FC Dallas didn’t just pick up its first road win of the season in Washington, D.C., they delivered one of their most complete performances of the year so far.

From the opening whistle to the final moments of stoppage time, Dallas controlled the match in a 4-0 win over D.C. United, combining attacking sharpness with a renewed defensive edge. For head coach Eric Quill, the performance was as much about fixing recent issues as it was about showing the team’s potential.

“We talked about that we’ve given up six goals in the last two games, and that’s not us,” Quill said. “We really wanted to focus on who we were behind the ball… making sure that we’re not giving up big chances on the road, giving them life.”

That defensive focused showed immediately. Dallas limited D.C. United’s opportunities throughout the night, by only giving up 11 shots in the match. Along with the defensive focus, the team continued to show how dangerous they can be going forward into the attack.

“We know we have quality going forward,” he said. “The collective behind the ball… I thought the second goal, right before the half, was a really key goal for us.”

That moment, a stunning free kick goal from Patrickson Delgado, gave Dallas a two-goal cushion going into halftime and helped avoid the kind of slip-up the team has experienced in previous matches this season.

Instead of sitting back, Dallas doubled down and continued to push the envelope.

“I challenged them with that mentality to stay front footed and not conserve the lead, but keep going for more,” Quill added.

After D.C. United gained some momentum after making some key second half subs, Dallas calmed things down and were able to get back into attacking mode with goals from Osaze Urhoghide and Petar Musa to put the game completely out of reach. Quill was quick to point out the impact that his subs made off the bench to help maintain the team’s intensity.

“The five subs really came on and changed the game for the better,” he said. “It’s a beautiful performance… defending set pieces, attacking set pieces, transitions — everything was honest with us tonight.”

Up top, Logan Farrington continues his breakout campaign with his fourth goal of the season, opening the scoring with yet another clever touch off a long ball from Ramiro before calmly placing it into the back of the net.

“I saw there was a lot of space,” Farrington said. “Ramiro played a great ball. I kind of lost it for a second, but I found it… and just wanted to get an extra touch so I could get slotted near post past the keeper.”

More importantly, Farrington highlighted the growing chemistry within the squad, something that is becoming increasingly more evident each week.

“We’re very familiar with everybody… we’ve added a couple pieces which make us better,” he said. “Every week, we’re pushing each other… knowing everybody’s roles without having to say them.”

That cohesion isn’t just showing up in the attack. In goal, Michael Collodi picked up his second shutout of the season. The young Homegrown keeper emphasized how important it was for the group to lock things down defensively after giving up six goal in their previous two games.

“Really good all around team performance,” Collodi said. “Putting in two goals each half is what we want to do… and then the clean sheet is something that we’re really focused on.”

Even with a rotated lineup, the standard didn’t drop, something Collodi credit to the overall quality and trust within the squad.

“It’s just a bunch of good players… you can put them in a different spot, and they will get the job done,” he said. “It’s just trusting each other.”

Now for Dallas, the challenge becomes carrying this momentum forward into a three-game home stand coming up. Quill made it clear there’s no room for complacency in MLS.

“We’re gonna keep our feet on the ground,” he said. “Every opponent is tough, and we want to keep climbing the table.”

Still, performances like this one are exactly what FC Dallas has been building toward. They’re a team that can score from anywhere, defend as a unit, and close out games with authority.

If this is indeed the new standard for this club, the rest of the Western Conference might want to start paying attention.

It’s easy to fall in love with college quarterbacks with just a handful of strong starts under their belt, but more often than not that leads to incomplete evaluations and regret. That’s why Ty Simpson, who at one point looked like the best quarterback in college football last year, is tough to justify a first-round pick on. If experience is something the Pittsburgh Steelers place a high value on, Miami’s Carson Beck checks a lot of boxes.

“The Steelers have little intention of taking a quarterback with their No. 1 pick because they don’t believe there is a first-round quarterback after [Fernando] Mendoza,” Gerry Dulac wrote via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “But one of the reasons they like Miami’s Carson Beck is he has started 43 games, counting his time when he won a national title at Georgia.”

None of those 43 starts came during the Bulldogs’ two National Championship runs, but he still managed to lead the SEC in completions and yards during his first season as a starter in 2023. And he finished with an impressive 37-6 record as a starting quarterback.

Bill Parcells famously laid out a list of rules aimed at maximizing the chances of hitting on a quarterback in the draft. Among some of the statistical goals, 30 or more starts and 23 or more wins were two of his requirements. Beck, who the Steelers had in for a pre-draft visit, easily checks those two off the list.

Parcells’ rules aren’t bulletproof. Three of the best quarterbacks in the league at the moment wouldn’t have made the cut if it were up to him. Patrick Mahomes had 29 starts, Joe Burrow 28, and Josh Allen 25. But for every one of them, there are two or three Anthony Richardsons, Zach Wilsons, J.J. McCarthys and Trey Lances as a counterpoint.

Experience isn’t the end-all, but it cuts out a lot of the guesswork. And leaving anything up to chance and gambling with a first-round pick is not a winning strategy. Some teams will hit the jackpot, but most will find themselves set back a few years and looking for a quarterback once again.

Beck is one of the only options in this class that meet all of Parcells’ criteria.

– Senior and three-year starter? Yep.

– College graduate? Yes.

– 30 or more starts and 23 or more wins? Easily.

– 60 percent completion rate and 2:1 TD-INT ratio? Check (69.5%, 88:32).

If you subscribe to the Parcells method, Beck covers all the bases. Keep in mind that Mike McCarthy is one of the oldest head coaches in the league. He was very much around when this rule was popularized. Amazingly, this is his first time with a chance to draft a quarterback for a team in need. Should it really be a surprise if he leans on a framework he came up around?

Beyond the experience and stats, Beck offers some of what the Steelers look for at the position. Omar Khan has repeatedly stated the need to find an “AFC North QB.” At 6046, 233 pounds, with 10-inch hands, he resembles what the Steelers are looking for.

Don’t get me wrong, Beck has plenty of flaws. That’s why he’s unlikely to go in the first few rounds of the draft. But the Steelers could do worse than following their process to land a Day 3 developmental quarterback. That’s one of the main reasons McCarthy was hired as the head coach.

Instead of putting every egg in the Will Howard basket, why not add another young, high-pedigree quarterback to the mix? Carson Beck may just be that guy come the end of April.

ATLANTA – A 3-year-old child died at the hospital after being shot in southwest Atlanta early Sunday morning, police said. 

What we know:

Atlanta police officers responded to the reported shooting near the 900 block of Washington Street SW around 12:37 a.m. on Sunday.

When they arrived, police found that a 3-year-old had been shot. 

The child was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital where medical staff pronounced them deceased. 

Investigators are still in the preliminary stages of the investigation. 

What we don’t know:

Investigators are still working to determine what led to the gunfire and the exact circumstances of how the child was shot. 

No suspect descriptions or information regarding potential arrests have been released by the Atlanta Police Department at this time.