Foreign Exchange: Three questions with Big D Soccer's Drew Epperley
Austin FC can't win Copa Tejas on Saturday night, but can certainly lose it facing FC Dallas in Frisco. We talk about outperforming one's xG, a new goalkeeper, and playoff hopes with a Toros expert.
Amazingly, I had an exchange with my FC Dallas counterpart, ahead of Saturday night's match between Austin FC and FC Dallas in Frisco, where neither of mentioned Copa Tejas!
Yes, the trophy does hang in the balance with this match, with Verde needing to win and then take a vested interest in the outcome of its two rivals' Oct. 17 meetup, but the teams currently have more consequential tasks ahead. FC Dallas is currently third in the West and looking to solidify its playoff position, whereas Austin is looking to make a run up the table into the top nine following the tightening of things just below the playoff line.
My answers to his very good questions will be appearing on Big D Soccer (along with already live preview coverage). To the questions!
Like Austin FC, FC Dallas is outperforming its xG this year, but even more dramatically well. What's contributing to the team's offensive prowess this season, and is it sustainable?
There are a number of factors contributing to this increased xG this season for FC Dallas. The obvious is Petar Musa scoring at a high rate that is keeping him in line for the Golden Boot with some guy named Messi in Miami. Musa has been one of the top strikers in MLS in terms of xG this season, but he also has been in the top five in shots most of the year, as well as shot efficiency.
Then you have Logan Farrington, who just scored his ninth MLS goal of the season. He’s quickly becoming a reliable scoring threat for FC Dallas whenever he is on the field.
One more guy I would toss in a guy like Joaquin Valiente as a reason. He came to Dallas as a TAM signing before the season started and over time has become the club’s best assist guy, with 12 already on the season. Dallas hasn’t had a double-digit assist guy since the days of Michael Barrios back in 2019.
At this point in the season, Dallas is third in MLS in assists, second in shot efficiency and, I think more importantly as we get closer to the playoffs, currently tied for fourth in goals from inside the penalty area. All that to say, when they get a chance in front of goal, they make it count.
Surprisingly (but perhaps you weren't surprised), FCD signed Daniel midseason to be its new starting goalkeeper, and just locked him into a multi-year deal. How is he an upgrade over Jonathan Sirois and Michael Collodi?
When Daniel was brought over from San Jose back in July, it was a bit of a shock to most following this team, including myself. The idea of three starting keepers on a roster isn’t unheard of, but it also does feel excessive.
[FCD head coach] Eric Quill told me before the club came back from the World Cup that Daniel was brought over to start and had he not picked up an injury almost out of the gate in his second start, we would have seen him a lot more by now.
Compared with Sirois and Collodi, Daniel brings a bit more leadership to the back (something the club has lacked at times this season), a better command of his penalty area, and he’s better on his feet with the ball. Collodi lost his starting role back in the spring due to some poor performances on the ball in games against Houston and Vancouver, while Sirois wasn’t particularly bad at any moment, but he was leaking goals. Teams knew they could shoot from distance on him and pounce on a potential rebound.
Were the playoffs to start today, Dallas would face LAFC in the first round with a good chance of facing Houston in the Western Conference semis? How far do you think this Dallas team will go in the playoffs?
Honestly, I like that scenario for Dallas. I know LAFC beat Dallas earlier this season, but I would feel more confident in playing them now (and we’ll get to next week). Houston would be an excellent dogfight in the playoffs that would be worth seeing, too. I think if that held true and Dallas was home for at least one round, I think they could go as far as a conference final. Their road form helps give them a fair amount of confidence that they could grind out a victory away from Frisco.
If I am being perfectly honest, I probably don’t want to see Vancouver, St. Louis or San Diego right now if I were Dallas. Those three squads seem to know how to get their way against Dallas at the moment.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
Also, we're fully in the 21st century now; join us on Instagram to get updates on all our stories and podcast releases.
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Amazingly, I had an exchange with my FC Dallas counterpart, ahead of Saturday night's match between Austin FC and FC Dallas in Frisco, where neither of mentioned Copa Tejas!
Yes, the trophy does hang in the balance with this match, with Verde needing to win and then take a vested interest in the outcome of its two rivals' Oct. 17 meetup, but the teams currently have more consequential tasks ahead. FC Dallas is currently third in the West and looking to solidify its playoff position, whereas Austin is looking to make a run up the table into the top nine following the tightening of things just below the playoff line.
My answers to his very good questions will be appearing on Big D Soccer (along with already live preview coverage). To the questions!
Like Austin FC, FC Dallas is outperforming its xG this year, but even more dramatically well. What's contributing to the team's offensive prowess this season, and is it sustainable?
There are a number of factors contributing to this increased xG this season for FC Dallas. The obvious is Petar Musa scoring at a high rate that is keeping him in line for the Golden Boot with some guy named Messi in Miami. Musa has been one of the top strikers in MLS in terms of xG this season, but he also has been in the top five in shots most of the year, as well as shot efficiency.
Then you have Logan Farrington, who just scored his ninth MLS goal of the season. He’s quickly becoming a reliable scoring threat for FC Dallas whenever he is on the field.
One more guy I would toss in a guy like Joaquin Valiente as a reason. He came to Dallas as a TAM signing before the season started and over time has become the club’s best assist guy, with 12 already on the season. Dallas hasn’t had a double-digit assist guy since the days of Michael Barrios back in 2019.
At this point in the season, Dallas is third in MLS in assists, second in shot efficiency and, I think more importantly as we get closer to the playoffs, currently tied for fourth in goals from inside the penalty area. All that to say, when they get a chance in front of goal, they make it count.
Surprisingly (but perhaps you weren't surprised), FCD signed Daniel midseason to be its new starting goalkeeper, and just locked him into a multi-year deal. How is he an upgrade over Jonathan Sirois and Michael Collodi?
When Daniel was brought over from San Jose back in July, it was a bit of a shock to most following this team, including myself. The idea of three starting keepers on a roster isn’t unheard of, but it also does feel excessive.
[FCD head coach] Eric Quill told me before the club came back from the World Cup that Daniel was brought over to start and had he not picked up an injury almost out of the gate in his second start, we would have seen him a lot more by now.
Compared with Sirois and Collodi, Daniel brings a bit more leadership to the back (something the club has lacked at times this season), a better command of his penalty area, and he’s better on his feet with the ball. Collodi lost his starting role back in the spring due to some poor performances on the ball in games against Houston and Vancouver, while Sirois wasn’t particularly bad at any moment, but he was leaking goals. Teams knew they could shoot from distance on him and pounce on a potential rebound.
Were the playoffs to start today, Dallas would face LAFC in the first round with a good chance of facing Houston in the Western Conference semis? How far do you think this Dallas team will go in the playoffs?
Honestly, I like that scenario for Dallas. I know LAFC beat Dallas earlier this season, but I would feel more confident in playing them now (and we’ll get to next week). Houston would be an excellent dogfight in the playoffs that would be worth seeing, too. I think if that held true and Dallas was home for at least one round, I think they could go as far as a conference final. Their road form helps give them a fair amount of confidence that they could grind out a victory away from Frisco.
If I am being perfectly honest, I probably don’t want to see Vancouver, St. Louis or San Diego right now if I were Dallas. Those three squads seem to know how to get their way against Dallas at the moment.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
Also, we're fully in the 21st century now; join us on Instagram to get updates on all our stories and podcast releases.
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