{"id":4161,"date":"2017-02-23T09:06:25","date_gmt":"2017-02-23T14:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsoccer.com\/?p=4161"},"modified":"2017-02-23T01:56:37","modified_gmt":"2017-02-23T06:56:37","slug":"three-things-doom-fc-dallas-arabe-unido","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2017\/02\/23\/three-things-doom-fc-dallas-arabe-unido\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Things That Could Doom FC Dallas Against \u00c1rabe Unido"},"content":{"rendered":"

FC Dallas<\/a> hosts C.D. \u00c1rabe Unido of Liga Paname\u00f1a de F\u00fatbol (LPF) on Thursday in the quarterfinals\u00a0of the CONCACAF Champions League. The Texas club advanced to the elimination round\u00a0of the CCL\u00a0for\u00a0the first time in team history, going undefeated in the group stage. \u00c1rabe Unido qualified for the knock-out stage in style, winning all four group matches\u00a0and eliminating\u00a0Monterrey of Liga MX from the tournament. FC Dallas has the talent to get past\u00a0\u00c1rabe and into\u00a0the semifinals, especially given their recently reinforced roster.\u00a0They will have to avoid three things\u00a0in order\u00a0to make\u00a0Champions League progress\u00a0in this two leg series.<\/p>\n

Three Things That Could Doom FC Dallas Against \u00c1rabe Unido<\/h2>\n

Rust<\/h3>\n

FC Dallas hasn’t played a game that matters\u00a0since their disappointing\u00a0playoff loss\u00a0against the Seattle Sounders last November. Because of this, Oscar Pareja scheduled\u00a0an extended preseason sojourn through\u00a0Argentina to get his\u00a0team ready for battle. Will it be enough to prepare a\u00a0team with so many new faces? \u00c1rabe on the other hand is five games into the 2017 Clausura in LPF. They haven’t yet been able to reproduce their championship\u00a0form however, and currently sit seventh out of ten teams in that competition.<\/p>\n

Not Knowing How to Play Without Mauro D\u00edaz<\/h3>\n

The end of last season saw \u00d3scar Pareja experiment with different formations and rosters in an attempt to absorb the loss of Mauro D\u00edaz. The Argentine playmaker suffered an achilles tear in the penultimate game of the regular season. The late season adjustments were\u00a0not\u00a0effective, and Dallas\u00a0paid dearly for it in the MLS Cup playoffs.<\/p>\n

Pareja has had plenty of time in the offseason to devise a better strategy and bolster his midfield options. Javier Morales was\u00a0added to the roster, but\u00a0it’s\u00a0doubtful that he will start given the preseason looks we’ve seen.<\/p>\n

Speculation is that the preferred lineup will\u00a0be a 4-4-2<\/a> with Urruti and Colm\u00e1n up\u00a0front. Urruti would assume playmaking duties and be supported by Gruezo and Acosta holding in\u00a0midfield. Regardless of which formation\u00a0is used, FC Dallas will have\u00a0to operate in\u00a0a shape\u00a0they are comfortable with\u00a0and create goalscoring opportunities\u00a0without their talismanic midfielder.<\/p>\n

Letting Enrico Small Run Rampant in Attack<\/h3>\n

\u00c1rabe Unido’s\u00a0#11 Enrico Small is the\u00a0 danger man for the Panamanian outfit. He was their top scorer in the 2016 Apertura with 16 goals. He’s also tied for top overall scorer in the 2017 Clausura. He’s plays forward but can\u00a0drift wide to the left or right and attack from the flank.<\/p>\n

FC Dallas was thrashed by Jordan Morris\u00a0from the left flank in the away leg of the 2016 playoffs. In a period of eight minutes<\/a>, he\u00a0almost singlehandedly ended their MLS Cup playoff run, playing part in two of the three Sounders\u00a0goals. They’ll have to avoid a defensive lapse of that magnitude against \u00c1rabe in a first leg with similarly high stakes. Fortunately for Dallas, they’ll be at home this time and should benefit from\u00a0comfortable confines of Toyota Stadium.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/h3>\n

Arabe Unido’s young, physical squad has the quality to challenge MLS’ reigning Supporters Shield and U.S. Open Cup Champions. The fact that they were\u00a0the 2016 Apertura Champions in LPF and beat\u00a0Monterrey twice should be quite enough\u00a0to get FC Dallas’ attention. However, the departure of three key players from \u00c1rabe’s successful 2016 campaign\u00a0has left them in less threatening form. Oscar Pareja strengthened an already strong FC Dallas roster in the offseason. Thursday’s matchup with \u00c1rabe Unido will show whether he’s had enough time to craft\u00a0those strong pieces into a cohesive footballing unit.<\/p>\n

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