I don’t know if any team in the MLS has ever watched, read, or even caught a sniff of what FC Dallas has done with their youth academy. Now you’re probably well aware of the talent that FC Dallas has developed, but it’s honestly so much more impressive when the names are displayed for you so:
Weston McKinnie, Kellyn Acosta, The Funes-Muri twins, Elloa, Chris Richards, and half of FC Dallas’ current roster.
It’s an exciting time to be an FC Dallas fan. Expect the fact that when mentioning the team, you kind of have to include the FC in FC Dallas. But it is an exciting time. One of a couple teams that actually spent money and made their team BETTER. So your question now is “Why slot them as the last-place team in the playoffs?” Why because of the Olympics of course. If USMNT somehow fails to qualify for the Olympics this summer, Dallas will for sure be a top 5 team this season.
Hope, can be a dangerous thing…
The Good: Fereira, Pomykal, and Hollingshead. But in general, the team, at times looked awesome. Sure they were inconsistent and sucked on the road, but that was no different than everyone else.
The Bad: That September that almost murdered them, and Centurylink Field with that bouncy ass turf. I’m never one to downplay a hattrick. But Jordan Morris, c’mon dawg, that hattrick was… you know. I know that you know that it was a fluke. But hey, congrats on that championship.
FC Dallas Spongebob Gif
FC Dallas’ potential for 2020 is insane. As the GOAT might say, “the roof is the ceiling.” This team is a bunch of players in their prime with a sprinkling of veterans and U-21 studs. I wish so dearly to be a member of the Hunt family. The Lamar Hunt US open cup is getting more and more prestigious, your NFL team just won the SUPER BOWL. And your FC Dallas team is more than equipped to compete for the MLS Cup.
Offseason Moves
Now, this is a team that identified what they need and filled it with some quality fucking talent. Was Bryan Acosta ineffective because he was stuck at the 6 spot? Boom Thiago Santos. Trading Badji for a nice haul of cash? Heres Picault. Had that 9 spot filled by Cobra not what you really wanted, don’t worry Jara’s on his way this summer. I love what Dallas did this summer and many teams should take notes here.
Starting XI
I’m gonna be totally transparent. This team is so good, I totally forgot about, maybe their best player last year, Paxton Pomykal. Yeah. I forgot. And with the news of Acosta having surgery this offseason and being out a couple weeks/months, it puts Dallas in a weird position. Do they start Pomykal and Ferreira together? Throw Ferreira in the 9 spot, Pomykal behind him and Servania behind him?
The sky is the limit with this roster, and it’s up to Luchi Gonzalez to not fuck it up.
Betting Odds
I LOVE THESE ODDS!! If I were a betting man, I would probably smash this. Are you kidding me, bet $25 to win $1000. On a team this hungry to get their first championship. A championship greedy Clarke Hunt might grab some of that Super Bowl merch money to ensure this team is in the finals within the next 3 years. Smash these +4000 odds.
Best Watches
If my grasp on what FC Dallas will do this season is correct, I’ll be watching more than just these 6. Way more. Dallas has a smooth 5 nationally televised games this season. Seven if you count Canda but nah. I’m particularly excited for that rematch with Seattle in March. It fucking sucks that I couldn’t watch that game live, but seeing everything unroll on Twitter was fun to follow on its own.
One of the reasons for putting FC Dallas at 7 in the west was the end of the schedule. Each week towards the end stings a little bit more. Dallas ends the year, vs Portland, @LAFC, vs Seattle, vs Vancouver, @LA Galaxy. Yeah, they might only walk out of that end with 3 points vs Vancouver.
Predictions
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFOracFClBg?start=19]
FC Dallas is one of my Dark Horses to actually win this year. At +4000 Tommy like-y that play. While the team is pretty fucking stacked, I don’t fully trust Luchi Gonzalez to keep his shit together. He had an okay first year, but expectations are a bit bloated this year.
If half of the FC Dallas team doesn’t end up leaving for the Olympics, and Francisco Jara can come to the team in an insane form, I can see this team finishing top 3. But I am a pessimist at heart. I want to belive that Pomykal and Ferreira will be MLS-beaters, and Acosta can return healthy soon. FC Dallas will 100% qualify for the playoffs, but a perfect world doesn’t exist and FC Dallas will finish 7th.
Hey! If you hated this blog! You’re gonna hate the next 25 blogs! Be sure to check them out as I count down each MLS team from worst to first for 2020.