As FC Dallas head to BMO Field on Sunday to take on Toronto FC, a flurry of roster activity has left the Hoops depleted in the midfield.
On Monday, the club traded 23-year-old midfielder Arturo Alvarez to San Jose, then Friday, the club announced the transfer of two-time all-star midfielder Juan Toja to Steaua Bucharest in Romania. With Dax McCarty away at the Olympics, suddenly FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman has some holes to fill.
FCD is coming off a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, their first win in five matches. TFC is currently experiencing a five-match winning streak, a run that continued with a 2-1 loss at Real Salt Lake on Monday.
No matter their current form, Hyndman is more than aware of what a formidable foe the Reds are on their home field, where they have an unbeaten mark of 5-0-4 so far this season.
"They're a team that also plays a 4-4-2," Hyndman said. "They play on FieldTurf and will be a high intensity team. They just lost a difficult game to Real (Salt Lake). They see the importance of getting three points. I think it's going to be a highly physical match, a very quick game. As any game, you want to improve week in and week out. So, if we can improve our performance on Sunday, then I think three points is in our grasp."
Hyndman took a somewhat different approach to travel when FCD traveled early Saturday morning and was set to train at BMO later in the day. On Friday, the Hoops also spent the first half of training on a FieldTurf field adjacent to their normal practice pitch, all intended to get them as prepared as possible for playing on TFC's surface.
"I think it's a long trip, three hours and we're going to play on the FieldTurf," Hyndman said. "What a great opportunity for us to get on that Field Turf for training. This will be a good opportunity for us to travel, get training in on their field to get to know the touch of their field, the environment and settle in."
The midfield isn't the only area with a number of holes. In the back, captain and veteran center back Duilio Davino is likely out for several weeks after suffering a toe injury during training on Thursday, giving Hyndman a number of options. But switching from the 4-4-2 back to a 3-5-2 doesn't appear to be one likely scenario.
"There's always that possibility," he said. "The thing is I don't want it to be a band-aid. I think I have a plan. I put that plan into motion against LA with a 4-4-2. It took us five or six weeks to get there and I don't know if I want to go back into a different plan because it's confusing for everyone.
"I think I do a better job in a 4-4-2 as a coach and the players understand their roles and responsibilities better," Hyndman continued. "Maybe we lose in a 4-4-2, but that doesn't mean that the system made us lose, maybe it was the players, a mistake, maybe we should have finished and we didn't."
Options in the back include leaving Drew Moor at right back, playing Aaron Pitchkolan in the middle alongside normal left back Adrian Serioux, who would be replaced on the left by Blake Wagner. However, Moor can also play in the middle alongside Pitchkolan, which could mean that Michael Dello-Russo starts on the right with Serioux staying on the left.
For part of training on Friday, usual holding midfielder Pablo Ricchetti got work at right back, a position he played in his pre-FCD days at River Plate in Argentina. So, the veteran is another possibility as is fellow defensive midfielder Marcelo Saragosa.
In the midfield, the picture is a little clearer. Rookie Eric Avila, who got his first MLS start against LA, looks to start along with FCD assist leader Andre Rocha and fellow Brazilian Saragosa, who missed the Galaxy game due to yellow card accumulation. If Ricchetti doesn't start in the back, then he could play in the middle alongside Saragosa with Rocha out right.
FCD is trying to put together the side's first two-game winning streak since mid-April.
"We had a good little win at home (against LA)," said Avila. "We're taking one game at a time, which is good for us. Now, we've got LA out of the way and our focus is Toronto. I think we're going with a good confidence of going out there and doing the same thing that we did at home, which is working hard for each other."
Like his teammates who have never played at BMO, the rookie is looking forward to taking in the incredible TFC game atmosphere in person for the first time.
"I've got friends on different teams who have played in Toronto and they said it was awesome and that the atmosphere was ridiculous," Avila said. "I've heard so much about the city and the fans. I'm happy to go out there and play in front of them. I think it's a little confidence and more trying to go out there and win it."
While Hyndman was pleased with his side's performance last weekend, he still wants to see FCD do a number of things better in the 4-4-2.
"I think we need just a little bit more understanding of the structure," he said. "I think getting the guys to understand their roles a little better would help. They need to walk into that game feeling good about themselves, realizing that they had a great performance and now they have set a standard for themselves. I'm going to try and get that standard from them for each game."
FCD has traveled to Toronto once before. On June 17, 2007, they fell to the Reds 4-0 with TFC getting first-half goals from Maurice Edu and Danny Dichio before Carl Robinson and Jeff Cunningham scored in the second frame.
At least two of those goal scorers won't be active on Sunday as Edu will be away with the U.S. Olympic team and Dichio is sidelined with a concussion. In fact, of the players likely to start for the Hoops on Sunday, only four (goalkeeper Dario Sala, defender Drew Moor, Saragosa and forward Dominic Oduro) were in the starting 11 the last time the two teams met in Toronto.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
