The second half of the season improvement has been a result of building a far stronger team that now plays a entrenched system and when on form plays exciting football. It’s not consistent enough yet but that will come. When you consider the amount of new faces (Benitez, Harris, Hernandez, Ihemelu, Pearce in the last few months alone) and changes in system, positions etc that has occured since the crappness of the start of the season the improvement really does bode well for next year. If the team can get a few wins from the last 4 games and keep the same squad through the off-season, but with the addition of another good striker and centre-back then the consistentcy we’re missing will come and FCD will be an exciting team to be around. SH should take blame for the poor start to this season as he had all last off-season to get ready, but he should also be given credit for recognizing where we were weak and making the changes as soon as the window opened mid-year. And whether he’s a great man-manager or not he deserves some credit for the improvements shown from mid-season onwards in Cunnigham, McCarty, Ferrera and the good starts to FCD careers for Davies, Harris and Benitez.
English James,
That’s a lot of ifs. And as you say towards the end,
“SH should take blame for the poor start to this season as he had all last off-season to get ready, but he should also be given credit for recognizing where we were weak and making the changes as soon as the window opened mid-year.”
My point was, if this was planned, why not sooner? One wonders if the ‘Dustin Letter’ acted as a catalyst. I’ll give SH credit for winning when he wins. I hope he does. As I’ve stated previously, I like the influx of players. (And I don’t mind the outgo.)
saban – the “Dustin letter” came far afer the wheels of change were set into motion. I think SH tried to get the team he wanted preseason, failed to get some of the pieces and settled for less. Obviously it did not work out and thus more changes came and probably even more are coming in the offseason.
What is the “Dustin Letter”?
jonesing,
That’s your opinion, and I respect it. But, a decision to actually pull the trigger on deals and signings could have come after the letter. We’ve seen comments for years about being close to getting a guy and having it fall through. Lots of time coaches want players, but management won’t ante up. Suddenly, they seem to be.
Saban,
Unless they used a time machine only Pearce and Hernandez were brought in AFTER they would have received “dustin letter’. Ugo cane in right after the “letter” was published here, but the deal was in the works waiting for Colorado to accept it. Chavez was already signed, Benetiz here and playing, Harris here….
saban,
you’re also assuming the FO batted an eye at the Dustin Letter. I forgot about it until you brought it up today.
bob1007,
If I remember correctly the Dustin Letter was the original Dallas Burn season ticket holder giving the FO notice that for the first time he wouldn’t renew, and telling them Hitch and SH suck.
Zippy – good write-up. I thought I’d share a stat with you about Sala’s clean sheets this this year – 30% of the games that started with Sala in goal ended in a clean sheet. 30% puts him in the top half of this year’s goalkeepers in MLS.
Thanks everyone for your comments, as usual.
@barefoot
I don’t believe I was “reading minds.” However, it was reported that Ricchetti’s quitting the team had shaken the club-house. Even had it not been reported, I think any time the sitting captain of a team walks away, it’s a pretty safe bet repercussions will be felt in the locker room.
@Chazsoccer: Thank you for the kind words and the excellent observation regarding Sala’s statistics.
jonesing says “only Pearce and Hernandez were brought in AFTER they would have received “dustin letter’. Ugo cane in right after the “letter” was published here, but the deal was in the works waiting for Colorado to accept it”
How does this disprove my points? Can you gurantee we’d have these 3 players without the letter? But I don’t really care to quibble further. Truce.
@JayBrownlee: Where was it reported that the clubhouse was shaken up? Not doubting, just wondering. I never saw anything about the clubhouse being shaken up by Ricchetti’s tantrum and wondered what the reaction was. No one seemed to mention it in their post-game comments I saw in the press.
@jonesing…I’m with you. “An open letter” posted on an internet site did not prompt any roster moves. To suggest otherwise is naive and shows absolutely zero knowledge of how MLS or professional sports work.
for those that were asking, here’s a link to Dustin’s letter:
http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/.../an-open-letter-to-clark-hunt/
2 last points in my argument against this letter as the spark that caused change:
– As has been pointed out, it was sent on Aug 23. Pearce, Hernandez, and Ugo were the only signing after that time. Pearce was the only use of their allocation that fell in their laps. I don’t think even the FCD FO is naive enought to the think that the Hernandez and Ugo moves would be popular.
– Read the letter, there are no constructive ideas for the future, just (mostly valid) complaints. If something doesn’t recommend change, how can it be the cause of change?
@Jason S
Well, as a matter of fact, it was reported right here: http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/09/25/hyndman-on-ricchetti/
It was also discussed on the telecast.
1) It’s not just any letter and it wasn’t just posted on the internet site.
See: August 23rd, 2009 . 5:46 pm . By: Dustin Christmann
The following letter is from El Jefe, Dustin Christmann, whom around FCD parts is know as “First Fan.” He’s called that because that’s what he is, the first fan in cub history. Way back before there was an FCD, back before they were the Dallas Burn, back before there was even a league, Dustin was a fan of the team. Dustin has been a season ticket holder since day one, is one of the founders of The Inferno, is an original committee members of the Brimstone Cup, and was given membership number 0001 in the Hoops Nation. He had one of the first websites about MLS and Dallas that tracked news and articles about the coming league and team starting back in the 93-95 era. He has, from time to time, even written something for this website.
The following letter will be sent to Hunt Sports Group in lieu of El Jefe’s season ticket renewal for 2010 which arrived in some ticket holder’s mail boxes this week.
2) FCD previously reached out to people who use this site as they are representative of the most knowledgable & loyal fans. As per their meeting at the restaurant or bar.
3) FCD held a forum where fans Season ticket holders could question SH & Hitch directly.
4a) For you not to consider consider the letter as possibly being important at all shows a lack of knowledge of human nature.
4b) So, you’re saying that everything FCD has done has been well planned and devoid of emotion and in the best interest of winning now and forevermore. That is, FCD knew and knows what they’re doing at all management levels and they have no internal disagreements. They’re Soccer management automotons devoid of emotion and incapable of error.
OK, I agree with that.
saban,
how/where/why did I or anyone arguing say, “that everything FCD has done has been well planned and devoid of emotion and in the best interest of winning now and forevermore…incapable of error.”
I don’t see my side of the argument as defending the FO at all. Re-reading the letter today I saw no suggestions from Dustin that correlate in any way to the three signings that occurred after the letter. I’m not saying the letter is unimportant either, it just doesn’t seem to correlate to those three signings.
So, according to you, Saban, prior to FC Dallas getting Dustin’s letter, they were just sitting back happy with a losing team with no desires in the world to improve the team. Then, BAM out of the blue Dustin’s letter knocks them off their butts and they wake up and start thinking, “Hey what if we tried bringing in some players that fit the style of team better and try winning some game so Dustin buys tickets next year.” ???
A little far fetched don’t you think? I tend to believe we’ve been working on finding the “right” players all along. We missed on some, made some mistakes on others (Sanchez) and picked up some decent parts. I expect this process to go on in the offseason, getting rid of some that SH does not feel fit the team and picking up other that he feels do fit.
Now do I believe the FO is unaware or uncaring of the feelings of the fan – of course not! But I am sure they feel, and probably correctly so, winning will cure many of the issues fans have and that they have the right plan in place to win and it is starting to show results.
Steve, I’m not arguing with you.
This is what I wrote higher up in this thread.
“…But, a decision to actually pull the trigger on deals and signings could have come after the letter. We’ve seen comments for years about being close to getting a guy and having it fall through. Lots of time coaches want players, but management won’t ante up. Suddenly, they seem to be.”
Perhaps people missed it. Perhaps people don’t want to consider any other opinion than there own. Multiple people have called me naive, etc. and then put all sorts of words in my mouth. I got a little testy above, and still am. But my question is, can you guys read and comprehend, and discuss, or do you just shout down the opposition?