10 things on FC Dallas

The Impact, who has won its last four games at home, will play a second game in four days, this Saturday night, as FC Dallas steps foot on the Stade Saputo grass (TVA Sports, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690 – TICKETS). Here are 10 things on the team from northeast Texas.
Context
The Toros will play on the back of 11 days of rest, as their last game took place on July 11, a U.S. Open Cup quarter-final against Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park. Even though they played with a man advantage for 75 minutes of regular time and 10 minutes of overtime, Seth Sinovic seeing red in the 15th minute, the Texans could not find a goal and suffered from two sending offs, losing in the end 3-0. Away from home in MLS, the team led by Oscar Pareja has not won since May 6; moreover, their only two wins on trips came at Real Salt Lake and LA Galaxy, while these teams were going through some particularly difficult moments.
Current form (across all competitions)
L-W-W-W-D-D
Head coach
Oscar Pareja (59-33-28 as FC Dallas head coach, 84-63-41 all-time in MLS) became head coach of the Texan team on January 10, 2014. Winner of the MLS Coach of the Year award in 2016, he brought his team to a double last year, lifting the Supporters’ Shield and the U.S. Open Cup, but could not get through the first round of the playoffs, losing 4-2 on aggregate against the eventual champions, Seattle Sounders FC. Pareja started as a head coach in 2012, replacing Gary Smith at the helm of the Colorado Rapids. In Colorado as well as in Dallas, Pareja promoted many youth players to the first team, always modelling the collective to be able to surprise the opponent with speed.
Current top scorer
Maximiliano Urruti (11)
Players to watch
1. Mauro Díaz (#10) – Back on MLS pitches after a lengthy absence because of an Achilles tendon injury, the 26-year-old Argentinean picked up where he left off: he has four assists in seven games this term. He is lethal in transition as much as on set pieces.
2. Roland Lamah (#20) – The Ivorian scored two goals in each of his past two games in MLS.
3. Michael Barrios (#21) – The Columbian winger already has registered 10 assists this season and has created 30 scoring chances for his teammates in 18 games.
Team profile
FC Dallas’ attacking players are very dangerous and will have to be tightly marked on Saturday. Technical, quick, Urruti, Lamah Barrios and Díaz can counter at the speed of light. The Toros like to showcase their speed on the wings to move up the field, and their pace is rightly used by Díaz’s vision and passing quality. In front of goal, the Texans do not need a lot of chances to finish, converting 75% of their big chances, an efficiency rate seen nowhere else in MLS.
In 2017 :

*Source for all data is Opta
Tactical formation
4-2-3-1 is king for FC Dallas, and their squad is custom built for this formation. Lineup against Sporting Kansas City (July 11, US Open Cup): González; Hollingshead, Harris, Zimmerman, Grana; Ulloa, Gruezo; Lamah, Díaz, Barrios; Urruti.
Most recent games against the Impact
At the very start of the 2016 season, the Impact went to Texas for its annual fixture against FC Dallas. Confident, coming off two wins in their first two games, the Bleu-blanc-noir players held on until the 79th minute, when Mauro Díaz dispatched a precise free-kick behind Evan Bush, then Urruti shot a half-volley in the visitors’ goal to seal the deal.
Injuries, absences and call-ups (as of July 20)
G Jesse González (USMNT)
D Matt Hedges (USMNT)
D Maynor Figueroa (Honduras)
M Kellyn Acosta (USMNT)
Upcoming games
FC Dallas v Vancouver Whitecaps FC (MLS, July 29)
Philadelphia Union v FC Dallas (MLS, August 5)
FC Dallas v Colorado Rapids (MLS, August 12)