FC Dallas head coach Eric Quill says the team needs to “keep our feet on the ground” by building on their comeback win over Inter Miami against San Diego FC.
Dallas shocked Miami by coming from 3-1 down to win 4-3 last weekend, extending their unbeaten run on the road in MLS this season (W3 D3).
They sit sixth in the Western Conference with 15 points from their first 10 games, with the victory over Miami their fourth this term.
And Quill has urged Dallas to remain consistent if they want to keep their form strong on the road.
“We have to keep our feet on the ground and prepare well,” said Quill, as quoted in the BigDSoccer substack. “[San Diego are] a good team, we have to execute.
“You can’t feel good about yourself because of last weekend. You have to be consistent from one performance to the next.”
He was also full of praise for Pedrinho, who came off the bench to help orchestrate the win, getting a goal and an assist.
“He’s a special player,” Quill added. “He was a key cog, and why we turned that game around. He’s got plenty more, and you can expect to see a player that is going to help us reach our goals.”
After a strong start to the season, San Diego have slipped in recent weeks, suffering three consecutive defeats, including a 3-1 loss to Real Salt Lake last weekend.
They are seventh in the West, but a win against Dallas would see them leapfrog their opponents to move back up the table.
Defender Paddy McNair insisted San Diego were not fazed by their losing streak, though, and expects them to bounce back on Saturday.
“It’s not nice losing three games in a row, but I don’t think the team’s morale is lower because of that,” he said.
“I think everyone’s still confident and there’s still full belief we can turn it around and get more points on the board.
“We’re well prepared to go into Saturday. It’s going to be a good test.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
San Diego FC – Christopher McVey
San Diego have completed an average of 524.6 passes per match this season, the most in MLS.
Overall, Christopher McVey has played the most passes for San Diego (777), completing 720 of those. He boasts 92.7% passing accuracy, the third-best figure in the team.
FC Dallas – Pedrinho
Pedrinho came off the bench to assist the equalizing goal before scoring the winner for FC Dallas on Sunday.
Pedrinho is the third player with a goal and an assist off the bench for Dallas in the last decade, joining Logan Farrington (twice) and Franco Jara.
MATCH PREDICTION: SAN DIEGO FC WIN
Dallas lost their last match against an expansion team 2-1 at St. Louis City SC in August 2023. Dallas had won six straight meetings with MLS newcomers prior to that result.
After losing only one of their first seven matches and conceding eight total goals over that span (W4 D2), San Diego have lost three straight matches, conceding nine times in those games. San Diego’s 3-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday was their first home defeat, but the Opta supercomputer does not expect them to lose a second on the bounce.
Dallas overcame a two-goal deficit in the final 25 minutes to beat Inter Miami 4-3 on Sunday. It was the fourth time in club history that Dallas had trailed by multiple goals with 30 minutes or less to play and come back to win. Only the LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes (five each) have done so more times.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
San Diego FC – 44.2%
Draw – 26.8%
FC Dallas – 29%
