Tommy Thompson and Michael Barrios battle for possession in the first meeting between Dallas and San Jose at Toyota Stadium, April 9th, 2016 (Photo Credit: Ziro Castellanos)
Playing in front of a sellout crowd and smashing a franchise record unbeaten streak at home is fun, but FC Dallas is right back on the road to face San Jose Earthquakes this Friday, July 8th.
These two teams played an entertaining draw in Dallas at the beginning of the season, but the last time they met in San Jose it was a scoreless affair with very few scoring chances. San Jose has not won in league play since May 11th so they will be looking to perform well in front of their fans on a very special Pride Night at Avaya Stadium.
No official Pride Night has ever been hosted in Toyota Stadium. Thankfully the supporters groups are always showing their love as they did this July 4th. (Photo credit: Dylan Nadwodny)
FC Dallas Schedule Congestion
It will be interesting to see what sort of lineup Oscar Pareja decides to put out for the game. FC Dallas has an especially crowded slate of games over the next two weeks, and all but one of them are away from home:
July 8th at San Jose Earthquakes
July 13th at Seattle Sounders
July 16th vs Chicago Fire
July 20th at Houston Dynamo (US Open Cup)
July 23rd at Colorado Rapids
Certainly this busy stretch is one of several reasons FC Dallas recently acquired defender Aubrey David on loan. Ryan Hollingshead only recently returned from the injured list due to concussion symptoms while Zac Loyd looks to still be out with the same issue.
Prediction for Friday
San Jose are a physical team and will have had an extra three days to rest up and prepare for the match this Friday. A full starting lineup for FC Dallas would get them a victory, but inevitably some starters will be rotated to prevent possible injury and to keep the legs fresh. A win for FC Dallas keeps the pressure on Colorado Rapids in the Western Conference and the Supporter’s Shield race, but a draw away from home on short rest is definitely a point FC Dallas can live with.
