Amidst the trade turmoil involving former captain Danny Califf and riding a three-game losing run, the Union head to Texas to face equally struggling FC Dallas at FC Dallas Stadium, in hopes of wiping clean the mess they left behind in Chester.
Its a tricky game, said coach Peter Nowak, whose opposition is also on a three-game losing swing. FC Dallas had a couple guys with suspensions and they need points -- just like us. Its going to be an interesting game. Itll be physical, because thats how they play at home, and they are trying to find a recipe for success. With Daniel Hernandez and Brek Shea, they try to find a way to win the games. We need to be ready for that.
Sitting at 3-6-3, FC Dallas early-season struggles have mimicked the 2-6-1 Union. Up-and-down momentum swings, injuries and suspensions have played a part in the disappointing season for both clubs.
Weve had some bad luck with some late goals and bad luck keeping the players on the field, FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman told Mark Norris of FCDallas.com. You can say thats bad luck, discipline or intelligence, but those are things that are in our control.
Sound familiar?
However, where FC Dallas and the Union differ is that one is inept on offense, while the others struggles are on defense. With Kevin Hartman in net and former Union goalkeeper Chris Seitz making the odd start, FC Dallas has allowed a league-high 18 goals.
Its the little things that have been costing us games all season, Hernandez told EJ Holland of MLSsoccer.com. Whether it's making a mistake and getting a red card, or ending the game slipping up and making a mistake and letting the opponent back in the game.
Yet, the Union have reason to be optimistic about their shortcomings. Fresh off a 3-2 loss to the New York Red Bulls in which their offense showed a sign of life for the first time all season, the Union are hoping to build off their new two-striker formation of Lionard Pajoy, who scored a pair on Sunday, and Danny Mwanga. In fact, Nowak even hinted at a three-striker system.
We might even play three guys up front, said Nowak. The Schalke friendly the other day with Pajoy, Josue Martinez and Danny Mwanga was good, too. With that type of speed and movement, it makes us successful. Its a good sign of how well go forward, we want to get Josue some time.
Hurting this offensive push will be the loss of Freddy Adu, who was the Unions best player against the Red Bulls before being ejected for yellow card accumulation.
From our standpoint, the suspension of Freddy is a big loss, hes played consistent and last game it was the Freddy we want to see, said Nowak. We need to see what our options are, were not going to play any other way than we did last Sunday.
On the defensive side, the Union will see the return of Gabe Farfan, coming off a three-game suspension. With Califf gone, expect Sheanon Williams to move from right back to the center back position and rookie Ray Gaddis to take over for Williams on the right. Carlos Valdes will stay put in the center and Farfan is expected to return to the left back position, where he had a great deal of success.
Nowak noted that the versatility and growth of Williams has allowed the team flexibility on the back line.
Hes a great defender, hes really good with the ball and isnt afraid to go forward, said Nowak. Hes very good at playing one-on-one and hell embrace the position in a good way.
E-mail Ryan Bright at ryanbright13@gmail.com