Tafari stands tall: Three thoughts from FC Dallas' Texas Derby draw with the Houston Dynamo

HOUSTON — Saturday’s 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo ended up being a strange result for FC Dallas to take.

FCD expected a win against a Dynamo team that has been woeful, not winning in 13 matches heading into the Texas Derby. Yet, an early goal from Fafa Picault during a poor first half by manager Luchi Gonzalez’s side lowered the expectations. Then, FCD found a second-half lead with a pair of goals separated by five minutes, but conceded after that to settle for the stalemate.

The feeling seems to be that one point is better than no points, but three sure would’ve been nice. Let’s look back at three big takeaways from the rivalry contest:

Tafari stands tough as other center backs take knocks

FCD had to play four different center backs Saturday. 

Bressan yielded to Jose Martinez early after suffering a shoulder injury but Martinez also had to be replaced in the second half with an injury concern of his own, worried about a reactivation of the hamstring problem he just returned from. Matt Hedges saw out the match at left center back.

Next to all three veterans? Nkosi Tafari, who entered the season as a potential fourth center back after a year spent with North Texas SC but has become a key cog in the middle of the FCD defense, stepping in ably with older players going down.

The 24-year-old defender said he already has rapport built with every FCD defender, so it wasn’t too big of a challenge to play with three different partners.

“It’s something that’s kind of built off months of progression and communication. It’s not just dawned on us today,” Tafari said. “Certainly, it’s an adjustment in one match, but I’ve got good chemistry with Matt from last year, Bressan as well and even Jose when he came in this year.

“It’s nothing too crazy. It’s really also just my job to adapt to any situation, so it’s no big deal.”

Except, it is a big deal. Without Tafari’s consistency, FCD could be in a world of hurt. It saw the result of leaning on players who weren’t MLS ready as starters in the back line earlier in the season. Yet, Tafari has become a fixture who even if all three more experienced center backs are healthy may be difficult to replace.

“Nkosi is a player that is learning, is continuing to grow. His last two performances he knows weren’t his best, nor the team’s at home, and we went over some clips, video, concepts, mentality things and today I thought he showed a positive response,” Gonzalez said. “Even when we were suffering those first 20 minutes at the beginning in our build and not getting out of our half, he also was a member that pushed through and showed a response in the second half and led in that mentality.”

Pepi goal sends top scorer off to ASG in rhythm

It felt a bit silly to be heaping so much pressure upon an 18-year-old kid in his first season as an MLS regular, but at the same time the question was valid. With Ricardo Pepi leading FC Dallas in scoring, but having gone five games without a goal, did he need to score against the Dynamo to keep the starting job and get his head right?

If so, he did just that. As Pepi now heads to Los Angeles to participate in the MLS vs. Liga MX All-Star Game and the Skills Challenge that precedes it, he comes in having scored against the Dynamo and adding a ninth goal to his haul so far this season. Only six players in the league have scored more.

“When we all press we go together. I find myself on top of the box controlling a ball that was mis-cleared. Obviously I want to find our striker, which was Pepi. He’s in-form, sharp and I knew that he was going to put it in,” Jesus Ferreira said of their connection on the second goal.

The formula seems simple, but so far it holds: When Pepi scores, the team gets points. Just one of his nine goals, a garbage-time half-consolation to make things 3-1 in San Jose in the season’s first road match back in April, have come in defeats.

“It’s a good correlation, good for him” Gonzalez said. “He was close in the last games. You could smell that he’s dangerous and not losing his rhythm. He’s not losing his confidence. He’s going to keep working to score the next goal and help the team in the next moment.”

With Pepi off his mini-skid, FCD hopes he starts another hot streak and helps get some more victories going forward.

Resting up ahead of Austin

While Pepi now heads to the All-Star Game, the majority of FC Dallas players are going to get a bit of down time before getting back to work with the next league match not only a full week away but a day later than usual as FCD travels to face Austin FC on Sunday.

I asked Tafari if he’s excited to sleep in for a day or two, and it’s safe to say he’s ready to turn off the alarm.

“You see the smile on my face. It’s good we don’t have a game for a week. I love the occupation, wouldn’t change it for anything else, but the human body needs rest regardless of what you do. You can’t just continuously push, push, push,” he said.”It’ll be nice to have eight days between games and then we get back at it next Sunday. The rest will be good. We’ll take advantage of it, and it’ll be crucial for us going forward.”

Beyond simply being a good moment to get some extra shut eye, FCD can use the down time as it copes with several injuries. Neither midfielder Facundo Quignon nor winger Paxton Pomykal, key players in FCD’s turnaround, traveled to Houston after each missed the midweek loss to Seattle.

FCD also has a pair of central defenders potentially back on the injury list after Bressan fell awkwardly on his shoulder early in the draw with the Dynamo and had to be replaced by Jose Martinez who, in his first minutes since June 23, may have reactivated the injury that kept him on the shelf.

“With Bressan it looks like potential shoulder injury. How long, how serious, I’m not sure yet,” Gonzalez said. “With Jose, he felt something tender in the area of the soft tissue area he was recovering from with his hamstring. He’s been almost a month cleared but these were the first minutes he got in an intense game.

“We’re hoping that’s not serious as well. I don’t have any final assessment on that.”

The picture will clear up in the next few days, but it could be a different FC Dallas that heads down I-35 next weekend than the one that rolled down I-45 for Saturday’s game.

Also, they flew, but don’t let that get in the way of a good sentence about geography.

Pomykal’s status is a bit murky for next week as is Quignon’s, but if those two are fit and FCD has three center backs at full strength, it could give Gonzalez lots of permutations to play with as the club takes the national TV stage next week.