FOOTBALL
FC Dallas v New York City: Quill's belief never wavered during winless run
Despite FC Dallas' difficult season, coach Eric Quill has never lost faith in his abilities and is desperate to build some positive momentum when they host New York City on Friday.
Dallas thrashed St. Louis City 3-0 last week, with Petar Musa netting two late goals to clinch the result after Kaick da Silva Ferreira scored their opener.
Prior to that victory, Dallas had failed to win in five MLS games, losing four straight then drawing 2-2 on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes.
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Dallas remain 12th in the Western Conference standings, four points adrift of the playoff places.
But Quill – whose position was called into question during that recent winless run – is confident they are on the right track and will soon be contending for silverware.
"This league has tested me in every way," Quill said. "Managing at this level, I'm going through a growth lesson, but I always believe in solutions.
"I believe in finding solutions and never giving up. Challenges are what make life fun. You lose four games in a row and in this day and age, resilience and belief in yourself is important, and I've never lost that.
"All I've wanted is to help lead the club in the right direction. We're proud of what we see game to game, we're building something that's going to bring us a trophy.
"We have a long way to go, but I know that something's changing here. It's about consistency to keep this kind of performance going."
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) July 20, 2025
New York City, meanwhile, occupy one of the play-in spots in the Eastern Conference after drawing 1-1 with Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.
Pascal Jansen's team have taken 10 points from their last six games, though they are winless in their last four on the road (D1 L3).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
FC Dallas – Petar Musa
Musa has scored a brace in each of Dallas' last two matches, against St. Louis and the San Jose Earthquakes.
He is the fifth player in Dallas history to register multiple goals in consecutive MLS games and the first since Jader Obrian in 2021.
New York City – Matt Freese
Freese has recorded five or more saves in each of New York's last two matches, helping his team take four points from contests with Sporting KC and Orlando City.
It is the first time he has registered five or more saves in back-to-back games this season and his longest such streak since four games from March to April in 2024.
MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW
Dallas and New York will square off for the first time since April 2023. NYCFC are unbeaten in the last seven meetings between the teams (W3 D4), with Dallas' only win coming in their first-ever meeting in 2015, at Toyota Stadium.
Following a 1-1 draw with Kansas City on July 19, NYCFC have scored in consecutive road matches for the first time since September 2024.
However, that was just the sixth time NYCFC have scored on the road in 2025, with only Atlanta United, St. Louis City and the Portland Timbers scoring in fewer road games this season (all five).
Dallas registered a 3-0 win in their last home match against St. Louis, the team's largest margin of victory in 2025.
That three-goal win was Dallas' most comprehensive victory in league play since a 4-1 victory against San Jose on August 13, 2022, but they should find NYCFC more stubborn opponents.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
FC Dallas – 36.8%
New York City – 36.9%
Draw – 26.3%
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