By Todd Date
Other than the almost unending wave of injuries the team was beset with earlier in the year and a franchise-record 13-game winless streak, there might be one other thing that serves as a fitting epitaph for FC Dallas’ 2012 season-a lack of results on the road.
Heading into Sunday’s must-win at Seattle, FCD is just 3-10-2 away from the friendly confines of FC Dallas Stadium. While those three road wins, a huge victory at Colorado in July to stop the aforementioned streak of futility at 13, a huge win at Vancouver in August and the franchise’s first-ever win over Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium a few days later, were big they are the lone highlights for a club that has struggled away from home in 2012.
Of course, it is very tough to win on the road in MLS, but another road win or two here and there and this club wouldn’t be clinging to its proverbial playoff lives this weekend. This year’s road mark got us wondering where this year’s mark stands in terms of franchise history, well here’s a thorough breakdown:
| Five Best FCD Road Records | ||
| Year | Head Coach(s) | Record |
| 2002 | 8-4-2 | Dave Dir |
| 1997 | 8-8-0 | Dave Dir |
| 1996 | 7-9-0 | Dave Dir |
| 2007 | 6-7-2 | Steve Morrow |
| 2011 | 6-7-4 | Schellas Hyndman |
| 1999 | 6-10-2 | Dave Dir |
Five Worst FCD Road Records
Year Record Head Coach(s)
2003 1-11-3 Mike Jeffries
2000 3-11-2 Dave Dir
2009 3-10-2 Schellas Hyndman
2012 3-10-3* Schellas Hyndman
2008 3-6-6 Steve Morrow/Marco Ferruzzi/Schellas Hyndman
*-Record with one road game yet to play.
It’s not hard to see that current FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman owns the club’s two worst road records ever and had a significant part in the third, his first season in 2008. But Dave Dir, the club’s original head coach and Mike Jeffries, whose tenure is regarded as nothing short of an abject disaster by Dallas supporters, also make the list and Jeffries in dramatic fashion as that ’03 campaign will always live in infamy as the worst in FCD history.
Of course, Dir coached the then Dallas Burn to four of its best six road records in club history but Steve Morrow also makes the list as does Hyndman for his 2011 club, which won six times away from Frisco before their late-season collapse. The next chart shows the best and worst road goal differentials in franchise history.
Five Best FCD Road Goal Differentials
Year Differential Head Coach(s)
2010 +2 Schellas Hyndman
1997 Even Dave Dir
2005 Even Colin Clarke
2008 Even Steve Morrow/Marco Ferruzzi/Schellas Hyndman
1999 -2 Dave Dir
Five Worst FCD Road Goal Differentials
2003 -22 Mike Jeffries
2004 -15 Colin Clarke
2000 -15 Dave Dir
1998 -13 Dave Dir
2006 -10 Colin Clarke
The top two spots in each category illustrate two pretty obvious things. One, it’s not a surprise to see the 2010 squad as having the best road goal differential since that club is regarded as the most successful in franchise history. And it’s no shock to see the ’03 side rank as the worst in road goal differential since that group’s place in infamy is forever assured after a truly disastrous season. The other data is interesting, especially since Colin Clarke-coached teams appear once in the good list and twice on the bad list (something of a Rain Man reference, one for good and two for bad). Our third and final chart shows the overall winning percentage for each head coach and points earned while also looking at home vs. road.
Overall Winning Percentage for FCD Head Coaches
Percentage Head Coach Total Games/Wins Years at Helm
.506 Dave Dir 160/81 1996-2000
.410 Colin Clarke 100/41 2003-2006@
.400 Marco Ferruzzi 5/2 2008*
.394 Steve Morrow 38/15 2007-2008^
.359 Schellas Hyndman 142/51 2008-present#
.333 Mike Jeffries 78/26 2000-2003+
@-Clarke coached the final six games of the 2003 season, going 2-3-1 after Jeffries was fired.
*-Ferruzzi served as interim head coach between firing of Morrow and hiring of Hyndman.
^-Morrow was fired nine games into the 2008 season after a 5-1 home loss to the Galaxy.
#-Hyndman coached the final 21 games of the 2008 season after being hired in mid-June.
+-Jeffries was fired on Sept. 15, 2003, 24 games into the season.
Overall Road Winning Percentage for FCD Head Coaches
Percentage Head Coach Road Games/Wins Years
.414 Dave Dir 70/29 1996-2000
.368 Steve Morrow 19/7 2007-2008^
.302 Mike Jeffries 39/13 2000-2003+
.274 Colin Clarke 51/14 2003-2006@
.253 Schellas Hyndman 71/18 2008-present#
.000 Marco Ferruzzi 2/0 2008*
These two charts pretty much speak for themselves. Here are two final ones that might shed additional light on FCD’s coaching history. The first one shows percentage of points gained and the other shows that figure broken down for only road matches.
Overall Percentage of Points Gained
Percentage Head Coach Total Points/Possible Years
.514 Dave Dir 247/480 1996-2000
.476 Schellas Hyndman 198/416 2008-present#
.470 Colin Clarke 143/300 2003-2006@
.466 Marco Ferruzzi 7/15 2008*
.464 Steve Morrow 114/53 2007-2008^
.401 Mike Jeffries 94/234 2000-2003+
Overall Percentage of Road Points Gained
Percentage Head Coach Total Road Points/Possible Years
.439 Steve Morrow 25/57 2007-2008^
.393 Mike Jeffries 52/117 2000-2003+
.347 Schellas Hyndman 74/213 2008-present#
.340 Colin Clarke 52/153 2003-2006@
.246 Dave Dir 89/240 1996-2000
.000 Marco Ferruzzi 0/6 2008*