Frisco, TX (Sports Network) - Vancouver Whitecaps FC and FC Dallas square off
in a crucial Western Conference matchup at FC Dallas Stadium on Saturday that
could prove vital in the playoff race.
The Whitecaps enter the game in the fifth and final playoff spot in the West,
four points clear of Dallas with a game in hand.
A win for the Canadian side would not only snap a four-game losing skid, which
matches the club's longest losing streak in its two MLS seasons, but would
also put some distance between the 'Caps and the chasing pack.
Vancouver's 2-0 defeat against the Los Angeles Galaxy last time out continued
the club's slide. And with the season approaching its final stretch, Whitecaps
head coach Martin Rennie knows his team must turn things around quickly.
"All we have to do is really evaluate exactly how we want to go for the
remainder of the season," said Rennie. "Because we've been playing reasonably
well for the last six, seven months, we're still in a position where we can
accomplish the goals that we've set out to. But what we have to do is improve
our performances as a team, and maybe even look at a couple of things about
the way we play."
"We're losing games, we're not scoring goals, we're not really looking
threatening enough, so we have to figure out a couple of things and improve it
dramatically, very quickly."
Dallas knows a thing or two about urgency, and it would not be a stretch to
consider Saturday's contest a must-win game for Schellas Hyndman's team.
The Hoops have only five games remaining to make up ground, and they didn't
really help themselves with a frustrating 1-1 draw against Seattle in their
last match.
Dallas more than doubled the shot total for Seattle, but despite controlling
the match, was only able to come away with a point.
"Any time you get 24 attempts [on goal] you hope to get more than one goal,"
Hyndman said after the game. "At the same time, we're in desperate mode trying
to get three points, and tonight, I said to the players, 'It can be a cruel
game sometimes.'"
After collecting three straight wins in the middle of August, Dallas has taken
just one point from its last two games, which isn't good enough for a team
trying to make up ground.
A failure to take three points from Saturday's match will leave Dallas in a
precarious position, and will offer up another example of how cruel the game
can be.
The Sports Network