FC Dallas: Luchi Gonzalez’s hopes of challenging realistic
FC Dallas head coach Luchi Gonzalez believes his team can challenge with the MLS elite. And given the talent in the squad, his hopes are not unrealistic.
In one form or another, the 2020 Major League Soccer will hopefully resume. How, when, and if that happens remains to be seen. Don Garber said that all options remain on the table, while the chances of fans being allowed at games are slim, to say the least. MLS in 2020, at the very least, will be irreversibly changed.
Nevertheless, if and when it does return, there will be a title to compete for. The Seattle Sounders will still be their damnedest to defend it. LAFC will want to avenge their postseason failures. Toronto FC will be hoping for their fourth MLS Cup appearance in five years. And might FC Dallas be a team that even the most elite in MLS should keen an eye on?
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Ever since Oscar Pareja was unable to keep the crux of his excellent mid-10s team together, the youth project at FC Dallas failing to consistently replenish the senior squad, the Texan side have slipped away from the elite end of the Western Conference.
Last year, however, they doubled down on the youth project. Out went Pareja and in came Luchi Gonzalez, the former head of the FC Dallas academy. You did not need long to see what their plan would be for the first team. This was an already youth-orientated organisation leaning into its chief player developer and promoting him into the most influential role at the club.
The first season showed progress. Gonzalez indeed ushered in several young players into the senior set-up, including Jesus Ferreria, Paxton Pomykal and Reggie Cannon, all of which are now set to play key roles in this year’s team, and laid the foundation for what could be an exciting 2020 term, even without matching the spending of the teams around them.
To this last point, Gonzalez said this week that he is confident with the group that he already has and does not feel desperate to add to it.
“We’re looking forward with the group we have to compete and fight for something special this season, hopefully with the season being saved with zero transfers [needed],” Gonzalez told mlssoccer.com. “I’m very confident in the group to be able to do that without having to change anything at all. But if the club gets to a point where we need to have movement, then we’ll address it at that time. But right now, that’s not the main focus.”
Dallas earned four points from their first two matches. Both came without Pomykal in the midfield who was recovering his fitness. Throw an older and elite Pomykal into the midfield, with Cannon raging down the right side, Michael Barrios searing in from one flank and Zdenek Ondrasek slamming in the goals up-front and you suddenly have the makings of an exciting team.
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Gonzalez, then, might be seeing the bright side of his team. He might be being a little optimistic about their outlook. But if and when the MLS season returns, do not be surprised if FC Dallas, at the very least, are frisky.