When Franco Jara walked off the field Tuesday in the 66th minute, it marked the sixth straight game the FC Dallas forward has failed to score. And it was the second consecutive game in which the Argentine Designated Player was subbed off.
Jara’s frustration boiled over when he initially refused to shake head coach Luchi Gonzalez’s hand when he reached the touchline. Gonzalez pulled Jara back and made sure that the striker shook his hand before heading to his seat on the bench.
After FC Dallas’ 3-0 loss at Nashville SC, Gonzalez called the exchange a moment in a “family club” he’s not taking personally.
“Franco’s a competitor, he’s frustrated to get taken out of the game so that happens,” Gonzalez said in a video conference call with reporters. “It happens. No one takes it personal. We have moments and we’re a family club. And families have moments and that’s how you grow, that’s how you be honest with each other.”
Gonzalez said Jara, who had four goals in his previous three games before a six-match goalless streak, continues to be a vital part of his team.
“Franco’s been very important for this team and he’ll continue to be. Yeah, he’s frustrated he hasn’t scored goals recently, but he’s doing a lot of good things,” Gonzalez said. “A forward needs to continue to do good things to get the goal back. That happens in streaks, that happens in moments.”
Gonzalez called Jara’s reaction, and their exchange, far from an isolated incident in soccer.
“This happens all over the world, in a lot of different clubs, in the highest level clubs, with the highest level players, highest level coaches in the world,” Gonzalez said. “No innocence here. This is a passionate sport and sometimes there’s emotion. But that’s how we learn, that’s how we grow and move forward.”
