Quill lauds Dallas' resilience after securing playoff berth

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ShareFC Dallas will definitely feature in the playoffs and are looking to keep up their momentum against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.FC Dallas head coach Eric Quill hailed his team's resilience against the Seattle Sounders as they secured their playoff berth in MLS ahead of travelling to Houston Dynamo.Last weekend, Dallas lost 3-2 to Charlotte FC, but they bounced back with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders in midweek to move up to third in the Western Conference.They had to wait for their playoff berth to be confirmed, with results later on Wednesday meaning they will be featuring in the postseason for the second straight year.The loss to Charlotte is their only defeat in their last eight league games, and Quill was impressed by how Dallas responded to that setback."I told the guys that the last 20 minutes were what I was most proud of," Quill said after beating Seattle."You could see that when their legs were gone and their minds were exhausted, they were still giving everything they had."They were diving around, putting their bodies on the line, blocking shots and dealing with more corners than we wanted to face."Seattle is a tough team to beat any night you play them, but after what happened in Charlotte the other night, getting a response like this is exactly what we needed heading into Houston on Saturday."As for the Dynamo, they have slipped down the West after a run of five games without a victory (D3 L2), though they remain fifth in the table.They drew 3-3 with San Diego FC in midweek, giving up a lead late on, but Guilherme once again played a vital role, including his 16th league goal of 2026.The Brazilian also has nine assists on top of that, and Houston head coach Ben Olsen is thrilled to have him in the squad."He's carried a big load for us – it's too much. So we as a team have to continue to work on whether we can take some of that pressure off of him," said Olsen."It's not healthy to live on one guy scoring and providing that much."But when you need something [or] you need a play, it's nice to have that type of player on the field for us."PLAYERS TO WATCHHouston Dynamo – GuilhermeGuilherme had two goals and an assist in Houston's draw against San Diego on Wednesday.He is the first Dynamo player to record two goals and an assist in a regular-season match since Nelson Quinones in October 2023.FC Dallas – KaickKaick scored the lone goal in Dallas' victory over Seattle Sounders, his third goal in his last seven matches.He had managed just three goals in his first 49 regular-season MLS appearances before matching that total over his last seven games.MATCH PREDICTION: DRAWDallas snapped an 11-match winless run at Houston with a 2-1 victory at Shell Energy Stadium in February 2025, the club's first win at Houston since 2016.The Dynamo have won only three of the last 13 meetings between the sides in Houston, with eight of those ending in draws.Dallas have won seven of their last 11 regular-season matches (D2 L2) following a 1-0 victory over Seattle, which was their third clean sheet in four matches after they managed just four clean sheets in their first 25 matches of the 2026 regular season.The Dynamo have won only one of their last nine matches (D5 L3), including going five straight without a win (D3 L2), after a five-match winning streak in July-August, leaving this one too close to call for the Opta supercomputer.OPTA WIN PROBABILITYHouston Dynamo – 38.2%Draw – 26.5%FC Dallas – 35.3%FC Dallas will definitely feature in the playoffs and are looking to keep up their momentum against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.FC Dallas head coach Eric Quill hailed his team's resilience against the Seattle Sounders as they secured their playoff berth in MLS ahead of travelling to Houston Dynamo.Last weekend, Dallas lost 3-2 to Charlotte FC, but they bounced back with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders in midweek to move up to third in the Western Conference.They had to wait for their playoff berth to be confirmed, with results later on Wednesday meaning they will be featuring in the postseason for the second straight year.The loss to Charlotte is their only defeat in their last eight league games, and Quill was impressed by how Dallas responded to that setback."I told the guys that the last 20 minutes were what I was most proud of," Quill said after beating Seattle."You could see that when their legs were gone and their minds were exhausted, they were still giving everything they had."They were diving around, putting their bodies on the line, blocking shots and dealing with more corners than we wanted to face."Seattle is a tough team to beat any night you play them, but after what happened in Charlotte the other night, getting a response like this is exactly what we needed heading into Houston on Saturday."As for the Dynamo, they have slipped down the West after a run of five games without a victory (D3 L2), though they remain fifth in the table.They drew 3-3 with San Diego FC in midweek, giving up a lead late on, but Guilherme once again played a vital role, including his 16th league goal of 2026.The Brazilian also has nine assists on top of that, and Houston head coach Ben Olsen is thrilled to have him in the squad."He's carried a big load for us – it's too much. So we as a team have to continue to work on whether we can take some of that pressure off of him," said Olsen."It's not healthy to live on one guy scoring and providing that much."But when you need something [or] you need a play, it's nice to have that type of player on the field for us."PLAYERS TO WATCHHouston Dynamo – GuilhermeGuilherme had two goals and an assist in Houston's draw against San Diego on Wednesday.He is the first Dynamo player to record two goals and an assist in a regular-season match since Nelson Quinones in October 2023.FC Dallas – KaickKaick scored the lone goal in Dallas' victory over Seattle Sounders, his third goal in his last seven matches.He had managed just three goals in his first 49 regular-season MLS appearances before matching that total over his last seven games.MATCH PREDICTION: DRAWDallas snapped an 11-match winless run at Houston with a 2-1 victory at Shell Energy Stadium in February 2025, the club's first win at Houston since 2016.The Dynamo have won only three of the last 13 meetings between the sides in Houston, with eight of those ending in draws.Dallas have won seven of their last 11 regular-season matches (D2 L2) following a 1-0 victory over Seattle, which was their third clean sheet in four matches after they managed just four clean sheets in their first 25 matches of the 2026 regular season.The Dynamo have won only one of their last nine matches (D5 L3), including going five straight without a win (D3 L2), after a five-match winning streak in July-August, leaving this one too close to call for the Opta supercomputer.OPTA WIN PROBABILITYHouston Dynamo – 38.2%Draw – 26.5%FC Dallas – 35.3%