FC Dallas look to make move in clash vs. LAFC
FC Dallas will look to parlay its home-pitch advantage to get back on the winning track when it hosts Los Angeles FC on Saturday in a Western Conference match in Frisco, Texas.
Dallas (7-7-5, 26 points) heads home after a 3-0 loss at rival Austin on June 24, the second straight match in which the Toros have been held without a goal. It marks the first time in nearly two years Dallas has been scoreless in back-to-back matches. The Toros have dropped four of their past five outings but have just one loss in their last eight matches at home.
Leading scorer Jesus Ferreira is still missing from the squad as he plays with the U.S. Men's National Team. Injuries to starters Sebastian Lletget, Paul Arriola and Paxton Pomykal have led to uneven production for Dallas while they've created playing time for the Toros' younger players.
"I think it has to be teamwork," FC Dallas coach Nico Estevez said. "It's about how we can involve more players into that responsibility and also change things that help us for the profile of players that we have."
LAFC (9-4-5, 32 points) is 4-3-2 over its past nine matches and heads to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on the heels of a 3-2 defeat to Vancouver on June 24. Denis Bouanga and Carlos Vela had the two goals for the defending MLS Cup champions in that loss and have combined to score 17 of the team's 28 total goals for the season.
That game capped a stretch of six MLS matches in an 18-day period for LAFC. This past week has been spent in practice and taking stock of how the squad can improve.
"This has been a time to sit, look back over a handful of games we've had in the past, get back to some LAFC DNA, get back to some things that we want to be as a team, and be able to actually focus on that in training," LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead said.
LAFC remains tied atop the West standings with expansion St. Louis as only seven points separate first from ninth in the table.
--Field Level Media
