Chivas USA vs. FC Dallas : Three Questions

Chivas USA have a mid-week fixture and we are very happy and grateful that the Brian Wachholz of the FC Dallas blog,  Big D Soccer, was on hand for an early round of Three Questions.

Please check out Big D Soccer where you can always find Brian and his crew's great stuff on all things on the one time Dallas Burn. Thank you Brian!

The Goat Parade asks Big D Soccer:

1. Since the teams last met, FC Dallas has endured a cruel summer. The team collected four points and amid a goalless drought that extended through all of July. No question that the Gold Cup and injuries took a toll on the team.

Then hosting the L.A. Galaxy on August 11th, we saw the FC Dallas offense explode for three goals, including a Blas Perez 86' minute equalizer.

In the game after, away loss to Portland, the team did still manage to find the net. Was there anything the team did differently in tactics or personnel or other that allowed the team to shake itself out its doldrums?

I think hitting rock bottom impacted the team. They went 6 games without scoring a single goal. It has to be concerning when you read that the team is setting new club records for scoreless streaks and winless streaks. We heard that the players have held a couple of internal meetings. New signings Erick and Mauro Diaz give the FCD fanbase hope that this season is not completely lost.  Erick is the defensive midfielder that Schellas Hyndman has been wanting to be able to play a 4-4-2, and Diaz appears to be the two-way midfielder that we've been lacking to fight in midfield.  His goal against Portland during the run of play last weekend was really exciting to see.

2. FC Dallas has ten games left in the season. As it stands, second place and, where Dallas sits in eighth place, are separated by a mere six points. Suffice it to say, the three points you'd get by beating Chivas USA almost make this a must-win game for the Hoops.

Chivas however has been--from our meager point of view--very successful against you; Chivas has a year-long unbeaten streak against Dallas. Do you think this is a case of the FC Dallas looking past Chivas or is there something in particular Chivas does well against FC Dallas?

As much as it pains me to point out, the 3rd Degree team at the Dallas Morning News wrote recently that the last time FCD beat Chivas USA was on July 31, 2011 (751 days).

FC Dallas has a significant Latin/South American influence, and I think that it can be argued that it's something that Chivas USA has historically excelled at playing against in MLS. Where FCD is rigid in tactics, the Goats seem to be flexible and able to scrap an attack together when they've played Dallas. Unfortunately, FCD can really go either way when you look at the next opponent. This game feels like a must win, and Chivas are sitting in the basement. I can't put money on either outcome because I don't know what squad will hit the field until the whistle blows. Dallas scored 3 against the Galaxy but could still fall flat against Chivas.  The inconsistency is FCD's Achilles Heel.

3. The second half of the five most recent FC Dallas contests (RSL, Montreal, Seattle, LA and Portland) the team has accumulated 12 yellow cards, or one-third of the team's 36 cautions.

Is there a trend that this can be attributed? Fatigue? Frustration?

Is it because you guys trying to keep up with Chivas USA? Because standing at 48 yellow cards with ten games to go, sorry guys, I think we've got this one in the bag! And that's with Oswaldo Minda riding the bench!

It's definitely frustration. FC Dallas is battling hard to claw out of this slump, and they aren't getting anywhere worthwhile fast enough. In Portland, FCD regained some hope by equalizing quickly against the Timbers' first goal. Then Nagbe struck again to maintain his habit of scoring painful goals against Dallas. I don't know for sure it maybe the team isn't firing on all cylinders or it's injuries or miscommunication, but whatever gremlin is plaguing Dallas has got everyone in North Texas fed up.  The lashing out doesn't surprise me.  I wish some of that energy would go into kicking the ball, however.

What do you think? Leave a comment below!