Miami begin playoff spot chase, Atlanta feel like the old days & more from Matchday 28

“Our last game was August 6,” pointed out FCD boss Nico Estevez. “Usually when you have your first game [in a while], you are a little bit sloppy. The tempo and the rhythm of the game, you are a little bit behind and you can see that…

“What people don’t realize is we have been playing with the heat from like, two months already or two and a half months, training every day, playing games, and it’s very, very difficult, very difficult to handle mentally. And I think we had that mentality that even though it was tough, it was hard, at the end to make a difference with that goal.”

Their epic Leagues Cup round-of-16 duel with Miami showed everyone how high Dallas’ ceiling is; by the looks of it, the tropical galacticos are now the de facto litmus test of quality and mettle for their MLS peers. On Saturday FCD showed us what the corresponding floor looks like for serious contenders.