We’ve covered this ground recently, but perhaps not so authoritatively: FC Dallas is making the playoffs.
Brek Shea had a bit of a renaissance in Mexico, David Ferreira came back from injury, and now brilliant forward Blas Pérez looks to be returning after an 11-week layoff. It’s coming up roses in Hoopsville.
Schellas Hyndman’s club sits five points out of the final spot in the Western Conference, with both the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Vancouver Whitecaps holding a game in hand. That seems like a large gap -- and it is -- but the team’s remaining schedule has us feeling good about the postseason chances.
A match against the Galaxy this weekend, a team coming off a mid-week fixture against Isidro Metapan with a maybe-hurt Landon Donovan.
Looking ahead, they have two tilts with not-very-good-at-all Chivas USA, and a home match against Vancouver. Read: Three exceedingly winnable fixtures. Plus, there’s a home-and-home with the Seattle Sounders, who are eight points clear. (Sure, Seattle has three games in hand on FCD, but two losses mean the teams are virtually even).
An away match to San Jose is most likely a loss, but it’s not hard to see FCD going 6-1 down the stretch. That, combined with the points they will take away from the teams ahead of them, should be enough to get them into the playoffs.
If (when) FCD gets there, watch out MLS. If we’ve learned anything from the league’s postseason, it’s that hot teams frequently do very, very well, no matter where they finish the regular season.
