FRISCO, Texas – Mauro Diaz is getting accustomed to “welcome back” parties.
Since returning from a six-game break imposed by recurring leg injuries, the Argentine playmaker has been in a festive mood, scoring two goals and adding three assists in four games ahead of Saturday’s clash with Real Salt Lake (9:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
“I’m doing really well after the injuries,” Diaz said. “We’re getting there – to finally be coming back to my level.”
This isn’t the first time Diaz has lit up the stat sheet after returning from injury. Following a four-game layoff in April, Diaz returned to the fray by scoring two goals and dishing out four assists in his first three games back.
Another similarity between the two returns: it took the 24-year-old three games to get back to 90-minute fitness in each instance. Though Diaz played 88 minutes in his third game in the most recent return from injury, he went 90 against Vancouver on Wednesday, the first time he had done that since an Aug. 2 loss to Chicago.
“He’s lasting 90 minutes now,” head coach Oscar Pareja said. “Obviously there was some time where he needed to rest during the game. It’s hard work for him trying to create options and trying to calm the game down. He made it happen [Wednesday] at the most important time. I think he needs a couple games still to be full, but it was great to see him in the field lasting 90 minutes.”
The trend is both a positive and a negative for FC Dallas as they gear up for a deep playoff run. To wit, Diaz’s production fizzled after taking on a heavier load in May. After playing his first full game on May 9, he went the next six games without registering a goal or assist.
More positive is the fact that the club’s playmaker is finding his stride at a crucial point in the season – at times, without international call-up Fabian Castillo – and Pareja believes there could be even more in the Argentine’s tank.
“He has another gear,” Pareja said.
It’s also hard to argue how much more dynamic FC Dallas is when Diaz is pulling the strings in the center of the midfield. In Wednesday’s 2-0 win over the Whitecaps, he single-handedly generated one goal with nifty footwork and a crafty finish. He nearly added a second on a penalty kick drawn by Michael Barrios, but David Ousted read the situation perfectly and prevented it.
Diaz set up the opening goal of the contest as well, combining with fellow midfielder Ryan Hollingshead to create enough space for Barrios to finish.
“I think the main thing is people are making runs knowing that [Diaz] can get them the ball,” Hollingshead told MLSSoccer.com. “It gives everyone else an extra little push of energy, and it gives you a little bit more desire when you’re making a run forward because you’re thinking, ‘I can get this.’”
Hollingshead also said Diaz has an underrated ability to fight through physical pressure from defenders, a tactic opponents often employ in order to keep the Argentine out of rhythm.
If Diaz can continue to win those battles and fight off pressure without a return to the trainer’s room, Dallas’ already potent attack is sure to be a force to be reckoned with come the Western Conference semifinals – the club sealed one of the top two seeds on Friday – on Nov. 1.
“Any player like that that’s high caliber that you want on the field at all times,” Hollingshead said. “He’s no different.”
