Dallas begin their 26th season in Major League Soccer on Saturday when they host the Colorado Rapids at Toyota Stadium.
The Toros have not lost their opening game of the regular season since 2009, while the Rapids have not won a regular-season opener since 2017.
Match preview
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FC Dallas are coming off a season that ended with a loss to the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference semi-finals.
Under manager Luchi Gonzalez, Dallas have shown gradual improvement coming in seventh in 2019 and finishing sixth last season in the Western Conference regular season standings.
Dallas will be feeling pretty good about themselves heading into this campaign after a fantastic pre-season where they went undefeated in their six games while picking up five clean sheets in the process.
The Toros are at their best when they play at home, having lost only once at Toyota Stadium in each of their past two regular season campaigns.
Dallas have also won two of their last three regular season games against the Rapids, with both victories coming at home.
The Rapids took a step in the right direction last season, making the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Heading into his second full season as manager, Robin Fraser has an impressive resume, winning the MLS Cup twice as an assistant coach in 2009 and 2017.
The opening match on Saturday will be a special one for the Rapids coach as it will be his 100th MLS game as a manager.
Like Dallas, the Rapids are in good form, losing just one of their seven preseason matches while maintaining five clean sheets.
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Team News
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Dallas midfielder Paxton Pomykal will hope to be fully fit after having surgery last fall on his groin.
Winger Jader Obrian will hope to add some offence to the Toros after leading the Colombian league in scoring last season.
Defender Jose Antonio Martinez will be counted on to fill the void left in the backline after the departure of captain Reto Ziegler and full-back Bryan Reynolds during the off-season.
For the Rapids, defender Kortne Ford has missed the past two seasons because of knee problems and after a pair of surgeries, he will hope to make his return to the lineup.
Former FC Dallas midfielder Michael Barrios should add some much-needed pace to the Rapids right side along with some consistent contributions.
The Colombian is one of just five MLS players to register 30 goals and 40 assists since 2015.
Goalkeeper Clint Irwin needs two more starts to hit 100 all-time for the Rapids, which would tie him with former Colorado keeper Tim Howard.
Dallas possible starting lineup:
Maurer; Nelson, Martinez, Hedges, Hollingshead; Tessmann, Acosta, Ricaurte; Pomykal, Jara, Obrian
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Irwin; Trusty, Abubakar, Vines, Rosenberry; Bassett, Price, Acosta; Lewis, Barrios, Rubio
We say: Dallas 1-1 Colorado Rapids
These are two very evenly-matched teams in good form heading into the regular season, with both sides having bolstered their attack with smart off-season acquisitions.
We expect a tight match between two teams eager to begin the season with points but not willing to risk getting off to a losing start.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Dallas win with a probability of 47.9%. A win for Colorado Rapids had a probability of 27.79% and a draw had a probability of 24.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Dallas win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.53%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.45%) and 2-0 (7.87%). The likeliest Colorado Rapids win was 0-1 (6.93%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.44%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 5.8% likelihood.
