Just three days after a comeback victory in extra time of a U.S. Open Cup semifinal, FC Dallas returns to league play, hosting Western Conference rival Sporting Kansas City.
On the one hand, coach Oscar Pareja's side might not want to see Sporting KC on the Toyota Stadium field Saturday. Sporting is known for its physical style, something a team that just played 120 minutes of soccer earlier in the week may not want to cope with.
But that same physical nature benefited FC Dallas. Both of Sporting KC's defensive midfielders will miss the contest after Roger Espinoza was booked in the team's 3-0 loss to the Portland Timbers, taking him to seven yellow cards and a suspension, and Soni Mustivar was sent off, triggering an automatic one-match suspension.