SET THE STAGE: FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders | 4.13.24 | FC Dallas

Something to Build on: The 2024 season hasn’t been kind to FC Dallas as the club sits in 13th place with a 1-4-1 record. There may be some light at the end of the tunnel, however. Dallas earned a point on the road last weekend in a scoreless draw with St. Louis CITY. It was FCD’s first shutout of the season and the team looked more dangerous in the attack as well, creating 1.4 Expected Goals — the most since the opening day win over the San Jose Earthquakes in February. While it’s hard to get too excited about a 0-0 tie, the performance was more reminiscent of the previous two campaigns under Nico Estévez and offered some hope that Dallas can emerge from the slump that has plagued 2024 so far. Now, it’s up to the players and coaching staff to build on the performance in St. Louis and turn it into three points at home against Seattle.

Reinforcements:There may be some positive news on the way for FC Dallas. The club has been beset by an early injury crises with a host of typical starters unavailable: Asier Illarramendi, Marco Farfan, Jesús Ferreira, Paxton Pomykal, Geovane Jesus and Alan Velasco have missed most (if not all) of the 2024 season, and their absences have been sorely felt. However, midfielder Illarramendi and defender Farfan are on the cusp of returning to full fitness and could be available for Saturday’s tilt against Seattle. Considering their importance to the midfield and defense respectively, their returns would be a huge boost to FCD’s chances against the Sounders.

The Sounders: It’s been an odd start to the season for the Seattle Sounders. Despite being a perennial contender, the Sounders started winless in their first five games (0-3-2) of 2024. However, Brian Schmetzer’s team exploded into form last weekend with a 5-0 drubbing of CF Montréal at Lumen Field. The fact that Seattle seems to have hit their stride right before heading to Toyota Stadium is pretty poor timing from an FC Dallas perspective, but there’s a little more on the line for the home team. Dallas saw their 2023 season end in Seattle in the first round of the playoffs last November and FCD’s players certainly haven’t forgotten it. While a win on Saturday wouldn’t heal the wounds of 2023, it certainly wouldn’t hurt either.