Behind enemy lines: Scouting FC Dallas

After a string of disappointing results throughout the month of September, Real Salt Lake find themselves in need of some points Saturday night against FC Dallas.

The league leaders are sitting pretty at the top of the table and are favorites to win the Supporter’s Shield. FC Dallas were able to lift the U.S. Open Cup beating New England Revolution 4-2. They are still in great position to become the first team to win the domestic treble in MLS.

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Goalkeeper

Chris Seitz will be the man in goal for FC Dallas. The former Real Salt Lake draft pick has enjoyed a rich vein of form after making multiple saves to earn his team a valuable road point on the infamous Yankee Stadium pitch last week. Seitz only has only conceded 1.17 goals on average this season and will hope to help his side garner more valuable points.

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Defense

FC Dallas has benefitted from having a stable back-line throughout the season. Central defenders Matt Hedges and Walker Zimmerman have enjoyed exceptional seasons both defending their goal and scoring on the other end. They have scored four goals between them and are always a threat on set-pieces. They will likely be flanked by Atiba Harris and Maynor Figueroa.

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Midfield

The Texas-based side feature one of the best number 10s in MLS. That number 10 is 25 year old Argentine Mauro Diaz. The 2016 U.S. Open Cup victory is owed largely to an outstanding Diaz performance after scoring a penalty and assisting three goals in their 4-2 victory. Michael Barrios is another scoring threat from the left wing as he leads the team in scoring with 9 goals. The right wing will likely feature MLS veteran Mauro Rosales or Ryan Hollingshead. The defensive midfield also has several quality options to choose from. Dallas manager Oscar Pareja will look to a pair Kellyn Acosta, Victor Ulloa or Carlos Gruezo together.

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Forwards

Maxi Urruti will likely be the man to lead the line for Dallas. Although he has not enjoyed a lot of goals this campaign, he is coming off a brace in the U.S. Open Cup final and has a strong work rate. Urruti will constantly look to run in behind and keep RSL’s back-four on its heels. Carlos Ruiz could be an option off the bench after he returned to MLS signing with FC Dallas a couple weeks ago. The Guatemalan forward has 88 goals in his MLS career which ranks 11th most all time.

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