FRISCO, TEXAS — FC Dallas was going to need a little more than the luck of the Irish to not lose their third-straight game—something they haven’t done since September of 2021.
Their 3-1 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC started the same as the first three games of the season: Dallas conceding first.
While FC Dallas controlled much of the possession in the beginning, it took until the 25th minute when Whitecaps’ Mathias Laborda scored the game’s first, a right footed shot from the center of the 18-yard-box, assisted by Brian White.
Then, White got one for himself, four minutes later in the 29th minute, heading the ball down dead center of goal, off a Fafà Picault cross from the top left corner of the box.
If you think you recognize that name, you probably do: tonight was the return to Toyota Stadium for Picault, having played for FCD for one year, helping the team reach the conference semifinals in 2020 before being traded to Houston Dynamo.
What a return it was for him, having both assisted and scored.
His goal came after Sebastian Lletget’s, who got Dallas on the board with a header, assisted by Jesús Ferreira on a free kick in the 40th minute.
Picault answered Lletget with a header two minutes later, assisted by Ryan Rapos in the 43rd minute.
It was the fifth time he scored against his former club: three times for the Dynamo, once for Nashville, and now once as a Whitecap.
The second half’s score line remained the same, FC Dallas ultimately falling in front of their home faithful.
“We are very disappointed,” Head Coach Nico Estévez said. “This bad moment is coming too early, but we’ll regroup and get this right and get back to [giving wins] to our supporters,” Estévez said.
Even their formation change didn’t give them enough of a tactical edge to win, having lined up in a 4-4-2 tonight after playing predominantly in a three-back system to open the season. Estévez said that it was the game plan heading into the match, to have their wingers play high and exploit Vancouver’s back-three.
“We didn’t concede our goals because we went to four [in the back],” Estévez said.
Some positives to take from tonight is Sebastien Ibeagha having made his return to the field and starting lineup tonight, after being out the past two games due to injury.
Patrick Delgado also got his first MLS start.
FC Dallas will go on the road for their next two, playing in-state foe Austin FC first, next Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
