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Toronto FC Vs FC Dallas: Head To Head Preview
By Mike Beauvais and Greer Wilson-Chavez
On Form
Toronto FC: Well, that's three matches in a row with a goal, so that's worth something, no? Really, though, in a match that will mostly be remembered for the disappointment of the Union snapping TFC's 8-match unbeaten streak, there were positives.
Chad Barrett, whose effort has never been in doubt this season, was rewarded with his first goal in five matches on what looked the goal to steal the Reds a road point late in the second half. Barrett's tenacity to get between two Philly defenders almost turned a seemingly harmless Dan Gargan throw-in into a draw.
Kudos must also go to the team on the whole for fighting back for an equalizer in incredibly humid weather, but it just wasn't to be.
FC Dallas: Last week against Real Salt Lake, George John had an outstanding performance. He and the FCD defense haven't conceded more than one goal in a game since a 4-2 U.S. Open Cup loss to D.C. United in April. For a team that has garnered much attention for the offensive prowess of David Ferreira, that's pretty impressive. Coming up this weekend against a Toronto team that hasn't scored more than one goal in a game since May 29 looks promising.
Off Target
Toronto: Saturday's match was more of the same on the road for the Reds. Outside of a late May win at San Jose, the Reds have collected a single point out of a possible 18 on the road. It's been repeated ad nauseum that the league-wide lack of road form is going to be a difference maker come playoff time and that points won on the road could be ones that put a team into the post-season, but that fact continues to be lost on Toronto FC.
Equally disconcerting for the Reds is their continued inability to find the back of the net at any level of consistency. There's a sense of belief around the club that once they pop in a couple, the floodgates will open, but right now, things are drier than a Michael Ian Black monologue. Three goals in five matches isn't going to cut it. With Maicon Santos and Mista recently added to TFC's strikeforce, they've been given a bit of a grace period to get themselves in order, but this is looking an awful lot like the sputtering offense that we saw at the beginning of the season that Dwayne De Rosario was forced to bail out on a regular basis. As good as DeRo is, carrying this team on his back for another stretch of the season is something that he shouldn't be asked to do.
Dallas: Its hard to find flaws with FCD right now. Jeff Cunningham's inability to score would probably be a bigger issue if Dallas wasn't playing so well, but they are playing well and the out-of-form striker's lack of contribution hasn't hurt as much. That said, imagine the Dallas offense with an in-form Cunningham -- not a pretty sight for opposing defenses.
Tactics
Toronto: While BMO Field has been more than kind to TFC over the past calendar year, they return home this weekend to take on a surging FC Dallas club who have designs on moving up the Western Conference table. Unbeaten in six matches, the Hoops has only lost once on the road this season and won't be intimidated playing in front of the Reds' rabid fans. That might dictate Preki’s strategy on Saturday.
Lately at home, TFC has looked strongest with a 4-3-3, but a more conservative approach, at least to open things, against FCD might be a better course of action. The 4-4-1 that the club has employed in the first half on several occasions this season will probably be the safest scenario to get a feel for Dallas before deciding whether or not to become more ambitious with its attack.
Dallas: The only major change in the FCD lineup is the possible replacement of midfielder Dax McCarty. McCarty aggravated a quadriceps strain against RSL and was substituted at halftime. Should he be unavailable this weekend, coach Schellas Hyndman may opt to move Heath Pearce back to the middle of the field, and rely on Daniel Hernandez and David Ferreira to orchestrate the attack. After performing well in his debut, forward Milton Rodriguez should again see plenty of action, probably making way for Cunningham late in the game if Dallas still needs a goal.
Intangibles
Toronto: TFC has a crucial home Champions League tie with CD Motagua on July 28, so the tendency to look ahead to that match must be avoided or FCD will have their way with the Reds. Further to that, it will be interesting to see what Preki's line-up looks like on Saturday and if any of his regulars will be rested for the fixture later in the week.
Dallas: Toronto played a midweek friendly against Bolton Wanderers of the English Premier League. FCD will have had a full weeks rest. That, coupled with Dallas' strength on the road this season (2-1-4), should help the away team even more.
Prediction
Toronto: In a match featuring arguably the league's finest road side versus arguably its best home team, the prospects for a draw loom large. The teams will split the points on Saturday afternoon, 1-1.
Dallas: Though Toronto have one of the best "home-field" atmospheres in the league, FC Dallas haven't shown any signs of being intimidated on the road this season. Riding a very strong vein of form, the Hoops should leave BMO Field with all three points.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
Toronto FC: Well, that's three matches in a row with a goal, so that's worth something, no? Really, though, in a match that will mostly be remembered for the disappointment of the Union snapping TFC's 8-match unbeaten streak, there were positives.
Chad Barrett, whose effort has never been in doubt this season, was rewarded with his first goal in five matches on what looked the goal to steal the Reds a road point late in the second half. Barrett's tenacity to get between two Philly defenders almost turned a seemingly harmless Dan Gargan throw-in into a draw.
Kudos must also go to the team on the whole for fighting back for an equalizer in incredibly humid weather, but it just wasn't to be.
FC Dallas: Last week against Real Salt Lake, George John had an outstanding performance. He and the FCD defense haven't conceded more than one goal in a game since a 4-2 U.S. Open Cup loss to D.C. United in April. For a team that has garnered much attention for the offensive prowess of David Ferreira, that's pretty impressive. Coming up this weekend against a Toronto team that hasn't scored more than one goal in a game since May 29 looks promising.
Off Target
Toronto: Saturday's match was more of the same on the road for the Reds. Outside of a late May win at San Jose, the Reds have collected a single point out of a possible 18 on the road. It's been repeated ad nauseum that the league-wide lack of road form is going to be a difference maker come playoff time and that points won on the road could be ones that put a team into the post-season, but that fact continues to be lost on Toronto FC.
Equally disconcerting for the Reds is their continued inability to find the back of the net at any level of consistency. There's a sense of belief around the club that once they pop in a couple, the floodgates will open, but right now, things are drier than a Michael Ian Black monologue. Three goals in five matches isn't going to cut it. With Maicon Santos and Mista recently added to TFC's strikeforce, they've been given a bit of a grace period to get themselves in order, but this is looking an awful lot like the sputtering offense that we saw at the beginning of the season that Dwayne De Rosario was forced to bail out on a regular basis. As good as DeRo is, carrying this team on his back for another stretch of the season is something that he shouldn't be asked to do.
Dallas: Its hard to find flaws with FCD right now. Jeff Cunningham's inability to score would probably be a bigger issue if Dallas wasn't playing so well, but they are playing well and the out-of-form striker's lack of contribution hasn't hurt as much. That said, imagine the Dallas offense with an in-form Cunningham -- not a pretty sight for opposing defenses.
Tactics
Toronto: While BMO Field has been more than kind to TFC over the past calendar year, they return home this weekend to take on a surging FC Dallas club who have designs on moving up the Western Conference table. Unbeaten in six matches, the Hoops has only lost once on the road this season and won't be intimidated playing in front of the Reds' rabid fans. That might dictate Preki’s strategy on Saturday.
Lately at home, TFC has looked strongest with a 4-3-3, but a more conservative approach, at least to open things, against FCD might be a better course of action. The 4-4-1 that the club has employed in the first half on several occasions this season will probably be the safest scenario to get a feel for Dallas before deciding whether or not to become more ambitious with its attack.
Dallas: The only major change in the FCD lineup is the possible replacement of midfielder Dax McCarty. McCarty aggravated a quadriceps strain against RSL and was substituted at halftime. Should he be unavailable this weekend, coach Schellas Hyndman may opt to move Heath Pearce back to the middle of the field, and rely on Daniel Hernandez and David Ferreira to orchestrate the attack. After performing well in his debut, forward Milton Rodriguez should again see plenty of action, probably making way for Cunningham late in the game if Dallas still needs a goal.
Intangibles
Toronto: TFC has a crucial home Champions League tie with CD Motagua on July 28, so the tendency to look ahead to that match must be avoided or FCD will have their way with the Reds. Further to that, it will be interesting to see what Preki's line-up looks like on Saturday and if any of his regulars will be rested for the fixture later in the week.
Dallas: Toronto played a midweek friendly against Bolton Wanderers of the English Premier League. FCD will have had a full weeks rest. That, coupled with Dallas' strength on the road this season (2-1-4), should help the away team even more.
Prediction
Toronto: In a match featuring arguably the league's finest road side versus arguably its best home team, the prospects for a draw loom large. The teams will split the points on Saturday afternoon, 1-1.
Dallas: Though Toronto have one of the best "home-field" atmospheres in the league, FC Dallas haven't shown any signs of being intimidated on the road this season. Riding a very strong vein of form, the Hoops should leave BMO Field with all three points.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Toronto FC 2-0 FC Dallas
- 33.33 %
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Toronto FC 0-2 FC Dallas
- 25 %
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Toronto FC 2-1 FC Dallas
- 16.67 %
| CCL (CCL) | Oct 18, 2011 | FC Dallas 0 - Toronto FC 3 |
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| CCL (CCL) | Aug 25, 2011 | Toronto FC 0 - FC Dallas 1 |
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| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | Jul 20, 2011 | Toronto FC 0 - FC Dallas 1 |
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| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | May 11, 2011 | FC Dallas 1 - Toronto FC 0 |
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| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | Sep 4, 2010 | FC Dallas 1 - Toronto FC 0 |
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Toronto FC
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| May 26, 2012 | Toronto FC 1 - Philadelphia Union 0 | MLS |
| May 23, 2012 | Toronto FC 1 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0 | NCC |
| May 19, 2012 | D.C. United 3 - Toronto FC 1 | MLS |
| May 16, 2012 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1 - Toronto FC 1 | NCC |
| May 9, 2012 | Toronto FC 2 - Montreal Impact 0 | NCC |
FC Dallas
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| May 26, 2012 | Real Salt Lake 3 - FC Dallas 2 | MLS |
| May 23, 2012 | Chicago Fire 2 - FC Dallas 1 | MLS |
| May 19, 2012 | FC Dallas 1 - Philadelphia Union 1 | MLS |
| May 12, 2012 | Columbus Crew 2 - FC Dallas 1 | MLS |
| May 9, 2012 | FC Dallas 0 - Seattle Sounders FC 2 | MLS |
| 24 | Stefan Frei | Goalkeeper |
| - | Nick Garcia | Defender |
| 6 | Julian De Guzman | Defender |
| - | Dan Gargan | Defender |
| - | Nick LaBrocca | Midfielder |
| - | Amadou Sanyang | Defender |
| 12 | Adrian Cann | Defender |
| - | Maicon Santos | Striker |
| 34 | Raivis Hščanovičs | Defender |
| 14 | Dwayne De Rosario | Midfielder |
| 11 | Chad Barrett | Striker |
| - | Jon Conway | Goalkeeper |
| 33 | Maxim Usanov | Defender |
| 15 | Nane | Midfielder |
| - | O'Brian White | Striker |
| - | Mista | Striker |
| - | Nana Attakora-Gyan | Midfielder |
| - | Jacob Peterson | Midfielder |
| 1 | Kevin Hartman | Goalkeeper |
| - | Heath Pearce | Defender |
| 3 | Ugo Ihemelu | Goalkeeper |
| 5 | Jair Benítez | Defender |
| 20 | Brek Shea | Defender |
| 9 | Atiba Harris | Striker |
| 2 | Daniel Hernández | Defender |
| 8 | Bruno Guarda | Midfielder |
| - | M. Rodríguez | Striker |
| 14 | George John | Defender |
| 10 | David Arturo Ferreira | Midfielder |
| - | Dario Sala | Goalkeeper |
| 15 | Kyle Davies | Defender |
| 8 | Eric Avila | Midfielder |
| - | Marvin Chávez | Midfielder |
| 24 | Eric Alexander | Midfielder |
| 19 | Zach Loyd | Defender |
| - | Jeff Cunningham | Striker |
| Mista | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 0 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Arturo Ferreira | |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Squad Number: | 10 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Results
Times In EST
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kenny Cooper
Striker NY Red Bulls |
11 | 2 |
|
Chris Wondolowski
Striker San Jose Earthquakes |
11 | 1 |
|
Thierry Henry
Striker NY Red Bulls |
9 | 0 |
|
Saer Sene
Striker New England |
7 | 1 |
|
Maicon Santos
Striker D.C. United |
7 | 0 |