Fourth-place FC Dallas (9-5-7, 34 points) visits fifth-place Minnesota United FC (8-5-7, 31 points) in its final game of the regular season tonight at 5:30 pm CT.
A win or a draw would see FC Dallas secure home-field advantage for the first round of the 2020 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
Game Info
Gameday Social: #MINvFCD
TV: 5:30PM on FOX Sports Southwest and the FCDTV Network
Streaming: 5:30PM on FOX Sports Go App, FOXSportsGo.com, FCDallas.com/Stream, ESPN+ (outside of the DFW market)
Radio: 5:00PM CT on FCDallas.com/Radio (English) and1270AM (Spanish).
Fox Sports Southwest Channels
Spectrum Dallas: 320
Spectrum Fort Worth: 32 & 776 (HD)
DirecTV: 676 (Sometimes 676-1 or 676-2)
AT&T U-Verse: 757 & 1757 (HD)
Lineup Prediction
Given the release of the playoff schedule – the earliest FC Dallas could play their opening game is November 21st – the need for squad rotation is out the window.
Instead, FC Dallas will be all in to win – or tie – this game and achieve their stated goal of hosting a home playoff game in 2020. That has been the target all year and Coach Luchi Gonzalez will have his boys ready to go.
Bryan Acosta is still out and will probably return to team training next week. Jimmy Maurer was a late add to the injury report, so expect Phelipe to start in what will be his MLS debut.
We know from Luchi’s media call yesterday that Franco Jara and Fafa Picault were to be evaluated after training on Saturday. I think FCD will play it safe and keep both out.
If Jara is still out – as I’m predicting – then it’s Ricardo Pepi again at the 9.
If Picault is a no go – which again I’m predicting – then I expect Santi Mosquera to be at left wing as I think his fitness will be improving coming off his injury. Ryan Hollingshead is also an option but will return to left back in my scenario.
I also expect the Andres Ricaurte deep, playmaking 8-thing to continue with Jesus Ferreira as the off-striker’ish 10.
Callum Montgomery and Eddie Munjoma made the bench last game when Picault and Jara were out. Thomas Roberts is out of the country for a trial.
Bench Prediction:
Kyle Zobeck
Callum Montgomery
Eddie Munjoma
Johnny Nelson
Brandon Servania
Reto Ziegler
Tanner Tessmann
Dante Sealy
Ema Twumasi
It’s pretty obvious – in my mind anyway – that if things are going well Luchi will shift to a 5-4-1 as has been the trend of late. Tessmann and Ziegler will sub on for Ferreira – with Ricaurte moving up – and either Pepi, Mosquera, or Barrios.
On with the show…
More Game Info, Stats, and Bits
Dallas currently sits in fourth place in the West (which gives it home field advantage for the first round of the playoffs at least) with 1.62 points per game (ppg).
Minnesota is just one place behind on 1.55 pgg meaning Dallas can solidify a home playoff game with either a win or a tie at Allianz Field. A loss, though, would mean FCD would need to go on the road to begin the postseason.
Defender Ryan Hollingshead scored his fourth game-winning goal in 2020 on Wednesday night in Nashville.
With its recent shutout away against Nashville, FCD now owns the best defensive record in the Western Conference. With eight clean sheets and just 21 goals conceded from 21 games, FCD’s stingy backline has been the foundation for its success so far this year.
That defensive record will be put to the test against a Minnesota attack that’s scored seven goals in its last four outings.
Dallas’ all-time record against Minnesota is 5-3-0 (16 goals for, 12 goals against). Its all-time away record against the Loons is 1-3-0 (4 goals for, 8 goals against) but is 0-2-0 at Allianz Field which opened in 2019. This season, Dallas has earned one win and one loss against Minnesota with both teams winning its home game against one another.
Minnesota is currently in fifth place in the Western Conference with 1.55 points per game (ppg). The Loons have made a strong playoff push and secured two wins and two draws in its last four outings. Minnesota hasn’t tasted defeat in its last seven matches and is also vying for a home playoff game on the final day of the season.
FC Dallas
- Injury Report:
- OUT: Paxton Pomykal (M) – hip injury
- OUT: Bryan Acosta (M) – undisclosed injury (hamstring)
- OUT: Jimmy Maurer (G) — undisclosed injury
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: Bressan (D), Thiago Santos (M)
- International duty: None
Nashville SC
- Injury Report:
- OUT: GK – Tyler Miller (hip surgery 8/19, out for season)
- OUT: D – Ike Opara (not medically cleared)
- OUT: F – Luis Amarilla (ankle injury 9/8, out for season)
- OUT: M – Osvaldo Alonso (not medically cleared)
- OUT: M – Jacori Hayes (not medically cleared)
- OUT: F – Aaron Schoenfeld (not medically cleared)
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: Osvaldo Alonso
- International duty: None
Series Matchup at Minnesota United
Minnesota United: 3 wins, 8 goals
FC Dallas: 1 win, 4 goals
0 draws
AT MINNESOTA:
MNUFC 2 wins, 5 goals
FC Dallas 1 win, 2 goals
Ties 0
Officials
REFEREE: Robert Sibiga.
AR1 (bench): Claudiu Badea;
AR2 (opposite): Gjovalin Bori;
4th: Lukasz Szpala;
VAR: Younes Marrakchi;
AVAR: Fabio Tovar
Sibiga MLS Career:
114 games;
FC/gm: 21.8;
Y/gm: 3.5;
R: 24;
pens: 32
Team Leaders
MNUFC
G: 7 Lod/Molino
A: 6 Gregus
SHT: 37 Lod
SOG: 14 Molino
FC: 23 Aja
FS: 47 Molino
OF: 4 Molino/Toye
C: 6 Aja/Gasper
E: 1 Gregus/Metanire
FC DALLAS
G: 7 Jara
A: 5 Barrios
SHT: 34 Jara
SOG: 19 Jara
FC: 40 Thiago Santos
FS: 45 Thiago Santos
OF: 11 Jara
C: 7 Thiago Santos
E: 1 Acosta
CURRENT UNITED GOALS
VS. FC DALLAS
Kei Kamara – 7
Ethan Finlay – 3
Kevin Molino – 2
Hassani Dotson – 2
Marlon Hairston – 1
CURRENT FC DALLAS GOALS
VS. UNITED
Fafa Picault – 3
Michael Barrios – 2
Santiago Mosquera – 2
Brandon Servania – 2
Ricardo Pepi – 1
Jesus Ferreira – 1
Ryan Hollingshead – 1
Reto Ziegler – 1
Season Goal Leaders
| MNUFC | Goals | FC Dallas | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robin Lod | 7 | Franco Jara | 7 |
| Kevin Molino | 6 | Santiago Mosquera | 4 |
| Luis Amarilla | 2 | Fabrice-Jean Picault | 3 |
| Ethan Finlay | 2 | Ryan Hollingshead | 3 |
| Ike Opara | 2 |
Season Stats
| MNUFC | Season Stats | FC Dallas |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Games Played | 21 |
| 8 | Wins | 9 |
| 5 | Losses | 5 |
| 7 | Draws | 7 |
| 33 | Goals | 28 |
| 26 | Goals Conceded | 21 |
| 210 | Shots | 195 |
| 91 | Shots on Target | 100 |
| 263 | Fouls committed | 249 |
| 250 | Fouls suffered | 270 |
| 21 | Offside | 28 |
| 90 | Corners | 103 |
Jacori Hayes played for FC Dallas from 2017 to 2019. He also played for the club’s USL League One squad, North Texas FC.
Jacori Hayes, Ike Opara, and Brandon Servania all played for Wake Forest in college.
Minnesota secured a 2-2 draw with Chicago Fire FC on Wednesday, extending its unbeaten streak to seven games.
This MNUFC streak is tied for the club’s longest unbeaten stretch in MLS, first reaching this mark in 2019 with a streak from June 29 through August 4.
The home team has won the last five meetings between these squads.
Only 3 of Minnesota’s 33 goals this year have come outside the penalty box.
This season, FC Dallas is 16th in the league with 28 goals in 21 matches while Minnesota is tied for ninth with 33 goals in 20 matches, including 16 goals scored at home.
Ryan Hollingshead is tied for second in the league with four game-winning goals, while Franco Jara is tied for fourth in the league along with 13 other players with three game-winning goals.
Michael Barrios is tied for sixth in the league along with seven other players with three game-winning assists.
FC Dallas is fourth in the league (first in the Western Conference) with 21
goals conceded (1.00 GAA).
The Loons are 11th in the league with 26 goals allowed in 20 matches (1.30 GAA) and have only conceded nine goals at Allianz Field this season.
FC Dallas (9-5-7) has a 0.900 winning percentage (8-0-2 record) when scoring the first goal of the match and a 1-5-1 record (0.214 winning percentage) when conceding the first goal in 2020.
For the final road game of the season, FC Dallas has a 6-15-3 record and
0.313 winning percentage.
FC Dallas played seven regular-season matches out of eight in October,
the most the team played for the month in FCD history, and finished with a
3-2-2 record during the 2020 season. Dallas also played seven matches in
September for the first time in team history and ended with a 3-2-2 record.
It was the fifth and sixth time overall that FC Dallas had seven matches in
a month (previous times were July 1996, June 2000, May 2011, May 2014).
FC Dallas has a 5-3-0 record and 0.625 winning percentage in games
decided by one goal, while the Loons have a 4-3-0 record (0.571 winning
percentage).
Since 2015, FCD is 72-5-17 when scoring first.
Since 2015, FC Dallas has a 0.898 winning percentage and 73-3-12 when
scoring at least two goals.
When Michael Barrios scores or assists, FC Dallas is 39-9-10 in regular-season league games. FC Dallas is 19-3-4 when Barrios scores.
50 FC DALLAS STARTS
Jesús Ferreira (41)
Santiago Mosquera (33)
Bryan Acosta (33)
ROAD WINS
- LA Galaxy — 126
- Sporting Kansas City — 111
- New York Red Bulls — 110
- Columbus Crew SC — 110
- D.C. United — 110
- FC Dallas — 108
ASSISTS
Jason Kreis — 65
Oscar Pareja — 47
Michael Barrios — 44
Mauro Díaz — 44