FC Dallas have been pretty reliant on Mauro Diaz this year and that reliance is only exemplified by their inability to procure results on the road.
FC Dallas hit a rough spot. They lost three games in a row after establishing themselves as the powerhouse of MLS. They were making short work of everything and everyone. Except for that time they went into Houston and got smashed by the Dynamo.
In the midst of their most recent losing streak, the trend was pretty obvious. Get Dallas away from home and suddenly they aren’t like FC Dallas at all. Not only were FC Dallas losing, they were losing pretty convincingly. In those three matches, Dallas lost to Vancouver, the Red Bulls and Toronto by a combined score of 8-0. Needless to say, they had the 0.
What gives? How can a team that is so potent at home look so helpless on the road? No team has a worse goal differential on the road than FC Dallas and only one team has surrendered more goals. Leaving the homeland just makes FC Dallas squeamish.
“We’ve had some road struggles, but I don’t think that is in any way the identity of this team, and I think we’re hoping to bounce back for a road win,” Walker Zimmerman said of the team.
But what if it wasn’t all of FC Dallas that struggle on the road, but merely Mauro Diaz? It has long been established that FC Dallas rely heavily on the Argentine. His MVP-caliber play is the cornerstone of this offense and it only makes sense that when Diaz falters, Dallas does too.
So let’s look at what Diaz does on the home versus on the road. At home, Diaz has played 349 minutes, scored two goals and three assists. He has contributed 4.8 key passes per game and only loses possession around four times per match. That is MVP worthy.
Then there are the road numbers. 356 minutes played and just one assist to show for it. He only contributes two key passes per match and loses possession five times.
It’s a tale of two Mauro’s.
On one hand, it could be seen as a positive that Dallas could turn their road woes around if they get Diaz going, no matter the scenery. And yet, this has always been the case with Diaz in years past. Not as big of an issue, but definitely still an issue.
Dallas still has one of the most talented and athletic teams in MLS. But they may have to find an alternative catalyst when they’re facing away games.