I blew the call, but still count myself happy with FC Dallas' road win over the Los Angeles Galaxy; between the Revolution fan-dom and the general bitter taste left by the 2005 season, I dislike the Galaxy enough that I'd rather see them lose than be correct.
While I didn't see the entire game - I caught the 20 opening minutes as well as the final 20 - I saw enough to give me a thing or two to watch for in future. In general terms, Dallas impressed by establishing control early in the game; they had the better rhythm and looked more coordinated going forward. Even through this happy period, however, their defense looked more scrappy than effective - especially by the end of the game when LA really climbed on them. They held firm enough, though, which raises the question of whether they can grow together as the season progresses. If that green bunch gets in sync, Dallas becomes a very different team.
On the other side of the field, LA's offensive sputter raises some questions of their own. But the most remarkable piece was the healthy edge and near-miss quality to their attack; even when Dallas had the game in hand, LA looked sharp enough to sneak in a goal against the run of play. Moreover, that final, 15-minute flurry showed a team about a half-step off scoring, with Robbie Findley especially coming close (till he finally scored the consolation) while I was watching.
Taken together, the larger question for the Western Conference puzzle is which gels quickest: FC Dallas' defense or LA's offense. That won't necessarily determine the title or anything, but it will impact the big picture plenty. It looked like a decent game. Good stuff for a featured event. Don't know about the announced attendance...looks a little high for what I saw.
Match reports from MLSnet.com: LINK and LINK.
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