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No doubt about it, FC Dallas’ 1-1 draw with Philadelphia on Saturday night was some ugly soccer in the second half. Peter Nowak’s Union played a very physical game in the second half, being whistled for 15 of their 22 fouls after the break and finishing the night with four yellows.

But you kind of have to give the ex-Fire coach some credit; the book is in on how to take FCD off their game: foul them and foul them frequently. And until the league decides to do something about such a brand of physical play, if they ever do, that’s exactly what Dallas can expect to face almost each and every time they hit the pitch this year.

Sure, some, including coach Schellas Hyndman, ex-captain Daniel Hernandez and current leading scorer Blas Perez have some merit behind them when they gripe about the current lack of calls going their way. But no matter the sport, it seems like teams who complain the most about officiating never seem to get any calls and that theory is definitely in play here.

However, some who have already analyzed exactly what went wrong against Philly have clearly missed the point. The game turned late in the first half when Hernan Pertuz had to leave the pitch on a stretcher with what Hyndman later termed a possible foot injury. We’ll know more on Pertuz’s status going forward on Monday but when he left the game, Hyndman had no choice but to put the versatile Carlos Rodriguez out there in Pertuz’s place.

Some wondered why Hyndman wouldn't go with homegrown talent Moises Hernandez instead of Rodriguez, well the answer to that is simple. Hernandez hasn’t exactly set the world on fire in reserve games and while some might want to see what he’s got, he’s still a long way from logging minutes with the first team, plain and simple. So, a less than 100 percent Rodriguez was still a much better option than a talented yet raw Hernandez.

And once Pertuz left the field, Philly centered much of their attack on the left flank. Once again, a tactical adjustment by Nowak that allowed his side to leave Frisco with just their fourth point all year on the road.

Hyndman addressed losing Pertuz and it being a key point in the game in his postgame remarks to the media. “I think one key point was when Pertuz got hurt. It changed our defense. We weren’t as strong in the air. We weren’t as strong marking wise,” Hyndman said.

“That changed the game to the point where if you look at the number of chances that Philadelphia had late, it was normally turnovers in the back third. I thought we were doing that quite well in the first half. The moment Pertuz got hurt, I think it changed,” he said.

While this team has been rocked by a litany of injuries, suspensions and textbook boneheaded plays, one of the biggest question marks heading into this season was this club’s lack of depth. And as the saying goes, our worst fears have been realized. As Hyndman put it, when Philly decided to get physical, Dallas simply didn’t have the personnel on the bench to handle it.

But if there is a bright spot to all this it is that at least on Wednesday night in Chicago, FCD figures to have right back Zach Loyd, who missed Saturday’s game on suspension, back in the fold. Fabian Castillo could also return after Hyndman called him 70 percent on Friday even with his ankle injury. The thought of having Castillo on one flank and fellow youngster Bryan Leyva on the other is a great idea indeed and who knows, maybe FCD can continue their unbeaten run at Toyota Park and finish May with at least one win?

Here’s the latest on the FC Dallas injury situation after training Friday according to FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman.

F FABIAN CASTILLO (left ankle sprain)

Hyndman’s take: We put him out there today. He’s a player that we could potentially dress tomorrow and have on the bench but we’ll make that final decision shortly.

D UGO IHEMELU (concussion symptoms)

Hyndman’s take: When you talk about player’s health, is it worth one game to get him back injured? Is it worth two games? He’ll let us know when he’s ready.

M CARLOS RODRIGUEZ (left elbow dislocation)-returned to training this week

Hyndman’s take: “I think his elbow’s fine. He’s OK with it but sometimes you pick up other injuries and right now, he’s straining a tender back. But I think he’s good enough to be out on the field sometime. Yeah, I don’t know how to gauge it [where he’s at right now mentally] except that he needs to play.

M RICARDO VILLAR (right foot strain)-returned to some drills this week

Hyndman’s take: We got him into our training, which is we’re only going 30 percent. I think it was good for him. I think the next couple weeks, he should be making strides.

Scoring Summary:
DAL – Fabian Castillo 22
CLB – Justin Meram (Eric Gehrig) 67
CLB – Sbastiean Miranda (Nemanja Vukovic) 72

FC Dallas – Chris Seitz, Zach Loyd, George John, Hernan Pertuz, Jair Benitez, Jackson, Daniel Hernandez, Andrew Jacobson, Brek Shea, Fabian Castillo (Ruben Luna 60, Matt Hedges 73), Blas Perez

Substitutes Not Used: Kevin Hartman, Moises Hernandez, Bruno Guarda, James Marcelin, Scott Sealy

TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (George John, Blas Perez, Fabian Castillo 2);
SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (George John 2);
FOULS: 21 (Zach Loyd 5);
OFFSIDES: 0;
CORNER KICKS: 2 (Jair Benitez, Daniel Hernandez);
SAVES: 3 (Chris Seitz 3).

Columbus Crew – Andy Gruenebaum, Sebastian Miranda, Eric Gehrig, Josh Williams, Nemanja Vukovic (Shaun Francis 90+), Eddie Gaven, Danny O’Rourke, Milovan Mirosevic, Tony Tchani, Ethan Finlay (Justin Meram 45+), Emilio Renteria (Bernardo Anor 83)

Substitutes Not Used: Matt Lampson, Chris Birchall, Kevan George, Cole Grossman

TOTAL SHOTS: 16 (Milovan Mirosevic 4);
SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Justin Meram 2;
FOULS: 14 (Danny O’Rourke, Emilio Renteria, Justin Meram 3);
OFFSIDES: 3 (Ethan Finlay 2);
CORNER KICKS: 6 (Nemanja Vukovic 4);
SAVES: 2 (Andy Gruenebaum).

Misconduct Summary:
FCD – Zach Loyd (caution; foul) 43
FCD – Andrew Jacobson (caution; foul) 45
CLB – Justin Meram (caution; foul) 52
FCD – Fabian Castillo (caution; time wasting) 60
FCD – Zach Loyd (ejection; second caution) 63
CLB – Milovan Mirosevic (caution; foul) 80

Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Referee’s Assistants: Corey Parker, Jason Cullum
4th Official: Matthew Foerster

Attendance: 11,120
Time of Game: 2:01
Weather: Cloudy and 72 degrees

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Sebastian Miranda scored on a long header off corner kick in the 72nd minute in the Columbus Crew's 2-1 comeback victory over FC Dallas on Saturday night.

Justin Meram tied it for the Crew (3-4-2) in the 67th minute, 4 minutes after Dallas' Zach Loyd was sent off for a second yellow card for his tackle on Meram.

"I shot as hard as I could," Miranda said. "The important thing for me is the win. We needed the three points. That's better for the confidence of the team."

The veteran of nearly 10 years in his native Chile scored for the first time in 43 games since joining the Crew last season. He got the goal on a sitting, snap header from just outside the penalty area off a cross from Nemanja Vukovic.

"We practice some plays but maybe not like this," Miranda said. "The idea was from the middle, outside the box. I was alone."

FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman thought the second caution to Loyd when he elbowed Meram was fair but questioned other calls.

"There were two or three hits that could have stopped the whole play," Hyndman said. "Those are the calls that aren't made that eventually come into something else."

Meram made Dallas pay when he struck from 35 yards after teammate Eric Gehrig stole the ball from Matt Hedges.

"I like the goal I scored but you have to win," Meram said about scoring for the first time 19 career MLS games. "If we tied and I scored I wouldn't be this happy."

Fabian Castillo put Dallas (3-6-3) ahead in the 22nd minute with his first goal of the season.

The Crew snapped a six-game winless streak, while Dallas dropped to 0-3-3 in its last six.

The MLS Disciplinary Committee has suspended Seattle Sounders FC defender Zach Scott one game and fined him an undisclosed amount for endangering the safety of FC Dallas midfielder Fabian Castillo in the 75th minute of the May 9 game on this foul.

Scott will serve his suspension this Saturday when Sounders FC host Real Salt Lake at 9 p.m. CT.

Fines collected will be donated to the charitable partners of MLS W.O.R.K.S. and the MLS Players Union.

Photos from the game between Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas.

Here's a direct link to the photos is you'er having trouble seeing them here.

With FC Dallas forward Blas Perez out for tonight’s game with Real Salt Lake due to a one-game suspension he received for an elbow thrown in the first half of Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Vancouver, the big question is who will head coach Schellas Hyndman decide to start in his place?

Here are several possibilities:

Fabian Castillo

One scenario that could play out sees Castillo moving from a flank midfield role to forward. Of course, were Hyndman to employ this scenario, it would require other moves. If Castillo were to move up, then it looks like Carlos Rodriguez could fill in at left mid. With Jair Benitez now over left knee tendonitis and available for selection, it’s likely he returns to the first 11 at left back tonight, especially since Hyndman was concerned about the lack of getting forward when he had Rodriguez and Pertuz, two guys not considered attacking players, manning the left side, meaning FCD was basically attacking from only the right and middle.

Likelihood: Very Possible

Ruben Luna

Some are clamoring to see homegrown striker Ruben Luna get a start, but it was just last week that Hyndman said he wanted to see the guy who led the Reserve League with 10 goals in 2011 deliver better results in reserve games. He has played better lately, but is it enough? Here is what the gaffer had to say about Luna last week:

“Ruben’s a player that has kind of been off and on. I think he’s a player that came in and got an injury in preseason. Because we’ve been working so hard, he’s been trying to catch up. I think for him to get on the field and be of help to us, he’s got to be a little bit more productive in reserve games. So we’ve been watching him very closely. All players, especially young players, have peaks and dips. Right now I think he’s working his way back up to develop self-confidence.”

Likelihood: Remote

Scott Sealy

Besides the Castillo scenario, seeing Scott Sealy make his first start for FCD appears to be the most likely of choices for Hyndman. The Dallas gaffer loves the experience and savvy that the striker from Trinidad and Tobago brings up top and now that Sealy is healthy, how better to get an accurate read of how he can contribute to this thing than in a game where Perez is unavailable?

Hyndman had the following to say about Sealy, who made his FCD debut as a second-half sub against Vancouver, earlier in the week:

“It’s good to see him there. He brings a lot of experience in the league and he’s awfully fit. He works extremely hard. He’s a player that can deal with the physical play from the league and I thought he did fine.”

Likelihood: Very Possible

Brek Shea

Others think one possibility is moving Brek Shea from his customary flank midfielder role to forward. But anyone who knows Hyndman at all and how he thinks realizes this scenario might result in too many moving parts when it comes to making out the first 11, something the FCD gaffer isn’t a big fan of. Had Jackson already arrived in Frisco and were the versatile Brazilian available for tonight’s game, then this could be more of a realistic possibility. But were Shea to move up, Hyndman could very well go with Rodriguez and Castillo as his flank midfielders, but think the gaffer’s pretty happy with where he’s had Shea for the last few seasons and it’s unlikely he’d move him even if it were for one game.

Likelihood: Remote

Jonathan Top

If there is a wildcard in all this talk about who will fill in for Super Raton, it could be Jonathan Top. He has been tearing it up in the reserve league so far this year and was on Hyndman’s 18-man gameday roster for the Vancouver game, but is he ready to start with the first team? Some might be quick to say that the Dallas gaffer has never been one to throw young players in there to see what they had, but that argument is quickly diffused when mentioning the time Bryan Leyva saw with the first team earlier this season. Top would be an intriguing possibility and while it wouldn’t be a shock to see Hyndman start him, the more likely scenario sees him on the bench for the Salt Lake game, possibly as Hyndman’s primary option should he need to see something different up top in the second half.

Likelihood: Moderate yet Intriguing

Where exactly would FC Dallas be right now without Blas Perez? That’s a scenario FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman and his entire roster would rather not envision. That’s because not only has the veteran forward known as “Super Raton” been every bit as good as advertised, if not even better, as he current leads Dallas with three goals and three assists, but his impact in the locker room has been equally huge.

One player in particular he has had a huge impact on is 19-year-old Colombian forward/midfielder Fabian Castillo. “He’s a really smart player that makes a difference in everything he does. He moves differently. I haven’t scored a goal but I’m learning the different moves he makes on the field,” Castillo said. “So I’m just going to keep learning his moves and it’s going to benefit me in the future.”

Fellow striker Scott Sealy has plenty of MLS experience and has played alongside his fair share of quality forwards, but even he admits there is one thing in particular about Perez that has especially impressed him during their short time as teammates with FCD.

“I think for me the most impressive thing is his work rate. He works very hard when he doesn’t have the ball and it’s infectious. Other guys see it and they feed off of it. It’s something that lifts the team. The game against Montreal where he was able to score that goal, that was really the point that the game turned and the energy started to flow. His work rate for me is the biggest thing. Everyone can see his qualities as a striker in terms of the finishing and stuff like that but it’s the stuff that people don’t expect a striker to do, those are the things that he does pretty well and I think it’s helped the team a lot,” Sealy said.

And while it might sound cliché, the veteran forward from Trinidad and Tobago has no doubt that the Panamanian-born forward is one of those rare players who possesses that unique ability to make every player around him even better.

“I think on a team where your forward is one of your hardest-working guys, it makes everyone else try to give that extra effort,” Sealy said. “I think the games we’ve won and done very well in are the ones he’s kind of led from the front and everyone else followed.”

First Touch: The good news? Subbing in Guarda and Warshaw for Villar and Jacobson didn't reveal any great drop off...

Second Touch: The bad news? Subbing in Guarda and Warshaw for Villar and Jacobson didn't reveal any great drop off...

The Finish: Hyndman is stuck playing the 4-1-4-1 with a lack of proper resources simply because the team is even worse off in the 4-4-2.

Grades:

Seitz: 7 - Overall a strong night with one monster save to keep the team in it. Like his speed off his line to gobble up loose balls. Extra credit for doing it on such short notice.

Loyd: 7 - Did you hear he scored a 31 on his yo-yo fitness test? Insanity. But it shows on the field.

Ugo: 7 - Once home team scored never was pressed too hard

John: 7 - See Ugo

Rodriguez: 5 - A couple of oddly poor defending decisions, the first directly related to Vancouver's goal

Castillo: 4 - While his work rate defensively has improved by leaps and bounds, he turned the ball over too many times and never could make his magic turn into opportunity.

Hernandez: 4 - Lots of pressure on him from the Whitecaps and that led to a lot of bad passes

Warshaw: 5 - Did a lot of the short, possessive type passing, but only four successful attacking passes out of 30. Everything else was backwards or lateral. Good at helping keep possession, but rarely ever made the team dangerous.

Guarda: 4 - An OK match. Never really hurt the side, but also showed that he's not a AM by nature and also explained the value of Villar in a time without Ferreira. Really blew the opportunity to tie with net wide open with a poor shot straight at Cannon

Shea: 6 - Led the team with shots and appears to be finding his mojo, but couldn't make a magic moment.

Perez: 5 - One. Shot. All. Match. And it was off frame and a header. If you want to know Dallas' problem it's that it can't get the ball to the hardworking Perez in spots where he can be dangerous. He's flat out being wasted.

Subs:

Sealy: 4 - Barely noticed him in his short spell
Hedges: 5 - Immediately almost scored from a header

Schellas Hyndman has never made any affronts about his strong affinity for the 4-4-2 formation, specifically such a look with a diamond midfield. Of course, with FC Dallas currently lacking in the depth department that just isn’t possible. But when asked for his thoughts on the performance of ex-captain Daniel Hernandez so far this season after a Monday morning recovery session in Frisco, he might have offered a glimpse into his crystal ball.

“When you go with two central midfielders, your hope is that you have one that’s very attacking and one that is very defending. With A.J. and Daniel, they’re basically the same. They’re both holding midfielders, so you need that second striker there that can almost drop back to be of a 4-5-1 formation and we didn’t have that. Blas [Perez] wasn’t that guy and Fabian [Castillo] wasn’t that guy, so A.J. and Daniel had to do a lot of work, a lot of work,” Hyndman said.

He added: “I think players like Daniel play better when you’ve got three central midfielders. Now you can always go in a 4-4-2 with a small diamond, much like what Real Salt Lake does, and we may eventually go in there once David [Ferreira] comes back, Villar’s back and we get all these quality players on our field, Jackson and now you say we can go into a small diamond because we have quality players that are going to keep the ball more.”

Scoring Summary:
MON – Bernardo Corradi (PK) 61
DAL – Blas Perez 77
DAL – Brek Shea (Perez, Fabian Castillo) 88

FC Dallas – Kevin Hartman, Zach Loyd, Ugo Ihemelu, George John, Hernan Pertuz (Bobby Warshaw 45), Brek Shea, Daniel Hernandez, Andrew Jacobson (Bruno Guarda 45), Carlos Rodriguez, Fabian Castillo (Matt Hedges 90), Blas Perez.

Substitutes Not Used: Chris Seitz, Victor Ulloa, Scott Sealy, Jair Benitez.

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Blas Perez 4);
SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Blas Perez 2);
FOULS: 17 (Carlos Rodriguez, Daniel Hernandez 3);
OFFSIDES: 5 (Fabian Castillo 4);
CORNER KICKS: 3 (Daniel Hernandez 2);
SAVES: 4 (Kevin Hartman 4).

Montreal Impact – Donovan Ricketts, Tyson Wahl, Matteo Ferrari, Shavar Thomas, Zarek Valentin, Lamar Neagle (Sanna Nyassi 72), Felipe Martins, Collen Warner, Justin Mapp (Sinisa Ubiparipovic 88), Davy Arnaud, Bernardo Corradi (Andrew Wenger 72).

Substitutes Not Used: Greg Sutton, Josh Gardner, Patrice Bernier, Justin Braun.

TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Felipe Martins 4);
SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (five players with one);
FOULS: 17 (Tyson Wahl 5);
OFFSIDES: 4 (Bernardo Corradi, Davy Arnaud 2);
CORNER KICKS: 4 (four players with one);
SAVES: 2 (Donovan Ricketts 2).

Misconduct Summary:
MON – Bernardo Corradi (caution; reckless challenge) 18
MON – Felipe Martins (caution; reckless challenge) 22
DAL – Fabian Castillo (caution; professional foul) 28
MON – Tyson Wahl (caution; reckless challenge) 46

Referee: Ramon Hernandez
Referee’s Assistants: Chris Strickland, Claudio Badea
4th Official: Ismail Elfath
Attendance: 16,164
Time of Game: 2:03
Weather: Cloudy, 80 degrees

By his nature, Schellas Hyndman is a glass half-full kind of guy. So even as his FC Dallas team is currently rocked by injuries to guys like 2010 MLS MVP David Ferreira and Ricardo Villar, who has been filling in for Ferreira at the No. 10 spot, as well as several other, instead of lamenting his team’s current lack of depth, Hyndman looks at it a bit differently.

For example, were it not for Villar’s injury in Thursday’s 1-0 win over New England, then right back Zach Loyd likely wouldn’t have been able to step up in the 95^th minute to take the free kick that captain Ugo Ihemelu got on the end of for the game-winner. But Loyd isn’t the only FCD player to embrace such an unexpected opportunity. In fact, a majority of Dallas players have done so thus far in the season and that’s music to the ears of their head coach.

“I think what ends up happening is it’s not just [Loyd on free kicks] but having Villar out, you’ve got Fabian [Castillo] now taking corner kicks. There’s a lot of good things,” Hyndman said. “The nice thing with this team is when the opportunity comes for players to step up, majority of the time they do. That’s what’s going to make us a successful team."

FRISCO, Texas -- Skipper Ugo Ihemelu's header five minutes into stoppage time lifted FC Dallas to a 1-0 win over New England on Thursday night.

It was about time. FCD was agressive the whole match, but missed on several close opportunities. Ihemelu's header saved them from the heartbreak of a draw.

"We would've been disappointed if we didn't get the win," Ihemelu said. "We knew we put in the work, and it was worth the payoff. That's all we can ask for."

Like all the missed chances, this one nearly didn't happen, too. Head coach Schellas Hyndman almost took Ihemelu out of the game due to cramping.

"I knew if I had to come out last-minute, I would take myself out," Ihemelu said. "Once [the trainer] started working on it, it calmed down quite a bit. Fortunately, I was in the right place at the right time for that goal."

For Hyndman, he said he didn't think Ihemelu could have been more captain-like.

"What a great example for a captain, to stay in there and want to play until the end," Hyndman said.

Ihemelu got the goal, but Hyndman was particularly impressed with the return of striker Fabián Castillo. With David Ferreira out another 6-8 weeks, his speed and aggressiveness adds depth to a team that has had trouble penetrating early in the year.

"I thought he was extremely dangerous, especially earlier in the game when he had his legs under him," Hyndman said.

After tonight, FCD fans could see more of Castillo with Blas Perez instead of a lone-striker formation.

Castillo said he was frustrated that he couldn't put one in the net, but he'll take the win.

"When you create so many opportunities and don't finish them, there's always a chance the opposition is going to finish one of their own," Castillo said through an interpreter. "With the team that we had, we were confident we could get the result, and thankfully [Ihemelu] was able to convert for us and get the three points."

The win snaps a two-game losing skid for FC Dallas, who takes on lowly Montreal on April 14.

New England takes a big step back with the loss after beating Los Angeles 3-1 last week.

Notes:

Shots (on goal): FC Dallas 13 (4) – New England 12 (5)

Fouls: FC Dallas 12 – New England 4

Possession: FC Dallas 42% – New England 58%

Yellow cards: FC Dallas 0 – New England 2 (Shalrie Joseph, 62; Chris Tierney, 80)

Red cards: FC Dallas 0 – New England 0

Injuries: Ricardo Villar left the game with an ankle injury. George John left the game with a concussion.

FRISCO, Texas -- FC Dallas was aggressive on its counters early, but failed to put one between the posts as it heads into the locker room tied 0-0 against New England on Thursday.

Fabian Castillo was very active, with FCD's best opportunity coming in the 29th minute when his strike from a few yards landed just left of the goal after a breakaway.

The Toros had a few other opportunities early in the game. In the 19th minute, a Castillo through pass landed in front of Blas Perez, whose strike from 12 feet sailed just high.

Just two minutes later, Ricardo Villar's chip shot went left of the goal from just inside the box.

In the 33rd minute, Brek Shea's left footed shot from the left side of the box was saved by New England keeper Matt Reis.

New England had a few chances in the first half, but never really threatened outside of a slow roller saved by keeper Kevin Hartman in the 44th minute.

Possession has been even so far, but FCD has come out swinging after a distracting week in which the club parted ways with striker Luis Perea and lost David Ferreira for another 6-8 weeks.

FC Dallas closed their Wednesday training session on the stadium field to the media, which has many speculating on what sort of lineup Schellas Hyndman will run out on Thursday night against the New England Revolution.

Here’s one such theory and an idea that seems to have some legs to it.

FCD Rolls Out in a 4-4-2

Blas Perez		Fabian Castillo
Carlos Rodriguez	Andrew Jacobson	Ricardo Villar	Brek Shea
Hernan Pertuz	Ugo Ihemelu	George John	Zach Loyd
Kevin Hartman

Analysis:

This 4-4-2 would feature Blas Perez and the now healthy Fabian Castillo up top. Shea would play to the right flank with basically left side only Carlos Rodriguez where he could better handle things. Jacobson would slide from linking to holding mid with ex-captain Daniel Hernandez serving a suspension for getting a pair of yellows in last Friday’s 4-1 loss at D.C. United. Ricardo Villar would of course occupy the No. 10 spot.

In the back, Hernan Pertuz would slide over from center back to fill in for Jair Benitez, who is also suspended, at left back while George John returns to a starting role alongside current captain Ugo Ihemelu with Zach Loyd in his normal spot on the right side. Of course, Hartman would return to his usual place between the posts for FCD.

Pros

Pairing Perez and Castillo together up top could wreak considerable havoc on the Revs back line, especially with Castillo’s pace and Perez’s precision in and around the net. Shea can handle the right, and actually really likes it there cause he can cut inside easier, while putting Rodriguez on the left will make him the most comfortable.

As for the defense, Pertuz wasn’t a bad fill in at left back at Kansas City when Benitez moved to left mid and is a serviceable solution there at least for now. However, it’s most likely he only starts there for one game because that job looks to be Benitez’s to lose and recent lack of emotional intelligence aside, he still sits in good stead with Hyndman.

Getting the John and Ihemelu tandem back together in the middle can never be a bad thing, especially considering the strong chemistry they have displayed during their time playing together with FCD over the last few years. Maybe having that dependable duo in the middle could also help Loyd out a bit, who comes into Thursday’s game after one of the tougher performances of his short MLS career.

Cons

The biggest con with this potential formation switch could center around Jacobson. It’s no big secret that he’s been an absolute turnover machine in the middle of the park for FCD early in the season and that he hasn’t been anywhere near the player he was for much of last year, even while he was battling his way through a knee issue.

But if that good Jacobson can return to the pitch for Dallas, then this 4-4-2 has a legitimate chance of working. If the evil goateed A.J. that has been the norm so far this year is again in the building, this switch may just be doomed from the start. Jacobson can handle the responsibilities associated with being the defensive mid, but his distribution obviously has to be much better in the 4-4-2 because there will be no safety valve in Hernandez behind him should he make a bad pass in the middle third of the pitch.

Maybe one theory in play with Jacobson this year, and it might not be one Hyndman or FCD fans want to hear, is maybe A.J. is a one year player. Look at his career to date. He spent one season in D.C. and another in Philadelphia before they decided to let him go. United left him exposed in the 2009 Expansion Draft and the Union didn’t seem all to broken up to ship him off to FCD last preseason. Maybe these are both cases of mere coincidence, but then again it happening two times makes it anything but a fluke. I'm just speculating but perhaps it’s something to consider.

While one hates to put so much pressure on one player, there’s no doubt that tomorrow night’s game should FCD roll out in the 4-4-2 could very well hinge on the central midfield and how well Jacobson plays. If he and Villar can work well together, then it could be a great night for Dallas supporters. But if not, it will be another result to file in the ever-growing file of games to forget about in very short order.