FC Dallas is in the midst of the busiest part of its schedule. It won't receive much sympathy from Toronto FC.
Dallas looks to run its unbeaten streak to four matches when it opens a season-high three-game homestand Wednesday night against a Toronto club playing its third game in a week.
Dallas (3-3-2) opened a stretch of six games in 21 days with Saturday's scoreless draw against D.C. United. Kevin Hartman finished with three saves - including two at close range against Charlie Davies - to help Dallas push its unbeaten streak to three (2-0-1).
"I think that we are a team right now that is trying to build ourselves for the long haul," Hartman told Dallas' official website. "We are excited to try to take some of this back home and try to get some results next week."
Hartman's team plays seven of its next 10 games at Pizza Hut Park, including Saturday against Philadelphia, but will be without reigning league MVP David Ferreira (fractured ankle) for that stretch.
Dallas has won its last two home matches by a combined 5-1 score.
"We know we have a lot of games coming," defender Zach Loyd said, "but each game there is an opportunity to take three points, so we are looking at the next game."
Dallas has earned at least one point in each game against Toronto since 2008, going 3-0-3, and has won three of the last four meetings at Pizza Hut Park.
Like Dallas, Toronto (2-3-4) is in the midst of a daunting schedule, playing eight games in 24 days.
This stretch began last Wednesday with a 1-0 win over FC Edmonton in Canadian Championship play. Toronto, seeking its third consecutive Voyageurs Cup, will face MLS rival Vancouver in the two-game, home-and-home final that begins May 18.
Toronto, 0-2-1 on the road, returned to MLS play Saturday and defeated Houston 2-1, snapping a six-game league winless streak (0-2-4).
Joao Plata scored on a penalty shot in the 50th minute and assisted on the other score in his MLS debut for coach Aron Winter's squad, which had three goals in its previous six matches.
"Before the game I said that if I scored a goal I was going to dedicate it to (Winter) in response to the confidence he's had with me and the trust," Plata said through an interpreter.
Although the 5-foot-3 Plata looked comfortable in his first game, Winter is wary that expectations are now going to be unrealistic for the 19-year-old Ecuadorian, who was named MLS player of the week Monday.
"Plata has done very well. I was also very happy he made the penalty," Winter said. "You have to be careful with those players, because he's still young. It's a very tough league."
