A difficult task awaits the Bleu-blanc-noir
The Impact will have to face a complicated opponent this Saturday at 8pm EDT, when the club visits Toyota Stadium for a game against FC Dallas (TVA Sports, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690). The Toros, unbeaten in their last six games, are almost untouchable at home, where they haven’t lost since last July 29, a sequence of 15 games in all competitions. Óscar Pareja’s men did however play in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, winning the all-Texan battle 1-0 against San Antonio FC, although many regulars didn’t play. Here are the three keys to the only regular season meeting between the Bleu-blanc-noir and FC Dallas.
- LimitMauro Díaz’s space
This is Dallas’s maestro. Mauro Díaz is a real poison when he has possession of the ball; he may not pose an immediate danger in terms of scoring or dribbling, but he has a knack of finding teammates in excellent scoring positions. Díaz is responsible for almost 20% of chances created by his team in the run of play. Stopping Díaz is the equivalent of halting a good chunk of Dallas’ offense.
- Employ a coordinated effort
With the blistering heat expected at Toyota Stadium on Saturday – which looks to be a very hot 35 degrees – combined with FC Dallas’ style of play, Montreal’s players will need to dose their efforts. It will be important for the Bleu-blanc-noir to keep some gas in its tank until the end and will therefore need to be synchronised in its attacks or its pressing.
- Convert its scoring chances
Like in every away game, and probably even more so for this one, the team will only have a few scoring chances. The ideal scenario for the Bleu-blanc-noir would be to score a quick goal and take advantage of its chances on the counter-attack, but for that, it’ll need to be clinical in the opponent’s final third.
