Eric Quill: Dallas Have a Championship Mentality
Eric Quill pointed to FC Dallas's strong run ahead of their meeting with San Jose Earthquakes, stressing that his team has a "championship mentality".
Eric Quill pointed to FC Dallas's strong run ahead of their meeting with San Jose Earthquakes, stressing that his team has a "championship mentality".
Having already booked their play-off place in the Western Conference, Dallas sit third, just 4 points behind leaders Vancouver Whitecaps. The side have lost only 1 of their last 9 league matches (5 wins, 3 draws) and most recently earned a dramatic 2-2 draw against Houston Dynamo thanks to a goal in the 11th minute of stoppage time.
With Dallas collecting a crucial point in their pursuit of a top-4 finish, which would bring home advantage in the play-offs, head coach Quill expressed his satisfaction with the fight his players showed:
"I'm proud of my players for fighting to come back. We were the more effective side and the ones creating clear chances. Even in stoppage time we didn't give up and kept battling to level the score. We never lose our fighting identity; that is our character. We have a championship mentality and we will fight until the end."
San Jose Earthquakes, meanwhile, secured their play-off place with a 1-1 draw against MLS leaders Nashville SC. Unbeaten in their last 9 matches and coming off 3 straight draws, San Jose sit one place and 3 points behind Dallas in the Western Conference.
Players to watch
FC Dallas – Petar Musa
Petar Musa, who found the net against Houston, became the first player in Dallas history to reach the 20-goal mark in a single regular season. Musa also became the 32nd player in league history to score 20 or more goals in a regular season.
San Jose Earthquakes – Preston Judd
With 16 goals this season, Preston Judd has become the 4th player in San Jose history to score at least 15 goals in a single regular season, following Chris Wondolowski, Jeremy Ebobisse and Ronald Cerritos.
Pre-match notes
In the head-to-head, Dallas have scored more than once in each of their last 5 matches against San Jose, and they will be aiming to extend that run and leave with all 3 points.