Accountability is key after first FCD loss under Eric Quill

There is no disguising a difficult loss to Chicago last weekend. With 80 minutes on the clock, FC Dallas had one hand on the Brimstone Cup. Seventeen minutes later, Sergii Demianchuk blew his whistle, signaling Gregg Berhalter’s first win with a seemingly comfortable scoreline.

What came after that left a strong impression on me, and I hope it did on the FC Dallas players. Head Coach Eric Quill left the locker room and made an opening statement ahead of his press conference.

“I’d first like to apologize to our fan base,” Quill said. “They didn’t deserve what happened tonight, and this is my responsibility. I’ve been tasked with leading this club on a mission, and as coaches, how we can impact the game is with our decisions, and the turn of events was on me. The game was in control, and I can do better.”

The 47-year-old coach didn’t make Petar Musa fire a frustrated shot down the middle from the penalty spot or cause Sebastien Ibeagha to give away a needless penalty kick. He didn’t instruct Maarten Paes to parry a shot to the feet of Leonardo Barroso or encourage Shaq Moore to switch off while Andrew Gutman made a run to the back post. His worst offense may have been limiting Logan Farrington’s minutes while overestimating Patrickson Delgado’s ability to maintain the energy the team had demonstrated throughout the opening hour.

We’ve seen coaches throw players under the bus. Ruben Amorim recently labeled his Manchester United team as the worst group of players in the club’s 147-year history. The Portuguese manager followed that statement up a few days later by claiming he would rather field his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach than Marcus Rashford.

On the other end of the spectrum are coaches who say a lot of words after games without actually saying anything. After a loss, Nico Estevez might read off xG statistics from a stat sheet handed to him as he entered the press conference room. Luchi Gonzalez would repeat his desire to be “the protagonist.” There’s no explanation for the loss—only that they didn’t deserve it. Closer to home for me, Luton Town has had successive managers who would walk out of a thrashing and say, “We did really well” for a period before everything fell apart.

These are empty words. They don’t say the wrong thing, but they also don’t tell the public that the coach has learned anything from the game or has a plan to address errors. While we are not privy to discussions in the locker room, modern professional coaches need cohesion between their public statements and internal actions.

I asked Quill if there was something specific on the field that shifted momentum. It was clear that he was referring to his 65th-minute substitution of Delgado for Farrington. He admitted he could have left the second-year forward in the game, reasoning that his change contributed to the team’s energy flatlining.

Great—so Coach messed up. Why is that impressive?

Firstly, I think it sends an important message to the players. It’s an apology to Logan Farrington for cutting his night short and possibly not showing enough belief in him. It’s owning up to everyone that “I didn’t put you in a position to succeed, but I will learn from that.” Importantly, it signals that Quill will advocate for his players and shield them from blame for individual errors.

For fans, it demonstrates that a team heavily tipped for last place in the preseason isn’t resting on its laurels after spoiling an unbeaten start to the season.

If you watched the press conference, one thing you wouldn’t have seen was FC Dallas President Dan Hunt sitting next to me in the front row. Quill’s words were also a message to Hunt: he will continue repaying FC Dallas’ faith in him—a faith reflected in buying out his contract with New Mexico United, acquiring players like Lucho Acosta, and investing unexpectedly during what many considered a rebuilding year with massively reduced revenue.

Quill later explained that he wanted possession-based players on the field after scoring to dominate play—a sound strategy in theory. It’s not comparable to past instances such as FC Dallas fielding two full-backs as center-backs for the bulk of last season simply due to a desire to play a particular formation without the players to fill the roles.

When Nico Estevez was hired three years prior, FC Dallas marketed it as the “new era.” While no such campaign accompanied Quill’s hiring, you can certainly see where a new era is forming—one built around differing tactical philosophies, an overhauled top-end of the roster, and a greater emphasis on physicality and conditioning.

Quill isn’t bemoaning poor fortune or refereeing decisions as obstacles to FC Dallas’ MLS Cup Playoff hopes. Instead, no excuses are offered to supporters or ownership. Most importantly, the former Dallas Burn winger is proving himself to be a players’ coach—not by being “one of the boys,” but by advocating for his players and taking responsibility when he falls short in supporting them during games. This rare level of self-awareness could mark the start of a new era at FC Dallas—one focused on rebuilding its culture and identity.

Much like the groundwork laid in 2014 with the “Busca la forma” (find a way) message that culminated in the double-winning 2016 season, Quill’s continued demonstration of leadership could set the stage for future success in this new coaching cycle. You might call it the era of accountability.