FRISCO, Texas — Welcome back to Keeping Score: Your complete FC Dallas match day experience.
The Whitecaps have been the kryptonite for FC Dallas as of late, coming into Wednesday's match unbeaten in their last five matchups (two wins, three draws). This includes a 1-1 tie back in March where an own goal was the demise of the Toros.
Could FC Dallas ride the wave (pun intended) to victory? Or did it all come crashing down on them yet again? Here's how the mid-week match played out:
There's something in the water for the Whitecaps. Much like the March meeting, a mistake led to a Vancouver goal.
Mr. Reliable in the middle of the attack, Jesus Ferreira, knotted the match before halftime with his seventh goal of the season. Good defensive pressure from Jáder Obrian led to a turnover at the feet of Ferreira, who added another goal in the 53rd minute to log his second brace of the season.
With the win, FC Dallas improves to 21 points on the season with a 6-3-3 record. Another Texas showdown awaits this weekend.
FC fit check
Sebastian Ibeagha and Nkosi Tafari continue to lead the way in the fashion department for the Frisco fits. "Suns out guns out" for Ibeagha with a fresh neutral toned outfit. Tafari looks super mysterious with his glasses and eye on his shirt.
These two continue to kill it, though. I dig it.
Frisco Foodie Fun
OK. I had a full adventure before getting to these vegan tenders. In the moment, it was kind of frustrating to go through the list, but I was told because of $1 hot dog night, the concessions rolled back on some of the items. Understandable!
So ... in the moment, I checked the winner (double stack quesadilla), second place (elote on a stick) and third (funnel sticks) to find out they were not on the menu. Sure, it took me to all corners of the stadium, but at least I got some exercise!
I landed on the vegan tenders when all was said and done.
The tenders had nice texture, and the house made vegan honey mustard was a hit! Solid combination, but room left to be desired. It doesn't top the absolutely amazing mac n cheese or the legend that is the Monster Taco.
Toyota Stadium new concession rankings:
- Hot Chicken Mac N Cheese
- Monster Taco
- Vegan tenders
- Birria Grilled Cheese
#DTID Man of the Match
Jesus Ferreira (again).
This dude continues to lead his team to victories and is a large reason FC Dallas sits third in the Western Conference through 12 games. He has more goals (8) than the rest of the team combined (7).
What they said
Head Coach Nico Estévez
On the win against Vancouver…
“Vancouver is a well instructed team with very good players, and they play a style that can make any team play slow and sloppy, which caused us the mistake even though we were playing better. But I am very proud of the team and the way the team responded.
On coming back…
“It is important for us to know that we can also score second. It is important to have a good mentality when being down because at the end of the day it is about the way we respond and execute.”
Forward Jesús Ferreira
On today’s game and the season…
“I’m just setting personal goals for myself and trying to better myself for the team. I’m finding that rhythm I had again, getting into pockets and spaces in the box. My teammates are trusting me to be the guy to score goals, and I’m happy we did a good job today. We knew how important it would be to get these three points at home, and now we have to turn around, recover and focus on Houston.”
On expectations for the season…
“The team is just focused on what we can do and control. We’re a team where everyone has the same goal. At the end of the day we’re a team trying to win games, make the playoffs, and win the MLS Cup. We all know that when someone is down we have to support them and continue on and push the next person. The level tonight was there, the guys were hungry and we showed that we’re here to get points. The guys suffered at the end of the game, but the important thing was that we managed to get the three points at home.”
Forward Tsiki Ntsabeleng
On the win …
“The win means a lot to us. We’ve been talking about it since the Austin game, staying consistent because we haven’t beaten them in a long time to bring the happy days out.”
On playing further forward…
“I’ve played further forward most of my career, playing deeper in the field was newer to me. I’m feeling comfortable and confident that I can perform at a high level.”
Injury update
No injuries to report other than Paul Arriola missing the match due to a muscle issue suffered in the Austin FC match.
What's next/8 ball prediction
FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo tango in a Texas Derby on Saturday, May 20. It's also "Armed Forces Night." FC Dallas will celebrate the United States Armed Forces and veterans with themed activities and tributes to show support for all active and retired military service personnel.
TV information: Apple TV+ – MLS Season Pass – 7:30 CST.
"8 ball" bold prediction tracker:
FC Dallas will have three players score 12-plus goals this season: Jesus Ferreira, Paul Arriola and Alan Velasco.
- Ferreira: 8/12
- Arriola: 0/12
- Velasco: 2/12
Ferreira is well over the pace. He's on pace for 22, which would be four more than he had in 2022. The 2022 Golden Boot winner, Hany Mukhtar, finished that season with 23.
As far as this bold prediction is considered, being one-third right is worth something, right?! Maybe Velasco can have a late season surge and make me two-thirds correct.
More FC Dallas coverage: