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Dallas ends home campaign against Vancouver

Oct 15, 2011 - 2:00 AM Frisco, TX (Sports Network) - FC Dallas concludes its regular season home campaign on Saturday, hosting Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Pizza Hut Park.

It is a contest of two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum, as FC Dallas is bound for the playoffs while Vancouver has been out of contention for some time.

FC Dallas clinched its postseason berth on Wednesday, snapping its four-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park. It also moved to within two points of third-place Real Salt Lake, and with the top three teams in each conference avoiding a wild card play-in game, Dallas still has all to play for.

Whether FC Dallas receives automatic qualification or not, defender Zach Loyd believes that after a tough stretch during the last month, his side is well- equipped to turn things around come playoff time.

"September was a rough month for us," Loyd said. "I think fatigue caught up with us last month. But with international break, I think a lot of guys got their legs back, got some time off and mentally got their heads right. [Wednesday] we came [to Chicago] with the energy we were bringing in a couple months ago and I think it showed in the result."

Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman echoed Loyd's sentiments, claiming that the international break helped eliminate some of the fatigue.

"I thought you could really tell we got a little bit of a rest," Hartman said. "We're a very athletic team and I think you can tell by the amount of speed that we have up top and the athleticism in the back. When you're fatigued that's really going to affect you quite a bit."

Vancouver has also enjoyed a turn of fortune of late, as the Whitecaps earned a 2-1 win over D.C. United on Wednesday. The 'Caps have now strung together two successive wins for the first time in MLS.

"First one of the season, so it feels pretty good, but there is never a bad time for things and runs like this," said defender Jay DeMerit. "There are happy people in the stands and happy people in here and those are all positives as we move forward."

The clash at Pizza Hut Park will be the last road match of the season for the 'Caps, who are still winless away from home this season.

Only three other teams in MLS history have completed an entire season without a road win: the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2003 (0-9-6), Real Salt Lake in 2005 (0-14-2), and Red Bull New York in 2009 (0-13-2). Vancouver is hoping to avoid becoming the fourth club on that list.