Colorado Rapids vs. FC Dallas - Three Questions with Big D Soccer

As the MLS Cup rematch at Pizza Hut Park draws ever closer, Daniel from Big D Soccer and I asked each other a couple of questions about each others squads. Check out my answers to his questions here, his answers to mine are down below!

1. No wins and only a single goal in the first three games for Dallas despite a still talented squad, is the lack of goals attributable to just bad luck, bad finishing or perhaps are they missing Harris and Cunningham up top more than we thought they would?

Well Cunningham not so much, but Harris definitely. I think one of the biggest problems regarding the offense is that Dallas has gotten a red card in two of their three games. Once you get a red card, you can pretty much forget about playing any offense. I think it’s just a combination of the three really. In FCD’s first two games they outshot their opponents and lost the San Jose game simply because of really poor finishing.

Things will get better for the Dallas offense, but they are missing the size they had last year with Shea and Harris on the wings while Ferreira is continually being destroyed by opposing teams and getting no protection from referees or the rest of his teammates. If Dallas can just stay with 11 guys on the field, I think they’ll be ok and create enough chances to score a few goals. The Colorado outside backs are going to have to be at the top of their game this weekend as I was out at practice today and Dallas is really going to look to attack down the wings with speedsters Marvin Chavez and Fabian Castillo this weekend.

2. As a fellow fan of a team with attendance problems last year, how has it looked in the early goings this season?

It’s been good, very good. I mean we’re only through two games so you really can’t judge too much, but opening day was pretty much the first time I can remember an FC Dallas game that was sold out with fans wanting to see Dallas as opposed to someone on the opposition. While 11k isn’t a huge number for the second game, it’s a hell of a lot more than Dallas would have had last year. It’s going to be very interesting to see what the crowd looks like on Friday as the team has had a couple of weeks to sell the game.

3. With a lot of the players from last year missing, are there any younger guys scratching their way into the starting XI that we might not know about?

I’ve got two names for you, Fabian Castillo and Ruben Luna. Luna, a 19 year old forward and Homegrown signing, made his first ever start for FC Dallas last weekend and played fairly well at forward, a very tough position for a team down to 10 men. Luna is a big, strong kid who’s very good in the air and holding up the ball. He will remind you a bit of Carlos Ruiz in his prime without the diving and is a guy who has a real future in the league.

Fabian Castillo is an 18 year old Colombian wonderkid who FC Dallas shockingly paid around $800,000 for this offseason from Deportivo Cali. Castillo can play on the left wing or as a supporting striker and has ridiculous speed and quick moves. He will cut the ball multiple times on an outside back freeing himself for an open cross or blow right by you with his speed. Castillo is a future star in the league, but is still raw and developing. If he can put something together on Saturday, Colorado fans will come away from the game very impressed with him.