Tag: FC Dallas

Ex-USMNT defender Gonzalez admits he contemplated suicide during difficult period

The veteran defender opened up on his mental health struggles on a podcast

Former U.S. men’s national team defender Omar Gonzalez has opened up on his mental health battle, admitting that he contemplated suicide at various points during a difficult period.

Gonzalez said he started to struggle in the aftermath of the USMNT’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The U.S. was eliminated from contention in a stunning defeat at Trinidad and Tobago, with Gonzalez scoring an own goal in 2-1 loss.

“It started I think, just the World Cup, when we didn’t qualify and the own goal,” Gonzalez said on the Major League Journeymen podcast.

“Everything up until that point was wins, championships, just going straight up and consistent. It was amazing and then comes this point and we didn’t qualify [for the World Cup] and then I lose a Copa MX. And then I go to MLS Cup again in 2019 and we lose to Seattle, and losing Canadian Championships. … I started thinking, ‘Is it me? Am I the reason? It just keeps following me.’

“But I was dealing with that just fine, and then came a couple of head injuries and it just sort of made everything worse. And I started forgetting people’s names and then came this period of time where the stress was too much and the head injuries were just compounding, and the stress of being away from home, baby on the way, contract year — everything that goes into it.

“I just started thinking of every single way to just end it. Every part of my day was just thinking of a way to just end it. [I was] just fighting through that, still trying to play at a high level, and still giving everything to the sport and putting on a different face was draining. No one knew about it.

Gonzalez was then asked to clarify if he was talking about ending his career or his life, to which he replied: “My life.

“It was very scary. And I was just dealing with it and going into training, still being myself.”

The 35-year-old said that after a Toronto FC match against NYCFC — a game that actually ended with a positive result — the dam broke and he reached out to get help.

“We’re having a s–t year. We’re in last place, just awful, awful environment,” he said. “The locker room was absolute dogs–t, like it was bad. And we give this great performance for once. We’re down 2-0 at half and we come back and we tie the game up, and we fight and everything.

“But then after the game, everything just came to a head. I just started bawling. I talked to the doctor. I was like ‘I need help, this can’t go on.’

“Then from that from that moment on, things got a lot better just finding help.”

Gonzalez left Toronto to join the New England Revolution in 2022, before signing with his hometown club FC Dallas ahead of the current season. The veteran defender has been capped 52 times by the USMNT, playing at the 2014 World Cup and winning the Gold Cup in 2013 and 2017.

Watch Gonzalez discuss mental health stuggles

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This MLS playoff race is an absolute mess

Put on your boots, because we’re about to wade into a mess

The race for the MLS playoffs is promising that Decision Day will be as bonkers as it ever has been.

The final day of the regular season is less than a month away, with 28 of the league’s 29 teams set for two breathless rounds of simultaneous kickoffs, one for each conference (sorry D.C. United, you’re just going to have to follow along at home).

There’s an old MLS truism that a team just needs to stay in touch until late August or so, and that if said team can start to heat up around Labor Day, you’re looking at a major threat coming from what on paper is a low playoff seed. Plenty of teams with multiple MLS Cups in their trophy case have at least one season where they followed this plan to a tee.

However, in 2023 it’s not so much about getting hot at the right time as simply ending up next to an empty seat during a poorly-played game of musical chairs. Seven teams have clinched their playoff berths already, and two more are simply abysmal.

That leaves 20 teams vying for 11 postseason spots in what is an extraordinarily forgiving set-up. The problem is that almost none of this group seems able to get a solid hold on their invite to the big dance.

Put on your boots, because we’re about to wade into a mess:

Argentina calls up nearly as many MLS players as USMNT

A record three MLS players will be joining Argentina ahead of World Cup qualifiers

Argentina has called in a record three MLS players for its upcoming World Cup qualifiers, with Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Thiago Almada (Atlanta United) and Alan Velasco (FC Dallas) all getting the call.

The world champions will play Ecuador on September 7 and Bolivia on September 12 as they begin their qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup in North America.

With three call-ups, Argentina is only one short of the four MLS players the U.S. national team called in for its upcoming friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman.

Ironically, one of those USMNT call-ups — Inter Miami midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi — is still eligible to play for Argentina. The other three MLS players called in by Gregg Berhalter are Drake Callender (Inter Miami), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United) and Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes).

Almada and Messi were teammates on Argentina’s 2022 World Cup winning squad. Almada, who played six minutes total in the tournament, became the first active MLS player to win the World Cup.

Messi, of course, played a considerably bigger role, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player as he finally lifted the game’s biggest international prize with Argentina.

For Velasco, the call-up represents the first time he’s been invited to join Argentina’s senior national team. The 21-year-old winger has been previously called into the Albiceleste’s U-17 side.

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Messi performs now-routine Leagues Cup miracle, pushes Inter Miami into quarters

In just four games, Messi has been everything Inter Miami could have hoped for — and more

In just four games, Lionel Messi has been everything Inter Miami could have hoped for — and more.

Messi’s latest salvo came in his first away game with Inter Miami, a Leagues Cup last-16 match against FC Dallas that may have somehow come close to justifying the astronomical prices many paid for tickets at Toyota Stadium.

The Argentine legend would, for the third time in four games, score a brace, taking his total to seven goals in his brief Inter Miami career.

Messi’s first goal would open the scoring while his second would end it, tying a wild match at 4-4 in the 85th minute. The World Cup winner would go on to convert his spot kick in a penalty shootout for good measure, as Inter Miami would reach the quarterfinal with a 5-3 win on penalties.

As Inter Miami manager Tata Martino put it succinctly after the game: “We have the best player in the world. That can’t be ignored.”

Messi’s opener came on a first-time strike assisted by Jordi Alba, who made his first Inter Miami start on the night. Incredibly, Messi has now scored inside of eight minutes in all three of his Inter Miami starts thus far.

FC Dallas would hit back with three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead in the 63rd minute. Benjamin Cremaschi quickly struck back for the Herons to make it 3-2, but a Robert Taylor own goal restored the home side’s two-goal lead in the 68th minute.

But Inter Miami wasn’t done. A Marco Farfan own goal made it 4-3 before Messi was presented with a chance to tie the game with just five minutes left in normal time. Just like he did in his debut against Cruz Azul, Messi took full advantage of his chance to play the hero from a late free kick.

“It’s obvious that for him a free kick around there is like a PK for another player. That’s it,” FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez said after the game. “I think there’s not much to say. Everyone can see it, and he’s very consistent. You just have to pray the ball goes out of bounds or he falls in the run-up to kick the ball.”

Next up for Inter Miami is a quarterfinal at home on Friday, where Messi will be looking to make it five straight wins, and five straight games with a goal. His introduction to life with Inter Miami is somehow going even better than expected.

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Inter Miami vs. FC Dallas: How to watch Lionel Messi at the Leagues Cup

Get your latest dose of Lionel Messi

The Lionel Messi hype train has continued to roll the competition since his arrival at Inter Miami. Next up in the Leagues Cup is a trip to the Lone Star State.

On Sunday, Inter Miami will face FC Dallas in the round of 16 in the 2023 Leagues Cup.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Messi and Inter Miami vs FC Dallas on Apple TV” link=”https://apple.co/3rYEdiT”]

Thanks in big part to Messi, Miami has become one of the favorites in the competition. He has five goals in three outings since arriving alongside Sergio Busquets.

And on top of Messi and Busquets, Jordi Alba is likely to increase his playing time against Dallas as well after making his Inter Miami debut in the team’s last game.

Even with the spotlight on Miami’s big-name signings, Dallas has earned its stripes in this competition. After dropping their first matchup of the Leagues Cup to Charlotte on penalties, back-to-back home wins over Liga MX sides put them right back on track. Forward Eugene Ansah has scored off the bench in two straight victories for a side which also features United States international Jesús Ferreira.

More importantly, Dallas has allowed 26 goals in MLS this year, the fifth-best number in the league. A key ahead of facing a stacked Miami attack.

Here’s everything you need to know to catch all the action:

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Inter Miami vs FC Dallas on Apple TV” link=”https://apple.co/3rYEdiT”]

Inter Miami vs. Orlando City (Leagues Cup)

  • When: Sunday, Aug. 6
  • Where: Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)
  • Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: Apple TV

Leagues Cup Starting Lineups

Inter Miami possible starting lineup: 
Callender; Yedlin, Kryvtsov, Miller, Alba; Arroyo, Busquets, Cremaschi; Messi, Martinez, Taylor.

FC Dallas possible starting lineup: 
Paes; Junqua, Martinez, Tafari, Jesus; Velasco, Quignon, Lletget; Obrian, Ferreira, Kamungo

Premier League Odds and betting lines

MLS odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Odds were last updated Saturday at 9:44 a.m. ET.

FC Dallas (+210) vs. Inter Miami (+115)

Draw: (+220)

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Lionel Messi and Inter Miami vs FC Dallas on Apple TV” link=”https://apple.co/3rYEdiT”]

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FC Dallas defender to local news: You don’t care about me — just Messi

“I’m not being interviewed because you actually care who I am. And that’s fair”

Nkosi Tafari kept it real.

The FC Dallas defender was interviewed on the local news ahead of Sunday’s game against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami side, and he seemed to be well aware of the reason he was on the Dallas-Fort Worth Fox affiliate.

As ticket prices soared and attention on the match grew exponentially beyond a typical Leagues Cup last-16 affair, Tafari told FOX 4 News what they probably knew already: they were only talking to him because he was about to play against the greatest soccer player of all time.

“I pretty much feel like I want to win and I’m very well aware of the task at hand,” Tafari said. “I prepare for every game virtually the same, I try to get a shutout and try to get a win. That’s just my job as a center back naturally.”

And then, the coup de grâce: “All the extras are all the extras. I’m really only being interviewed for the aspect of who Messi is. I’m not being interviewed because you actually care who I am. And that’s fair.”

Let’s talk about Nkosi Tafari, because while we won’t speak for the local news in Dallas, we at least care about him!

FC Dallas selected Tafari with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 draft, coming out of Seattle University.

Tafari has developed into a regular for the club, starting 18 of his 20 MLS appearances this season and chipping in two goals and two assists.

The Manhattan native also wrote an essay on the club’s official website in 2021, explaining why he was opting to go by the last name of Tafari instead of Burgess, which he had used for his entire life up to that point.

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Ticket prices skyrocket for Messi’s first away game in U.S.

Want to see Lionel Messi play at FC Dallas? It’ll cost you

Lionel Messi is taking his show on the road for the first time in the United States and if you want to see him play, it will be extremely not cheap.

Inter Miami will travel to face FC Dallas in a Leagues Cup last-16 match on Sunday, and ticket prices at Toyota Stadium in Frisco are unsurprisingly going through the roof.

Inter Miami and FC Dallas both clinched a spot in the last 16 on Wednesday night, winning their respective round-of-32 matches. On Thursday, FC Dallas put tickets on sale at 11 a.m. local time.

Just 22 minutes later, the tickets had sold out.

That moved all remaining sales to the secondary market, where prices are skyrocketing.

According to TickPick, the average purchase price for the game is currently $864, which is a whopping 1820% more expensive than FC Dallas’ average home purchase price ($45).

On TicketSmarter, the cheapest available ticket for the match is currently well over $500.

The Dallas Morning News said that the FC Dallas website crashed 90 minutes before the tickets were released on Thursday, but it was up and running at 11 a.m. when the sale began.

Messi has helped transform Inter Miami in a short period of time, as the Herons have won all three Leagues Cup matches the Argentine legend has played since his club debut.

That is especially notable because the team only won five MLS games out of 22 before beginning Leagues Cup play last month.

Messi has scored five goals in his three Inter Miami games, including a brace against Orlando City in a 3-1 win in the round of 16.

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Dallas United player denies racism charges after TST incident vs. West Ham

“I did not use a racist slur towards anyone,” said David Ortiz

A Dallas United player has denied using a racial slur in a match against West Ham at The Soccer Tournament.

A match between the two teams on the first day of the competition was suspended amid allegations of a player directing a racial slur at a West Ham player.

An investigation by tournament organizers concluded that Dallas United violated TST’s code of conduct. After speaking to representatives from both teams, the decision was taken for Dallas United to withdraw from the tournament.

The Dallas United player who was alleged to have used the slur was not named, but now David Ortiz has made a statement on Instagram confirming he is the player in question and denying the charges.

“Racism has never been condoned in my household and it goes without saying that I stand against racism in any shape or form,” Ortiz said on his Instagram story. “I did not use a racist slur towards anyone, and it pains me to have my legacy tarnished in this way.”

Ortiz, 22, came up through the FC Dallas academy before playing professionally in Spain and Colombia. Most recently he’s played in the MASL indoor league and with the U.S. futsal national team.

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Che returns to FC Dallas after Hoffenheim declines purchase option

The 19-year-old made just three senior appearances for the club during his loan

Justin Che will return to FC Dallas after Hoffenheim confirmed it has declined its purchase option on the U.S. Under-20 defender.

“Justin and Eduardo [Quaresma] are talented guys with great character who have both repeatedly shown promise,” Hoffenheim sporting director Alexander Rosen told the club’s website.

“However, we agree with the players that they need regular playing time at this stage of their careers to develop continuously. We can’t guarantee them that with us.”

Hoffenheim added that Che had already said goodbye to his teammates after he departed to join up with the U.S. U-20 World Cup squad.

The 19-year-old came up through the FC Dallas academy before he joined Bayern Munich on a brief loan in 2021. After returning to Dallas, where he made 15 MLS appearances in the 2021 season, Che joined Hoffenheim in January 2022 on a year-and-a-half loan.

The defender mostly featured for Hoffenheim’s reserves during his time with the German club, making just three senior appearances over a season and a half.

After he was promoted to Hoffenheim’s senior team permanently in January, Che suffered a muscle injury in February that would spell the end of his time with the club.

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Jesus Ferreira is the troll king of Texas after late FC Dallas winner

Ferreira might be the least popular person in Austin

Jesús Ferreira understands the stuff rivalries are made of.

The USMNT forward provided both a late winner and some heavy-duty trolling in FC Dallas’ 1-0 victory at Austin FC Saturday night.

Dallas had to work hard to break down their hosts, who spent the final 36 minutes playing with 10 after Rodney Redes was sent off in the 54th minute. Once the moment arrived, though, it more or less had to be Ferreira, who extended his team lead with a sixth goal on the season.

Tsiki Ntsabeleng’s inch-perfect through ball broke the Verde’s resolve in the 89th minute, with Ferreira knifing between the center backs to produce a one-touch finish past the onrushing Brad Stuver.

Ferreira then made it crystal clear who had done Austin in, taking off his jersey and holding it up with the “Ferreira No. 10” side facing the home supporters for a solid 20 seconds.

Ferreira kept the celebration going afterward, flashing a peace sign and then putting his fingers in his ears as he walked off towards an inevitable booking from referee Ismail Elfath.

Austin fans probably didn’t need the reminder. For one thing, the goal had just happened. More importantly though, no one has scored more goals against Austin than Ferreira, who now has five in seven meetings with Dallas’ in-state rival.

Unhappy Austin fans tossed a couple empty beer cups out onto the field, but all that succeeded in doing was add another opportunity for Dallas to show them up. Nkosi Tafari spotted the last of the cups to hit the pitch, sauntered over, and took a mock swig before heading back to his position.

The outcome also maintained the trend for both teams. Dallas kept pace in the Western Conference, sitting in fourth place on 18 points after the win. Austin, meanwhile, is a disappointing 13th with just 10 points, a troubling situation for a team that expected to compete for silverware this season.

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