It's easy to forget about FC Dallas. Since the first incarnation of the MLS Earthquakes landed in Houston and became the Dynamo (and continued their winning ways), the Dallas club has been Texas' "other team." Add in the small issue of FC Dallas' poor attendance and the lack of real star power, and the club formerly known as "the Hoops" is the afterthoughts of afterthoughts. More than anything, there's just not much there to draw the eye, unless you know what you're looking for.
Which means I'll give you pass if you haven't noticed that the 2010 version of FC Dallas is a pretty damn good team. Schellas Hyndman, the former college coach that surprised most by sticking around this long, has his team up to third in the Western Conference and fourth in league overall with a game in hand on everyone above them. FC Dallas, believe it or not, will be a real threat when the playoffs roll around, because despite of their lack of home support, they play well at Pizza Hut Park. They're stingy enough (third best in the league with just 17 goals conceded) and dangerous enough that no one will want to face them.
David Ferreira is a legitimate MVP candidate. Brek Shea is getting USMNT fans excited as he continues to improve as a young attacking player.
Let's focus on Shea for a moment: the Texan midfielder's growth is obvious, and perhaps the one aspect of FCD's season that hasn't slipped under the radar. Shea is tall and mobile, good with both his head and feet, and at just 20, still has plenty of room for improvement. More important than the glimpses of quality he's displaying is the consistency with which he's showing them; Shea is regularly one of the best players on the field for FC Dallas, a sign that he's quickly maturing as a professional.
Dallas' inability to draw a decent crowd, unless the reigning European champions come to visit, is well-documented. FCD is at least on the case, having hired former SUM executive Douglas Quinn to revamp the club's image and put more people in the seats; but it's simply shameful that a team this good, arguably among the sleeper candidates to lift the MLS Cup, attracts such paltry numbers. When FC Dallas was poor or mediocre, the attendance issues were a problem but a more understandable one; now that they're playing well and headed for the playoffs, it simply reinforces the fact that the club's issues have little to do with the on-field product and everything to do with marketing, stadium experience, and distant location.
It's tough to enjoy a televised match from Pizza Hut Park because of the empty seats and library-like atmosphere. But make no mistake, the soccer can be good, and FC Dallas themselves are fun to watch play. It's just too bad more people in Texas don't realize it.
