Eight games.
That's how long it's been since FC Dallas has won a game. And Wednesday night brought no respite, as the winless streak continued with a 2-1 loss at Chicago. It was the Fire's first MLS win over FCD in seven tries as Chicago also collected the Brimstone Cup for the first time since 2001.
GOAL: Hedges heads home opener
Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman felt that on another night -- and not for the first time this campaign -- his side could have gained all three points.
"The urgency, you know, we played three more games than Chicago and they have more points than us," he said. "So that's frustrating. And the other thing is the frustration. I think this is a game we could have won.
"But I can say this about a few of our games. I don't know if we're just having players getting tired, this is our third series of three games in a week, [the Fire] will feel it when they go to Columbus. You don't get a chance to recover, and then when you get injuries, you don't get a chance to treat things to recover. "
Like last week and many matches before, FC Dallas played an excellent first half and took a 1-0 lead thanks to rookie defender Matt Hedges.
"I think it was an important goal for us because we've been playing well all half, and I think it should boost our confidence,” Hedges said. “But in the end, we gave up a goal a couple minutes later, so it's kind of disappointing."
Failing to hold leads has been a problem that has haunted FC Dallas throughout their winless streak. Chicago's Sebastián Grazzinni scored the equalizer just before halftime with a curling effort from 20 plus yards out and Marco Pappa sealed the deal with a goal in the 63rd minute.
Last week, the team lost defender Hernán Pertúz. This week, it was George John that was added to the long injury list that includes Pertúz, Ugo Ihemelu, Fabián Castillo and many more.
“I thought the key for us was losing George John at halftime with a potential concussion," Hyndman said. “We wanted to keep it safe. That was his injury. So we're hoping that he'll be OK to jump back in to the game this weekend."
Injuries, blown leads, no wins. It's all become the norm for a struggling FCD team. But Hedges remains optimistic.
"We've had a lot of injuries and a lot of guys who don't normally play are getting a lot of minutes, so I think they're getting good, quality experience," he said. "When we get the [starters] back, they'll be able to help us a little more."
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