11th-place FC Dallas (27 points) hosts 7th place Minnesota United (37 points) tonight at 7 pm CT at Toyota Stadium.
Broadcast Info
TV (English): Mark Followill and Steve Davis will be on the call for Saturday’s game on TXA 21 and the FCDTV Network. Coverage begins at 6:30 pm CT.
ONLINE: For viewers inside DFW and the FCDTV Network, the match will also be streamed live on fcdallas.com/stream. The match will be also be streaming on ESPN+ in English and Spanish for viewers outside the DFW and FCDTV Network markets.
Radio… English: If you can’t watch the match, you can listen to all the action on FCDallas.com/Radio hosted by Tyler Kern. Spanish: The duo of Carlos Alvarado and Rafa Calderon will call the game in Spanish on 1270AM, starting at 7 pm CT.
Buzz’s FC Dallas XI Prediction
After the 3-5-2 didn’t work that well, Coach Marco Ferruzzi hot-swapped back to 4-2-3-1 at halftime against Sporting. So I’m all in on the 4-2-3-1 being the formation of choice against the Loons.
Bryan Acosta is out so I’ll pencil in the most logical 8-solution in his spot, Brandon Servania. Obviously, Paxton Pomykal could play 8 but he hasn’t been doing that all that much this year, at least not outside of training.
Instead, I have Pomykal back in after a game off but at right wing instead of left giving Jader Obrian a game off with Szabolcs Schön at left wing.
Ricardo Pepi before he departs for US camp at the 9 with Jesus Ferreira at the off-striker type 10. Outside back is easy for me with Ryan Hollingshead left and Ema Twumasi right. Jimmy Mauer should be in goal.
It’s in the middle of the back it gets complicated. Honestly, it could be any of the four center backs starting. I would go with Nkosi Tafari and Matt Hedges (the latter back from yellow card suspension) but it could easily be Jose Martinez or Bressan. Pick your poison.
Bench Prediction
Phelipe
Bressan
Edwin Cerrillo
Justin Che
Jose Martinez
Eddie Munjoma
Jader Obrian
Andres Ricaurte
Franco Jara
MLS Player Availability Report
FC Dallas
- OUT: Beni Redžić (ankle sprain)
- OUT: Johnny Nelson (back surgery)
Minnesota United FC
- OUT: Justin McMaster (thigh)
- OUT: Jan Gregus (ankle)
- OUT: Hassani Dotson (knee)
Suspensions
SUSPENDED:
DAL: Bryan Acosta (through Oct. 3)
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD:
DAL: Szabolcs Schon, Ema Twumasi …
MIN: Chase Gasper, Jacori Hayes
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS:
DAL: Jader Obrian, Bryan Acosta, Edwin Cerrillo …
MIN: Chase Gasper, Jacori Hayes
Officials
REFEREE: Rubiel Vazquez.
AR1 (bench): Kevin Klinger;
AR2 (opposite): Walter Heatherly;
4th: Ted Unkel;
VAR: Ismail Elfath;
AVAR: Jonathan Johnson
Vazquez MLS Career:
54 games;
FC/gm: 22.2;
Y/gm: 3.3;
R: 10;
pens: 12
MLS Kit Assignments
More Game Info
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD:
FC Dallas 5 wins, 17 goals …
MNUFC 5 wins, 17 goals …
Ties 1
AT FCD:
FC Dallas 4 wins, 13 goals …
MNUFC 0 wins, 5 goals …
Ties 1
Ricardo Pepi has equaled the most goals scored by a teenager in a single season, matching the total
scored by Diego Fagundez with New England in 2013.
MOST GOALS AS A TEENAGER, SINGLE-SEASON
| Player | Goals | Club | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diego Fagundez | 13 | NE | 2013 |
| Ricardo Pepi | 13 | DAL | 2021 |
| Jozy Altidore | 9 | NYR | 2007 |
FC Dallas Homegrowns have played 7,946 minutes and have made 139 appearances in the past 28 matches during the 2021 season, surpassing the 4,949 minutes played during the 2020 MLS regular season.
FC Dallas Homegrowns have scored a total of 21 goals (53.8% of FCD’s goals) and recorded 15 assists this season.
FC Dallas is tied for ninth in the league with 39 goals scored and tied for 10th with 37 assists, while Minnesota is 23rd in the league with 30 goals and tied for 16th with 32 assists.
Homegrown Ricardo Pepi is tied for fourth in the Golden Boot race with 13 goals scored (3 GWG), is the highest-scoring American in the league, and one of three players with three multi-goal games.
Hungarian winger Szabolcs Schön and Homegrown Jesús Ferreira lead FC Dallas with six assists.
FC Dallas has conceded the most goals (47) in the Western Conference, while MNUFC is tied for eighth in the league with only 32 goals allowed.
Last season, FC Dallas played 18 different lineups in 22 regular season matches. This season, FC Dallas has fielded 25 different lineups in 28 matches.
FC Dallas had a 2-6-0 record (0.250 winning percentage) in games decided by one goal in 2021, while Minnesota United FC is 6-5-0 (0.545 winning percentage) in games decided by one goal.
Since 2015, FCD is 78-6-19 when scoring first.
Since 2015, FC Dallas has a 0.870 winning percentage and 79-5-16 when scoring at least two goals.
FCD’s Jimmy Maurer has a 4-10-6 record, has saved 61 out of 92 shots faced and has a 1.58 GAA this season, while Minnesota United’s Tyler Miller has a 10-5-7 record, saved 64 out of 86 shots faced and has a 1.00 GAA.
Ricardo Pepi’s two-goal performance in his last MLS match against Austin in late August was the third multi-goal game of his career. Pepi is just the second player in MLS history to record three multi-goal games
before turning 19 years old after Eddie Gaven, who did so in 2004-05.
FC Dallas defender Nkosi Tafari leads the team (ranks fourth in MLS) with 121 clearances, averaging 6.05 clearances per game.
Robin Lod registered a gentleman’s hat trick (three assists) against FC Dallas on November 8, 2020.
50 FCD APPEARANCES
Franco Jara (43)
50 FC DALLAS STARTS
Bryan Acosta (49)
Bressan (43)
Paxton Pomykal (37)
150 MLS STARTS
Ryan Hollingshead (143)
OVERALL FCD APPEARANCES
Matt Hedges — 277
Jason Kreis — 247
Bobby Rhine — 212
Ryan Hollingshead — 187