Socks, Sandals and Soccer: MLS Game Week 1 – Dallas Style

Socks, Sandals and Soccer: MLS Game Week 1 – Dallas Style

What’s this? Another MLS article? After watching Guy’s tense yet highly successful negotiations with management, we stole his notes and held out until we secured the compensation package. Cheers Guy, we owe you one.

For those not in the know, your 84th and 85th-favorite FF247 chat room pariahs Chins and Lawdogg are FC Dallas season ticket holders. With a number of you debating which FC Dallas players to field in your team, we thought we would lend a helping hand. So as not to impugn Chins’ good name (stop laughing), I’ll state at the outset this will be a Lawdogg-driven joint. Chins will pop in from time to time to offer insight and witty banter; until then, you are stuck with me.

After each FCD home match we will bring you a scouting report featuring those FCD players you need, and those you do not, based on our observations. TV only shows you the action on the ball; we are here to fill you in on what you do not see on TV. We will even also throw in some Intel on the opposing team. For each side you will get our three stars and goat for each team and, of course, there will be the unavoidable waffle.

So let’s get going…

MLS GW1 brought the Philadelphia Union to town. The Union were not good last year: their ten victories and 37 points saw them finish ninth in the Eastern Conference, and the only reason they did not finish last was down to the fact Chicago plays in their conference.

Through a series of trades, the Union ended up with three of the first six picks in MLS’ 2016 Superdraft (think: Entry Draft). They used those picks on defenders Joshua Yaro (CB) and Keegan Rosenberry (FB) and Fabian Herbers (F). Yaro was widely regarded the best player in the draft class and Herbers was thought to be the top forward. Philadelphia’s 2016 Superdraft Rat Pack has Philadelphia fans excited about the future… and wishing it was the future.

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FC Dallas
3rd Star: Attiba Harris (FB)
It is hard to pick Harris over the goal-scoring Castillo, but we have done just that. The first four minutes of the game were the best four minutes we have seen Harris play. All joking aside, the captain of the Saint Kitts national team was impressive and at times appeared deployed more as a wing back. Involved at both ends of the pitch, Harris earned a massive nine points in week one thanks to two defensive bonus points and one attacking bonus point. There is still a legitimate concern of rotation in the Dallas defense, but with efforts like Sunday it will be hard for Oscar Pareja to bench him. He is well worth a spot in your team at just £6.2.

2nd Star: Maximiliano Urruti (F)
After Portland declined his contract for 2016, FC Dallas traded up and grabbed him with the first pick of the 2015 MLS Re-Entry Draft. The Argentine arrived with a reputation for working hard, and that was on full display Sunday. Whether tracking back, harassing the Union centrebacks or chasing down errant long balls, Urruti was all over place. It was only fitting he found the back of the net in the 79th minute and opened his FCD account. At just £8.5m, he offers a cheap alternative to the higher-priced forwards. Our verdict: keep an eye on him. He is probably not ready for a spot on your team just yet, but with the midfield of speed demons playing behind him he is sure to get quality scoring chances.

1st Star: Mauro Diaz (M)
The pint-sized midfielder was impressive all afternoon, leading the FC Dallas attack and providing assists on both goals. After routinely disappearing for parts of games last season, the 24 year-old seems to have figured it out. He was active on and off the ball all afternoon, making a menace of himself to opposing midfielders and consistently providing quality scoring opportunities to his teammates. If Sunday was a sign of things to come, it appears Diaz could be set for a career year and, at £10.2, he should be in your midfield. It is also worth noting that Diaz took most of FCD’s corner kicks and provided quite a few quality deliveries into the box.

Goat: Zach Lloyd (CB/FB)
When the team sheets came out there was an audible gasp at the pub. OK, maybe it was just at our table. A permanent fixture at centreback last year, it was surprising to see the younger Zimmerman get the nod there on opening day. Since a number of gaffes led to two of Portland’s three goals in Leg one of the Western Conference Finals, there has been chatter in FCD circles that the club want Lloyd to return to fullback, where he began his career. He was deployed at fullback during the preseason but his omission on Sunday was curious. We have searched for reports but it does not appear his benching was injury-related.

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Philadelphia Union
3rd star: Ford Gaitley (Equipment Director)
When a team plays as bad a Philadelphia did, you cannot name three players “stars” just to work out a fantasy soccer article. While his team was awful, it appears all of the team’s equipment arrived safely in Dallas. Each player had a jersey with his name on it, the uniforms were clean and it appeared all players had boots on their feet. That was enough to make Ford Gaitley our third star of the game for the Union.

2nd star: C.J. Sapong (F)
Poor Chris Sapong. After losing both Cristian Maidana and Andrew Wenger to Houston in the offseason, Philadelphia’s plan appears to be a midfield trio of Larry, his brother Darryl and his other brother Darryl. The plan got off to a rough start on Sunday. Sapong has the talent to succeed in this league but until Philadelphia can figure out their midfield we cannot recommend Sapong for your fantasy team.

1st star: Andre Blake (GK)
Sure, he let two goals in, but his eight saves were the story of the game for the Union: Dallas was relentless in attack early and unlucky to score just once in the first half. Blake’s composure under fire kept the game from getting out of hand and kept his team in the game until Urruti’s goal in the 79th minute. Blake is a quality keeper, and we feel sorry for him, but you should not have him in your team this year. The Union are likely to feature a rookie centreback and/or a rookie fullback in most of their games this year, and we predict a season with more Growing Pains than the Seaver family ever experienced.

Goat: Jim Curtin (manager)
It is hard to fault Curtin with the deck of cards he has been dealt, but the team sheet yesterday was disappointing. Of their three top draft picks, only Keegan Rosenberry started. Fabian Herbers entered the game in the 83rd minute, but the highly regarded Joshua Yaro did not make the trip. That he used all three substitutions and somehow left Fabinho in the game had some wondering if he was even watching the match. When your team has as many holes as this one does, your skipper has to make the rights calls on game day. Curtin fell short of the mark against FC Dallas.

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Thanks for reading Socks, Sandals and Soccer: MLS Game Week 1 – Dallas Style. This article was written by Lawdogg (and observed by Chins)

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