FC Dallas has a young core of players that have lit up the league in 2015 with speed, creativity and excitement in the final third. Here are three things you should know about the Toros visiting Stade Saputo this Saturday at 8pm (Tickets: Ticketmaster.ca).
High octane offence
FCD is the highest scoring club in MLS this season, with 17 goals in 11 games played. Most of the team’s offence is generated by two players in midfield: 22-year-old Colombian Fabian Castillo and 24-year-old Argentine Mauro Diaz.
Castillo has scored four goals while leading the team with five assists in 2015, and may just be the fastest player in MLS (not if the Impact’s Dominic Oduro has anything to say about it). Diaz has missed a few games this season, but has two goals and four helpers in just seven games played and he is establishing himself as an exciting playmaker. Panamanian striker Blas Perez has been the primary beneficiary of the young midfield core, scoring five goals in nine appearances.
Dynamic Duo
The goalkeeping tandem of Dan Kennedy and Chris Seitz has been a big reason for the Toros success in 2015. Kennedy, a veteran of eight seasons, has played the last four games for his new club (previously with Chivas USA), allowing only three goals, and has the team’s only clean sheet. Seitz has returned to the team’s active roster after missing the second half of 2014 when it was discovered that he was match for a bone marrow transplant patient. He put his career on hold in August to save the life of a perfect stranger and in 2015, has bounced back with a 4-2-1 record and 1.43 goals against average in seven starts.
Canuck watch
Followed by the U.S. national team for a few months now, FC Dallas forward Tesho Akindele is contemplating his international future. After playing just one game with the Canadian national team at the U17 level, the Calgary native was weighing his options as he is eligible to play for the United States, but recent reports have him leaning towards joining the Canadian national team. After scoring seven goals in 26 games, including 18 starts, in his rookie of the year campaign last season, the 23-year-old would be a great addition for the future of Canadian soccer.
