Needing a Win: FC Dallas heads to Missouri in desperate need of a win. Or at least a positive result and performance. The club is currently on a four-game losing streak, tied for the longest in club history. A defeat in St. Louis would condemn FCD to its longest losing streak outright. Needless to say, Dallas will do everything they can to avoid that unfortunate milestone. While it’s a tired excuse, injuries have been a major factor in FCD’s poor start. Asier Illarramendi, the club’s all-important midfield metronome, and Jesús Ferreira, the club’s top scorer in the last two seasons, have both been sidelined with muscle injuries in recent weeks. Sadly, it looks like both players will be absent again this weekend. It’s up to Dallas and head coach Nico Estévez to find a way to win without two of the club’s most talented players.
The Ansah: FC Dallas may have found a way to fill the void of the injured Jesús Ferreira. Last game, forward Eugene Ansah started up top alongside Petar Musa and made the most of his opportunity by scoring FCD’s only goal against Austin. Dallas only had 32% possession so Ansah’s touches were limited but he made dangerous runs behind Austin’s backline, giving his FCD teammates an important passing outlet. With Ferreira likely unavailable for St. Louis, Ansah could be called upon again to lead the line and be FCD’s main vertical threat at CITYPARK.
STL: St. Louis CITY had a debut season to remember in 2023. Bradley Carnell’s team finished in first place in the Western Conference in the regular season while also scoring the second-most goals in MLS (62 in 34 games). The start to their sophomore season hasn’t gone as swimmingly, however. St. Louis is currently in 10th place in the West and is on a four-game winless run, although three of those were draws. While it’s not exactly a bad start, you can imagine St. Louis will be hoping to get back to the form that saw them silence all the doubters in their maiden 2023 campaign.
