How FC Dallas Forced Me to Shut Up...For Now.

"Shut up Fool!"

In the world of blogging and sports media, there is no art more refined and time tested than the systematic ridicule of a poor performing sports team. When things start to go wrong, everyone from the owner on down to the equipment managers can be a target for the criticism of those of us who make our way in sports forming opinions and shouting them loudly from the hilltops. What isn't always so easy is for us naysayers to admit when we are proven wrong, or at least, see the signs that a bad situation is on the right path towards getting better.

Few openly criticized FC Dallas like I did this season. From serious, stat driven critique to crude comedic attacks, I used them all. When the MLS season hit the All-Star break, FC Dallas was 4-9-5 and and the season was all but written off. On Saturday night in Seattle, that same team was 45 minutes from the playoffs. Well, not the same team. The group on the pitch this weekend was a vastly different from the team that had bumbled and stumbled their way to that horrific start. Schellas Hyndman had rebuilt his defensive back line from a patchwork collection of veritable misfits to a collection of experienced veterans and talented young players and reignited the career of an aging striker.

Consider this...

Opening day, April 21st against the Chicago Fire, FC Dallas started the follwing defensive back four: Drew Moor, Blake Wagner, Steve Purdy, and Daniel Torres.

On October 24th, the final match of the season, FC Dallas started the following defensive back four: Heath Pearce, Ugo Ihemelu, George John, Jair Benitez.

What a difference.

I don't believe many were impressed when Benitez was signed or when Drew Moor was traded for Ihemelu, but if you watched FCD throughout the season, you saw the change in the team's ability to defend. As they better they got in the back, it got easier for their midfield and forward players to take on a more offensive mindset. This defensive rebirth was a big part of FCD's second half success which saw the team go 7-4-1 after the All-Star break, morphing from a laughable pushover to a dangerous attacking side.

The amazing performance of Jeff Cunningham, who won the MLS Golden Boot with 17 goals despite not scoring his first goal until May 31st, was one of the great stories of the season. Cunningham only had four goals at the All-Star break, which makes his second half run of form all the more remarkable (and has rightfully put his name in the MLS MVP mix). Things still weren't perfect, but FCD gave what fans had stuck with them a reason to be optimistic and forced people like to me to admit that we were wrong, at least a little bit.

Not all the signs of hope for this beleaguered franchise were coming from their on the field performance. Hosting a watching party for the CCTV only USMNT match against Honduras was a great PR move by a front office that has been short on great PR moves for years. Hosting a open house/watching party on Saturday was another excellent decision and the departure (hopefully) of Michael Hitchcock will be another step forward. More than anything, the front office needs a change of direction and a change of attitude. The stale thinking and poor marketing need to become a thing of the past, replaced by creativity and an aggressive attitude about selling the club and the sport to Dallas/Fort Worth. In other words, time to say "Fuck Family Friendly Football"...not that that will happen, but you never know.

Now comes a tremendously important off season for FC Dallas. HSG must find the right individual to lead this club at the general manager position. Hyndman must find another forward option to help support and back-up Jeff Cunningham, who despite his success this season is not a player to be relied upon. There are still many fans to win back and many potential fans to win over, but there are signs of life. Despite the loss on Saturday, there is a real sense of hope and optimism for next season from fans. It's a cautious hope, but considering where this season could have gone for FC Dallas, it's a hope I expect many fans will be happy to have.