9th in the West FC Dallas (1-2-0, 3 points) hosts 5th in the West Vancouver Whitecaps (1-0-1, 4 points) on Saturday night at Toyota Stadium. Game time is 7:30 pm.
Is this a must-win game already? Only 1 win when you have 3 of your first 4 at home wouldn’t be good.
It’s a St. Patrick’s Day Celebration with a pregame party on the pitch on Tundra Field 2 (outside Toyota Stadium).
Broadcast Info
TV: Free on Apple TV (It’s a free weekend!)
Apple TV English: Mark Followill and Warren Barton
Apple TV Spanish: Carlos Mauricio Ramirez and Max Cordaro
English Radio: 1190 am and the FC Dallas App. Ryan Figert and Steve Davis are on the call. Pregame at 7 pm with Sam Hale.
Spanish Radio: FC Dallas app with Carlos Alvarado and Rafa Calderon.
MLS Injury/Player Availability Report
FC Dallas
OUT: Logan Farrington (knee)
OUT: Asier Illarramendi (adductor)
OUT: Geovane Jesus (right knee)
OUT: Paxton Pomykal (knee)
OUT: Alan Velasco (knee)
Vancouver Whitecaps
OUT: Sam Adekugbe (knee)
SUSPENDED: Vanni Sartini (Coach)
FCD Lineup Prediction
FCD ran both a 3-4-3 and a 4-2-3-1 in training and after talking to Coach Nico Estevez about the tactics, I think I will predict the 4-2-3-1.
Left back you can flip a coin between the returning from injury Marco Farfan and Sam Junqua who has been starting at left center back. I will predict Farfan, just to give Junqua a game off.
Liam Fraser vs Patrickson in the double pivot is another choice. Sebastian Lletget will be in the other spot. I’ll go with Patrickson because it’s a home game. That’s a good time to start someone younger.
Everything else seems fairly obvious.
Out on a limb… perhaps Paul Arrila left, Bernie Kamungo right, could be an option? But I’ll stick with Dante Sealy as my prediction.
Bench Prediction
Jimmy Maurer
Eugene Ansah
Sam Junqua
Herbert Endeley
Bernard Kamungo
Amet Korca
Omar Gonzalez
Liam Fraser
Tsiki Ntsabeleng
MLS Kit Assignments
Yup, white in 3 of 4 games. We’ve only seen the new “primary kit” once.
More Game Info
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORDS
- FCD record: 1-2-0 (3 points, 9th in West)
- VAN record: 1-0-1 (4 points, 5th in West)
- FCD vs. VAN all-time: 11-9-8 (36 goals scored, 35 goals conceded)
- FCD vs. VAN home: 8-2-3 (22 goals scored, 15 goals conceded)
FC Dallas has conceded first in all three games this year.
Fafa Picault hates Dallas (one of his former teams) and has scored against his former club on four occasions, three times for the Dynamo and once for Nashville. And man does he celebrate hard when he does.
FC Dallas ranks third in passes completed (1596) in MLS and ranks fourth in successful passes completed (85.75%).
The top goal scorer in this series is Blas Perez with four goals scored.
Maarten Paes is tied for third in MLS (Hugo Lloris) with 15 saves. (That’s actually not a good thing.)
In 2024, FC Dallas Homegrowns (Dante Sealy, Paxton Pomykal, Jesús Ferreira) played a total of 375 minutes and made 6 appearances.
The ‘Caps have secured points in five out of their last six visits to Frisco.
3rd Degree the Podcast
