FC Dallas was an up-and-down team last season, getting off to a slow start (remember Brek Shea as a fullback) before surging in the summer then falling off a cliff in the fall. The team ended the season on a whimper with a playoff loss to New York, but it was a particularly traumatic and busy season for a number of reasons:
- The David Ferreira injury that removed him for most of the season
- A dramatic jump in soccer minutes for Brek Shea
- The George John transfer drama
And so on. It is no wonder that the team had such an up-and-down season.
Now as the calendar turns to 2012, Dallas has the look not only of a playoff contender but a possible MLS Cup contender. Consider Ferriera’s return plus Shea’s maturity as a player, and this is a dangerous team. However, here are some questions that need to be resolved this offseason before any MLS Cup talk can continue. Consider these “three questions” for Dallas:
1. Will the midfield equal its success from 2010?
In his MVP season, David Ferreira was a maestro. The way he created scoring chances for his teammates in 2010 was magnificent and he took that team to a new level. While they compensated for his loss last season, there’s no doubt that Ferreira at his best makes this team considerably better. However, he is coming off a major injury and is 32 years old. While he may not ever be as good as he was in 2010, how good he can still be is a good indicator of
how good Dallas can be. Regardless, if he can even be a good player in the midfield, this is an improved team.
But Ferriera is not the only question in the midfield. Captain Daniel Hernandez is 35 years old and certainly isn’t getting any younger. Shea will hopefully be around for a while longer, but will national team commitments and wooing from overseas clubs distract him? In short, this midfield is older and much different than the one in 2010, making it harder to equal their performance from that season. But an older and more mature Shea may bump them back
to superiority.
2. Can the youngsters provide needed depth for this team?
The Marvin Chavez trade was a befuddling one to some people but points to the fact that Schellas Hyndman may be looking to his younger players to fill in and contribute this season. No doubt they have young talent. Dallas had
nine players called up for various U.S. national teams, including four to the U-20
side. We’ve seen some glimpses from the younger players, including Victor Ullloa and Fabian Castillo, to suggest that younger players are ready to earn serious minutes. Although they are out of the Champions League, with some many players travelling to national team commitments Dallas needs to have some depth to avoid a plunge like last season towards the end.
3. Will a new striker step forward please?
This one is a slam dunk for offseason questions, as in Dallas lacks experienced
and talented forwards on their roster. They have talented (Ruben Luna, Castillo) forwards but do not have that rugged, proven goal scorer that make midfielders look so good. They’ve been linked with
potential signings, but they need that guy who can get the ball in the back of the net consistently to take that next step.
Update: It looks like Dallas made a move at least to address #3, signing Blas Perez. Is it enough, though?
Related posts:
-
DC United Notches First Win, 4-1 Over Dallas
-
F.C. Dallas Defeats New York In Opener, 2-1
Hopefully Shea stays around for a while longer. That might be the
first time I have seen a comment like this on this site. You want a
talented player to stay……You need to move on to a real
site………..It will be interesting to see who ends up playing
for Dallas. They were so good going into the season and then they
don’t even get past the group stage of CCL and Toronto did….then
they lose to NY. Wow.
The schedule came out today. Dallas only plays Houston once. That
seems weird and inefficient.
Original Tom, talk about a natural rivalry missed here. One time is
not enough. However; the biggest question for Dallas is whether
they will have more butts in the seats. This is a good team; if
Ferreira comes back healthy and with Shea getting better it would
be a shame to continue seeing those empty seats in such a nice
stadium. It’s sad to see teams with great followings (DC United,
Earthquakes) that wish they could have a stadium like the one in
Frisco. Get it together Dallas, as a Galaxy supporter; I want to
see all MLS teams do well in terms of fan support even though it
broke my heart a year ago when Dallas beat us in the semifinals a
game that I attended and then later in that long storm delay,
hoping to get a point and then Shea got the late game winner. Best
of Luck.
Yes fc Dallas can win the cup. Very underrated manager.