Two weeks ago, FC Dallas went into RFK Stadium to face D.C. United. After taking an early 1-0 lead, the Hoops allowed two unanswered goals before Andre Rocha rescued FCD late with an equalizer. Now, on Sunday, comes the rematch at Pizza Hut Park, a place where United have a perfect 3-0 record.
FCD comes off an impressive 4-1 win over Chicago on Sunday at Toyota Park where Jeff Cunningham had two goals and an assist for the Hoops. It was their first win in their last five games.
D.C., on the other hand, fell 5-2 to the LA Galaxy last Saturday night at The Home Depot Center and is just 1-2-2 in their last five league games. Their last win was a 3-0 win Aug. 23 against Colorado and United has dropped three in a row on the road with their last victory away from RFK coming Aug. 16, when they prevailed 1-0 at Chicago. United is coming off a 2-0 loss to CD Marathon in Honduras on Wednesday night in CONCACAF Champions League play.
Even though D.C.'s form has been a bit inconsistent of late, FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman knows how tough Sunday's match shapes up to be for his side.
"(They are a) good team with a loaded attacking force," Hyndman said. "I think defense has been an issue for them. They gave up quite a few goals against LA. They are putting themselves now in a position of struggling for a playoff spot. It's going to be a huge game for them. We've got five games left. We're playing well. D.C. is just another stop for our bus. We're hoping to get ourselves into the playoffs."
However, FCD has been less than stellar at home this year with a 4-4-4 record, the fewest home wins in MLS. The Hoops realize that must change quickly if they are to reach the postseason for a fourth consecutive year.
"It's a big game for us," FCD defender Drew Moor said. "We haven't done as well at home as we want to lately. Home has got to be a fortress where teams fear to come in and play us but it hasn't been so far in these last couple months. We're looking to turn that around on Sunday because it is a big game for us. Three points are needed. Hopefully it will be hot. We will have a good audience and hopefully, we'll put on a show."
Hyndman will likely employ the same starting 11 that prevailed against the Fire on Sunday. But center back Duilio Davino is close to returning and will be on the bench for Sunday's match. Left-sided midfielder Victor Sikora, also continues to respond well to rehab on his injured knee and could return to the bench in a week's time.
One of the more veteran players on the FCD roster, Cunningham knows how important it is that Sunday's result is in the Hoops' favor.
"These next few games are very important," Cunningham said. "It's important that we get maximum points but I think we need to take it one game at a time and prepare for D.C. as well as we can. Come Sunday, we need to give a good effort and hopefully, we'll come away with three points."
Another star of Sunday's win was midfielder Andre Rocha, who had two assists and also figured in a third goal. He too is itching to deliver a better result against United.
"That was a different game when we went up there," Rocha said. "We were on the road, scored first but they came and got two goals back. We had to go and look for the tie at that point. But we know that we have the players to get these results. Now that we're playing them at home, we have this comfort level and know what they're about. Victory is most important. We want to be able to start off with the same pressure that we did last week so we won't have to come back for the tie. We want to be able to go for the win instead. The most important thing right now is finding the win."
Throughout this week of training, it was hard not to notice a positive vibe surrounding FCD, something Hyndman is going to do all he can to preserve until Sunday.
"All we can do is just prepare them the best we can," he said. "(Thursday), we did a really hard training session, probably one of the hardest training sessions we've done since I've been here. D.C. United, if you give them too much time, they're going to change the point of attack and spread the ball around.
"That part we're starting to recognize is that what we work on in practice, carries over to the game. Last week, we worked on counterattack and defensive shape and that carried over to the game, Hyndman continued. "So, I think all we can do is continually give them good training sessions, continually educate them and continually put demands on them. Our attitude right now is very focused."
Rocha for one, is glad to see such a positive vibe this time of the year when so much is on the line each and every week.
"When you win, everybody feels good but we need to continue winning," Rocha said. "For that to continue, we need to give a maximum effort individually and as a team every time we're out there. You can see that the team is very happy. Everyone is joking and backing each other. At this moment in the season, it's important to have that attitude but it does come from winning."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
