Feb. 27 - Everyone & Every bag (but one) - made it!

Kenny Cooper brings it in after training today at Club Atletico Paranaense's Training Center.
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Well, it was a long journey from Dallas to Curitiba, Brazil - but by 9:30 p.m. local time, everyone and almost every bag - made it to the Club Atletico Paranaense's Training Center today...

We'll start from at about 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday - back in Frisco, Texas. The team was scheduled to have one final training session before departing, so the players began arriving at Pizza Hut Park around 2:00 p.m. Training ran till around 3:45 - then a bus picked up the bulk of the 33 person contingent and brought everyone to DFW by 6:00. Team Admin Bobby Hammond met the group at the airport to facilitate check in. Everyone was permitted to check in one personal bag, and then also had to check in one additional equipment bag (conveniently, there were 33 equipment bags).

No issues with checking in - the slight delays were likely because of the size of our group, and because we each had to have our passports reviewed to make sure we had the visa attached (for those that needed them in order to enter Brazil).

American Airlines - Departed at 8:05 p.m. CT and landed 10 hours later in Sao Paolo (6:00 a.m.). We each had to grab one of the checked-in bags and bring them to Terminal 1 so that we could check-in for the TAM flight that would take us to Curitiba.

Group count - check, equipment bag count - check, re-count - check again....everyone goes through customs - except one. Roberto Mina's personal bag is not here...no one is sure if a teammate grabbed it and went through customs. After talking to the gate agents, Roberto and co. proceed out and try to find out more about the missing bag from the main terminal....

There are quite a few players and staff members that speak Spanish - which though not the native tongue, is still very useful for communicating here. At this point, when trying to move a two-bag carrying, 33 person group (well, not Mina) - steps up Marcelo Saragosa in his native Portuguese to help out Mina. The two take off around the airport, sent from here to there, back to here, and finally - to Terminal 1, where the rest of the group was checking in for the second leg...everyone but Bobby, Roberto, and Dominic Oduro.

Sidebar # 1:

• See, Dominic and Roberto need P-1 visas in order to work in the United States. Since neither had left the country since signing their contracts, they had to have their visa affixed to their passports at a U.S. Embassy outside of the U.S. So prior to leaving, Hammond scheduled an appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Sao Paolo to get get the visas attached for these two players. Not so simple. The appointment calls for them to turn in their passports - and it should take about 5-7 business days to get their passports back with attached work visas - which if all goes well would be right at the same time the team heads back to Dallas. (Carlos Ruiz and then-goalkeeper coach Alan Knight had to do this in London last year during preseason).

The three stay behind and plan to catch a 6:30 p.m. flight to Curitiba. Mina's told that his bag may not have made the flight to Brazil - so he'll have to wait for the next flight - tomorrow, at the same time.

The rest of the group - after checking in - waits at the terminal for the 11:50 am flight. Everyone tries but internet is not working for anyone at the airport. Next question, how do we dial from our U.S. phones, back to the U.S. - Marcelo again with the answer. Simple, but doesn't work for those that don't have international dialing.

The big group lands in Curitiba about 50 minutes after take-off. Marcelo informs everyone that an announcement was made that not all bags may have made the trip... Thirteen bags - including two ball-bags, one with cleats, and five players’ personal bags among the missing. They are supposed to come on the next flight - and then be brought to the CAP Training Center around 5:30.

The CAP reps are at the airport waiting for the team, as is a photographer, camera man, and reporter - this was an easy one. Marcelo stepped up and greeted the media. All bags are loaded, and Morrow is requested by the media for a few quick comments. CAP's tri-lingual International Business Rep Pablo translates for the media - questions like what do Dallas hope to get out of playing a Brazilian team, why training in Brazil, etc.

Sidebar # 2:

• Steve Morrow has told us through this blog that he'd hope to look at a few players when the team came to South America. Argentine defender Pablo Richetti was to join the team at the Curitiba Airport...He's here for a trail, having recently completed a stint at Quilmes in Argentina...We learn his flight is delayed, so we make arrangements to have him picked up in a few hours....he's not there.

The equipment is brought up to the room, the medical supplies as well.

The team heads for lunch at the first floor cafeteria– buffet style, meat, fish, pastas, mashed-potatoes, vegetables, salads, and…dessert. Seems to have been well received by the players.

Players from other team's are walking around – we later learn that four CAP teams are here today: the first team, the B-team, the U-20s, and the U-18s.

We meet with the CAP PR reps, and they inform us that they only have media availability here twice per week – and the media can’t enter the complex. The media is waiting to talk to the CAP coach, and a player – and since we’re here at the same time, take the opportunity to talk to Steve Morrow and Marcelo.

At 5:00 p.m., Steve and Marcelo walk out to the main security entrance, where a small room is set up (on the outside of the gates). Steve goes first, standing in front of a CAP backdrop facing the two-three cameras and casually not noticing the five mike flags in front of him capturing his comments.

“Why train in Brazil,” “Soccer is growing in the U.S., why do you think that is”,”What do you hope to get out playing CAP"…..

Marcelo is next. Similar questions, but also more about his choice to go from Sao Paolo to the United States; the level play, the growth, how he's adapted, etc.

Sidebar # 2 continued:

• At around 4:00 p.m. we send a driver with a sign - "Pablo Richetti" - to walk through the airport. Pablo's phone is apparently not working - so neither he, us, nor his representatives in Argentina can communicate to know where he is. We get word that they've announced his name over the loud-speakers at the airport, but no one has reported. Upon informing Morrow on the practice field that we can't find him, he smiles and points to the sidelines. It turns out that Pablo had sat on the run-way for some time on two delayed flights (and at two different airports in Sao Paolo), and without being able to communicate quickly, nor wanting to miss the practice, he took a taxi to the CAP training grounds, arriving just as practice was set to begin.

After warming up with the 'in-the-middle' drills, the team heads for a light jog around the complex (more on this throughout the week). They bring it in and do some stretching exercizes before playing a fun keep-away game. The day finishes off with a light-hearted soccer tennis game.

Dinner is served, and we get word that the missing bags are still at the airport. The CAP bus heads out to the airport, picking up the 13 bags along with Hammond, Mina, and Oduro. They had an eventful day as well - sitting in the famed (at least Marcelo knew about it) Sao Paolo traffic for two-three hours before waiting a few more hours at the Embassy. In the end, all is worth it. The players submitted their passports, and now must wait to get them back. If if all works well they'll have the documents before the team heads back to Dallas next week...as for Roberto's personal bag - we still hope it makes it here on Wed...when we'll have another player also join the team - this one, many FCD fans will recognize the name....

Off to Brazil

24 players and 8 staff members including the coaches departed for Brazil tonight out of DFW. Here's the release with some of the info on who's coming and what the plans are. We're told we'll have internet at the Club Atletico Paranaense Training Center hotel, so we'll look to keep this blog updated on a regular basis while in Brazil. On the right is Dominic Oduro, who scored twice last Friday against SMU, chilling at Gate D22 waiting to board.

Feb. 23: FCD 3, SMU 2

FCD tonight edged out SMU in a preseason scrimmage at Wescott Field on the campus of SMU. A wild final ten minutes saw the lead change four times, and a ball hit the post, a stopped penalty kick, and a few fine saves - with FCD playing short-handed for the final 30 minutes. In the end, FCD's Dominic Oduro finished with two goals and defender Drew Moor added a goal and an assist to help Dallas claim the win.

SMU looked like they may hold on to the 1-0 lead they took in the 28th minute, when Dax McCarty's left-footed blast in the 80th minute hit the inside of the right post but deflected out.

A minute later, Dominic Oduro beat his man down the left but the SMU keeper made a diving save to his right to maintain the advantage....then, in the 82nd minute, Oduro was brought down for a PK - however Kenny Cooper's hard shot to the left side was well-read by the keeper who dove to block the shot.

Things finally turned around in the 83rd. Blake Wagner took a simple throw-in to Cooper at the top of the box. Kenny held off his man and passed the ball backwards to Andrew Daniels, who quickly moved the ball across the field to center-back partner Drew Moor. Drew took one step forward and ripped a 35-40 yard blast that bounced off the slick grass past the keeper and into the back of the net to tie the game.

Dax McCarty and Dominic combined to make it 2-1 in favor of FCD a minute later. McCarty kept the ball from going out with a chest trap on the left sideline, then beat a man into the box by the endline. He looked up and saw Oduro make his run to the top of the six and sent him a low cross for the simple tap in.

The lead lasted almost a minute since SMU was able to hit in a free ball after a missed clearance at the top of the FCD penalty box. But...

In the 87th minute, Drew sent in a dropping cross from just past midfield into the SMU box and Dominic leaped up to head in for the 3-2 lead.

SMU - * 8 (#20) 28'
FCD - Drew Moor (Andrew Daniels) 83'
FCD - Dominic Oduro (Dax McCarty) 84'
SMU - # 20 (unassisted) 85'
FCD - Oduro (Moor) 87'

FCD lineup (1st half): Ray Burse, Chris Gbandi, Clarence Goodson, Alex Yi, Sebastian Le Toux, Richard Mulrooney, Aaron Pitchkolan, Ramon Nunez, Scott Jones (Sandi Gbandi 30), Abe Thompson, Roberto Mina.

Second half: Matt Wideman, Blake Wagner, Andrew Daniels, Drew Moor, Bobby Rhine, Sandi Gbandi (Tommy Krazinovic 61'), Marcelo Saragosa, Dax McCarty, Anthony Wallace, Dominic Oduro, Kenny Cooper.

Cards:
FCD - Rhine (red) 70'

FCD TV - Episode two; Rookie Challenge

David Wagenfuhr tries to explain the 'rookie challenge to Andrew Daniels, Sandi Gbandi, and Anthony Wallace. FCD TV was there to capture all the fun.

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A combination of drills began Thursday's practice, which ended with some fun and competitive, yet light-hearted small-sided scrimmages. The 'rookies' and first year players formed one team, and 'veterans' formed two others. After a process of elimination, the rookies edges out Chris Gbandi's team in a first-goal wins final.

The day didn't end there. Borrowing an idea from popular English show 'Soccer AM', the veterans and Morrow had arranged for a "Crossbar Challenge" for the rookies. After a few ideas were discussed on how the challenge would work, they finally settled on one - kind of. FCD TV was there to capture the fun, including Wagenfuhr trying to explain the challenge to the rookies....

You can see the second edition of FCD TV on fcdallas.net.

U.S. Women, Jimmy Buffett, and EdgeFest at PHP

While the team was in Phoenix over the weekend, the Pizza Hut Park and FC Dallas staff was busy finalizing a three major events that will be coming to Pizza Hut Park over the next few months.

On Tuesday, we announced that the United States Women's National Team will return to the Dallas-area for the first time since 2003. On Saturday, May 12, the USA women will face nothern-rival Canada at Pizza Hut Park. Tickets for the general public will go on sale on Fri., Feb. 23, at 10 a.m. CT through fcdallas.net, ussoccer.com, at all Dallas-Ft. Worth area Ticketmaster outlets or by phone at 214-373-8000. Groups of 15 or more are eligible for discounted tickets in certain section which can be purchased by calling the FC Dallas office at 888-FCD-GOAL (888-323-4265).

On Wednesday, we confirmed the first two concerts that will come to Pizza Hut Park this year. On Sun. April 15, EdgeFest 16 - an all day rock show from 102.1 The Edge featuring 19 bands performing on two stages - comes back for its second year at the complex. This year's lineup includes among other bands: The Killers, My Chemical Romance, Muse, Papa Roach, Bowling for Soup, and the Kaiser Chiefs.

We'll set up an outdoor stage on the east side to compliment the permanent stage on the field level. FC Dallas season ticket holders will have a presale opportunity to purchase tickets on Thurs. Feb 22 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Fri. Feb. 23 at 4 p.m. through any Ticketmaster location or through http://www.ticketmaster.com/.

Two weeks later, we'll see another massive show at the park - Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band. Parrotheads (as fans of Buffett are affectionately called) - take off those winter coats and dig out your flip-flops. It is time to start thinking about a trip to Margaritaville this spring at Pizza Hut Park. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Mon. Feb. 26 at 10 a.m. at any Ticketmaster location or through http://www.ticketmaster.com/ (we will not be able to offer a presale ticket opportunity for this concert - so if you want to attend, we'd suggest being ready at on Monday morning).

A future blog will detail how we will transform the stadium from soccer on Thur. April 26 - to concert on Apr. 28 - back to soccer on Apr. 29.

Feb. 21 Team Update

Head coach Steve Morrow demonstrates a fitness run on Tuesday. The player dribble through the three flags, leave the ball, run forward to a cone, returns back, and dribble back through the flags. A teammate waits for his turn.
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Thanks for the emails - busy couple days so we'll keep this post on the team side, and post another one with some other news coming out of our offices...

Monday was a travel day for the players returning from Phoenix, and a weight session for those that stayed behind. The full team returned on Tuesday, going through a 2.5 hour practice / fitness session. Originally, they were going to have two sessions on Tuesday, however, with Champions League action on TV, the team came back in the afternoon to watch the game together in the lounge.

Today, the morning practice lasted about 1.5 hours, and the full team came back this afternoon for an intra-squad scrimmage. What a difference a week makes. Last Wednesday, the temps were around 16 degrees...today, around 75 and sunny.

PLAYER NOTES:

• Shaka is in Trinidad hopefully getting his U.S. residency this week. As it takes time to schedule the appointment, he will likely meet the team in Brazil next week. Should he get his green card, he would no longer count as a senior international, which would free up one spot. Ramon's and Carlos' applications for U.S. residency have not progressed any further at this point.
• Roberto Mina's contract is just about complete. These contracts are sometimes lengthy, and in this case, there was one item that was overlooked when signing. Therefor, if the League received everything today we will hopefully be able to make his signing official on Thursday.
• It looks like the paperwork with midfielder Juan Carlos Toja is also progressing well. If all goes as the team would like, he will join the team in Brazil next week. For those that don't know, Toja is a young Colombian player who was playing with River Plate in Argentina last year. We'll have more on this if / when it becomes official.
• Dario Sala was held out of training the past couple of days. He's had some discomfort in his lower leg, so he's working his way back slowly. Justin Moore sat out the past couple of sessions with a groin injury. Also, trialist Sebastian Le Toux sat out yesterday with a calf injury but was back on the field today.
• Adrian had succesful surgery on Tuesday on his left knee. He'll be on crutches for a few weeks and then process the process of rehabbing.
• Trailist goalkeeper Matt Wideman trained with the team this morning, but not this afternoon. His place was occupied by Steve Deering, a local keeper that went to Nova University in Florida.
• Finally, congratulations to Arturo Alvarez, who played the full 90 minutes earlier today for the U.S. U-23 team in a 0-0 tie against Japan's U-22 team in Kumamoto, Japan. The U.S. U-23 team will play local JFL side Rosso Kumamoto on Friday at KKWing Stadium (4:00 a.m. CT) before returning to the United States on Saturday.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Below, assistant coaches Oscar Pareja (in white) and Marco Ferruzzi (in black) team up and challenge the players.

Ruiz to play in Maradona's Showbol

Carlos Ruiz, also known as Fish around here, has been invited to participate in a celebrity game against one of the all-time greats - Diego Armando Maradona - in the Argentine's own touring "Showbol" this weekend in Guatemala. Ruiz will travel to his native Guatemala on Fri. Feb 23, play in the celebrity game on Sat. at Cementos Progreso Stadium in Guatemala City, then return to Dallas on Sun. Feb. 25.

Maradona's Showbol is a 6v6 indoor soccer game (25 minute halves) played on a field about 40X20 yards and featuring a team that includes Maradona with friends against a local team, usually represented by national soccer celebrities. Originally started as a friendly exhibition between Argentina and Brazilian greats, the Showbol has become a traveling event. The visit to Guatemala will be the Showbol's third in Central America, having previously visited El Salvador and Honduras. Showbol was also staged in Mexico in November.

The game is being tagged by some media outlets as "10 versus 20", referring to the well-known jersey numbers of Maradona and Ruiz respectively. We'll have more on Carlos on fcdallas.net in the coming days, however we wanted to let those that visit this site know this news first.

As many soccer fans know, Diego Maradona was arguably the best player of his time (or all-time for many), leading Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title and playing for some of the world's best teams. His second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup was voted the best of all-time in a World Cup. Youtube.com has as good selection of clips on that goal.

UPDATED: Final- FCD 1, Columbus 4

FINAL: CLB 4, FCD 1 (Click here for additional info and quotes from Steve Morrow on the game)

Scoring:
CLB – Kei Kamara (Eddie Gaven) 12'
CLB – Own Goal (Andrew Daniels) 14’
CLB – Kei Kamara (Jose Retis) 30'
FCD – Dax McCarty (David Wagenfuhr) 48’
CLB – Kei Kamara (Ned Grabavoy) 58’

FC Dallas: Ray Burse, Blake Wagner (David Wagenfuhr 46;), Michael Dello-Russo, Andrew Daniels, Justin Moore (Dax McCarty 46); Anthony Wallace (Aaron Pitchkolan 46'), Sebastian Le Toux, Scott Jones (Mark Redshaw 75'), Tommy Krizanovic (Sandi Gbandi 59), Eddie Santeliz (Abe Thompson 46'), Dominic Oduro.

Gameday in Phoenix

Abe Thompson, born in Tucson, Ariz, will have some family in the stands tonight. Here, he takes a shot on Matt Wideman during finishing drills as part of Saturday's practice.

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Eighteen players made the trip to Phoenix, Arizona for the first preseason game of the year, to be played on Sunday evening against MLS-side Columbus Crew at Grand Canyon University's soccer stadium (8:00 p.m. CT).

The players expected to see action tonight are:

Goalkeepers: Ray Burse (2nd year) and Matt Wideman (on trial).

Defenders: Michael Dello-Russo (2nd year), Blake Wagner (2nd year), Andrew Daniels (07 draft pick), David Wagenfuhr (4th year), Justin Moore (2nd year)

Midfielders: Dax McCarty (2nd year), Eddie Santeliz (on trial), Anthony Wallace (07 draft pick), Sebastian Le Toux (on trial), Aaron Pitchkolan (3rd year), Sandi Gbandi (07 draft pick).

Forwards: Dominic Oduro (2nd year), Tommy Krizanovic (07 draft pick), Scott Jones (07 draft pick), Mark Redshaw (on trial), Abe Thompson (3rd year).

These players went through an hour and a half practice yesterday afternoon, led by assistant coaches Oscar Pareja, Marco Ferruzzi, and Jeff Cassar. The remaining FCD players stayed in Texas and trained on Saturday morning at Pizza Hut Park with head coach Steve Morrow. Morrow arrived in Phoenix earlier today.

NOTES: The promoter arranged a team meal on Saturday night on the outdoor patio of local Italian hangout Guiseppe Ristorante, which is a family-run, soccer-friendly establishment where the father, sons, and mother serve, host, and cook...they provided all the foods requested by the FCD staff, as well as a special treat: home-made cheesecake (those of us at FCD Updates very much enjoyed this treat)...the team is staying at the Embassy Suites - Scottsdale, which has a great setting as a background...the back of the hotel has a nice sized pool overlooking an 18-hole golf course, with a mountain in the distance...this photo of the view from the back of the hotel was borrowed from the hotel website...By the way, it was 81 degrees and sunny yesterday - game time temps tonight are expected to be around 73...the stadium, which was used by the U.S. Men's National Team last week in preparation for the game versus Mexico, has had a few additional temporary bleachers installed - we're told it's enough to accommodate over 3000 fans...one neat aspect of the stadium is that the benches are actually below field level - very much like a baseball dugout...we'll do our best to update this blog tonight during and following the game - however, since the stadium does not have a press-box, and we're not sure about internet access...we did bring the FCD TV cam with us, so we're hoping to at least get some good video to be able to create our next edition of FCD TV (for Tuesday)...the team departs for Dallas on Monday at 7:50 a.m. MT...full team training will resume on Tuesday morning at PHP.

Hitchcock - "Planning our preseason..."

The team arrived in Phoenix at around 10:30 a.m MT today. The first stop was Grand Canyon University - for lunch and to walked the stadium field. They'll practice here this afternoon ahead of tomorrow's game versus Columbus. Check back later to find out how it went and which players are here.

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FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock

As we arrive in Phoenix today for our first preseason game of the year, I wanted to give you some insight on how we went about planning our preseason…

The entire coaching staff and I believe the road to winning a championship begins with the first day of preseason (and if you’ve followed this blog for the past couple weeks, you should have a good sense on how the team has been preparing so far.) When we sat down and evaluated last year's preseason, we realized that we played too many college teams, spent too much money on our preseason, and lacked a strategic plan.

So this year, when we worked on our preseason plan and schedule, we established three primary goals:

1. Quality Competition... playing MLS teams, USL teams and international clubs; limiting the number of college teams that we play.
2. Strategic Plan... Have a plan that allows us to (a) train in an "intense and professional soccer environment", (b) build the team camaraderie during preseason with quality road trips and (c) build up to the grand finale of the preseason with a game against a top-tier, non-MLS club.
3. Make Money... We wanted to be the first team that makes significant money on our preseason, which we felt could be accomplished through getting appearance fees, getting our expenses paid for, and with sharing revenue on gated games. For us, '07 preseason is a major turning point, where we'll make good money on a quality preseason.

To elaborate a little on the points above, we're excited that this preseason features the following game breakdown:

• At least 4 games vs. Brazilian club, and partner, Club Atletico Paraneanse (two of these are gated games as part of the USA-Brazil Challenge)…and, two of these games will be against their U-20 and Reserve Teams…
• 1 additional game vs. another Brazilian side (and our friends at CAP are helping finalize these details this weekend). • 2 games vs. USL Div. 1 Teams – if you had not heard, the Puerto Rico games are now part of -- the Puerto Rico Islanders USL-MLS Challenge, and FCD will play both the Islanders and Rochester Rhinos. This
• 3 games vs. MLS Teams (Crew twice and Chicago once)
• 1 game vs. SMU
11 Games Total

This is a well rounded schedule and will allow us to get quality games, which is important in trying to finalize the roster, as well as to give players quality time to get in game-shape. It also gets our players a chance to experience the different types of competitions that we’ll face this year. We’ll play the MLS teams in our quest for the MLS Cup; but we will also be going after two other Cups – the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (where we may face USL teams) and SuperLiga, when we’ll again see international competition.

In 2006 we spent over $200K on the preseason – this year, we’re looking to have a $300K swing, potentially profiting over $100K. This comes from a variety of sources, such as appearance fees and having travel costs covered / reduced (transportation, meals, accommodations, etc).

Our strategic plan will allow us to take advantage of our world-class facilities at Pizza Hut Park for the majority of preseason, but also spend 12 days in Brazil (there's no better soccer culture) where we'll train at CAPs amazing training center and play at Kyocera Arena, in a gated game in front of passionate soccer fans. We also have scheduled regional road trips to Phoenix this weekend, and Oklahoma in mid-March, as well as a trip to Puerto Rico where the team will stay on the beach (great for team building.)

We finish the preseason at home on Sat. March 31st, in front of all our fans against Clube Atletico Paranaense. This will be a great end to a great preseason. We hope to see you there. The Road to the '07 MLS Cup begins with the preseason!

EDITED: Bad News for Adrian

Earlier today we posted that Adrian Serioux will undergo surgery on his left knee. After talking with the medical and coaching staff, we have some more details which we included in the official release....and some more info below.

Adrian has had some discomfort in his knee for some time, though he continued to play through it. An injury such as his is somewhat unique, in that he could have continue playing - and at a high level - though it would be uncertain to what extend he would be able to withstand the discomfort and / or pain. Meaning, if at any point it became unbearable to the point he could not play effectively, who knows when he would be able to return again.

Upon assessing his injury, the FCD medical and coaching staff felt that it was in Adrian's best interest for his health and career to have this taken care of now, even though he wanted to continue to play.

Once again we're going to try to explain to you, the readers, what our awesome (and patient) medical staff tried to describe to us about this injury, in a way that we could understand:

The surgery that Adrian will undergo is expected to stimulate the bone in his left knee and to cause the formation / build up of new bone. What does this mean...

Bones are constantly building and breaking down through cells called osteoblast (build) and osteoclast (break down). There is blood that moves through the bones, and in his Adrian's case, for whatever reason, the blood flow on this part of his bone was essentially stopped, thus causing the osteoblast cells not to be able to build up the bone. Therefore, a 'bruise' developed in the bone and could not heal.

An injury like this could have come from a few different reasons. He could have injured himself a long time ago, and the bone never fully healed. Or he could have had this 'bruise' build up through numerous smaller injuries, with the possibility that the discomfort grew with each small injury and with time. Since our bodies automatically try to heal an injured area, the surgery will basically cause a separate 'injury', which will stimulate the bone to heal the 'new' injury and get the osteoblasts moving again. Once this happens, its expected that the blood flow (and movement of hte osteoblasts) will build up the bone fully.

After surgery, Adrian is expected to remain on crutches (and completely non-weight bearing on his left leg) for about 5-6 weeks. At that point, the medical staff will have eveluated his progress and be able to determine his rehab schedule.

FCD TV is Launched!

Today we launched a new web feature, FCD TV.

One of the main goals of FCD TV is to put some faces and personalities to our players and coaches through video. This feature will reside on the video/audio section of the official site, fcdallas.net, and will also be linked from the front page. MLSnet.com, which manages most of the team's websites, is currently working on getting flash technology which would place video on the front pages, similar to what ESPN.com or USSoccer.com has.

The first FCD TV segment is intended to give viewers an brief idea of what Wednesday's scrimmage was like - cold, hard tackles, and intense – and to hear from the coach and a few new players.

We want to thank a few people that helped us launched this: Mike Cruz, our video graphics guru, and Eusabio Martinez, who created the logo. We also want to thank the coaching staff and players for allowing us to have this access....and trusting us. We intend to provide different ‘features’ in the coming days and weeks, so make sure you check back often.

Full-field scrimmage

(The guys finished Thursday's morning practice with a timed fitness run. The four groups had 15 seconds to reach the next flag, at which point they slowed down the pace before the whistle was blown again.)

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Only one practice session on Wednesday - the first full-field, intra-squad scrimmage of the preseason. Once again, morning temperature were below 30 degrees, and winds that cross through the park made it feel like 16 degrees.

The coaches wanted to see the less experienced / newer players under game conditions, therefor many of the veteran players had a light day and worked out indoors. Ramon Nunez and Drew Moor were two players who played in the scrimmage that had played significant minutes in 2006. One new addition to the camp was former SMU goalkeeper Matt Wideman, who last November was named the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Division I Player of the Year.

Almost all the players were out again this morning, with the exception of Dario Sala and Adrian Serioux. Dario stayed inside to do some extra work while Adrian was getting a second medical opinion on an injury concerning his left knee. The second session of the day was a film session in the 'lounge.'

It's cold for Frisco

Despite the cold weather this morning, the team was able to complete a decent practice session. Strong winds made the mid-30 temperatures feel like it was in the teens, or even lower. We know that the northeast and Midwest of is getting hit with a cold blast and a lot of snow these days, so we're not complaining, since we still did get to train outdoors. Still, for Frisco, today was COLD!

Two small fields were created with cones and mini goals, and the players went through 4v4, 3v3, 2v2, and 1 on 1's possession games. When the players were matched up inside the cones, the remaining teammates surrounded the field and kept the ball play. The 1v1 drills were fun - as much for the guys that could beat their opponent, as it was for the guys on the sidelines, who made sure that if you were beat you would hear it - and much of what they heard was laughter.

The coaches timed the drills, allowing for alternating pairs to take their turns on the field at different intervals. The last drill was a stretched out field, with each team defending two small goals.

The afternoon session was conducted indoors. Three groups were created and alternated on the exercise bikes, weights, and group exercises. Below, head coach Steve Morrow is demonstrating the next exercise. Also, a decent view of the locker room, for those that had not seen it before.

Preseason - First Day!

Preseason training officially kicked off today with two sessions. The morning session began dry with tempuratures in the mid-40's, however finished wet as the rain came down for the final 45 minutes of training. After the normal warm ups, the players were divided into four groups and played different versions of small-sided games, alternating every 10 minutes or so. The high-intensity session made it seem like a mid-summer practice, and the guys look like they could do these drills all day...

The players took a break from 11:30 to 2:00, and were back out on the field by 2:30 p.m. As customary, the ball bags came out, though they would not be used. The second session was all fitness - and it definitely did not get the same reaction as the morning practice did!

Timed distance runs were divided by different sets of sprints. The coaching staff had also set up 10 exercise stations off to the side of the field. These included individual drills like jumps, as well as those that required the assistance of a teammate, such as the medicine ball lobs. The players did each drill twice at two different points of the afternoon session, with the coaches instructing when it was time to move from one to the other.

All the players were here except for Ray Burse and Arturo Alvarez (BTW - Kenny Cooper joined the group towards the end of last week as expected). While Alvarez was in California with the U.S. U-23 team, Burse was in Houston getting a replacement passport since his was lost over the break. Many of the players were required to turn in their passports, extra photo, and visa application today in order to obtain a visa for admittance into Brazil next week. Citizens of the United States, Canada, Ghana, Mexico and Liberia all require visas to get into Brazil, while those from the United Kingdom, Ecuador, Honduras, Croatia, Guatemala, Argentina and Colombia don't.

Two-a-days continue on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., however the camp is expected to grow by one - forward Mark Redshaw (England) will be coming in for a week-long trial beginning tomorrow.

Morrow - "preseason expectations..."

FC Dallas head coach Steve Morrow:

I’m back and wanted to give y’all some insight into all that’s been happening in our first week of preseason camp, a look ahead to next week, and my expectations beyond for the rest of the pre-season.

Week one has been all about fitness assessments – at times a chore for me and the players – but vitally important; and also about setting the right tone and getting across my expectations.

I’ve been working with the guys in smaller groups – giving me the opportunity for more one-on-one interaction, and also enabling me to closely assess each player’s fitness. Glad to report no one looks too fat!

Every soccer-specific component of fitness is assessed including upper and lower body strength, core strength, flexibility, agility (speed comes later), and the one the players hate the most – aerobic fitness. This a progressive program that starts with low-intensity, long distance runs through high-intensity, shorter distances. Fitness is assessed through heart-rate levels and ranges – won’t bore you any further with the scientific details. Suffice to say, heart rates were pounding! (NOTE: for those that like scientific details, here's two previous posts that talk about a few of the medical aspects of the first week - concussion test and balance and isokinetic tests.)

For the most part, I’ve been pleased with fitness levels. Those who haven’t reached the required level will be summoned for detention! These are part of the expectation levels that I’ll be stressing.

Looking ahead, we have a big week next week, building up to our first meaningful preseason games against Columbus in Phoenix – a game where I’ll be focusing on having a good look at all our younger players. We’ll be working hard with two-a-day sessions (hope the weather picks up again); with a lot of ball-work; functional team play; will be continuing our fitness program; and more individual and group meetings, hammering home the message of what I’m expecting off and on the field.

Lastly, I wanted to give you the opportunity to ‘get inside’ the locker room. In our wonderful facility, we have a room adjoining the locker room which we’re calling the ‘player lounge.’ It’s a bit of a home-away-from-home for the guys and an important part of what I want to create. We’ve decorated (actually, our kit man Marcus Owens did all the painting) with red and white ‘hoops’, FCD logos, players and team photos, and inspirational sayings. It contains a huge flat-screen TV, Playstation console, ping-pong table, music center (some of the guys have terrible taste in music), computers and breakfast area. I know - they’re spoiled!

It’s a place the boys can hang out, chill, interact, socialize, watch soccer, spend time and build team spirit. So far, it’s been great – I have to kick them out and tell em to go home!

Thanks for reading…be back soon!

Alvarez to U.S. U-23 Camp

Arturo Alvarez today became the sixth FC Dallas player to be called in to a United States National Team camp over the past three months. Arturo will join the U.S. U-23 team in California on Saturday to prepare for two games in Japan. He's expected to return on Feb. 24 and go with the team to Brazil for the preseason trip from Feb. 26-March 9. Alvarez this week spoke with fcdallas.net about his off-season training visit to Pumas UNAM (Mexico) and his thoughts on getting the call to the U-23 team.

The other FCD players that have been called in to a U.S. camp recently are:

• In January, Kenny Cooper made his debut with the full U.S. Men’s National team - and scored his first international goal - in a 3-1 win over Denmark;
• Dax McCarty and Blake Wagner were part of the U.S. U-20 camps all through 2006, and as recently as December. However neither was included on the final roster that qualified the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup next summer.
• The team's first round pick in January's MLS SuperDraft - Anthony Wallace - was part of the U-20 qualifiers, and scored one goal in the two qualifying games he played in last month.
• Finally, 15-year old and second-round SuperDraft pick Adbus Ibrahim is currently with the U.S. U-17 team in Bradenton, Florida.

FCD's roster also includes the following players who were called in to their respective national teams over the past year: Shaka Hislop (Trinidad and Tobago), Carlos Ruiz (Guatemala), Ramon Nunez (Honduras), Roberto Mina (Ecuador), and Adrian Serioux (Canada).

Rhine - "A fan of the ‘throw-back’"

FC Dallas defender Bobby Rhine...

When the season ended last year, it took quite some time before I completely started getting over the way it ended. Just the way it ended so abruptly - and I kind of felt from a personal standpoint that I was kind of on the outside watching all the things that unfolded in both of those final games against Colorado...and that game in our home stadium, in penalty kicks. I was thinking that that was probably my final game, so I really did quite a bit of soul searching and wondering if that was going to be it.

But now it’s kind of like a new beginning to a career again.

See, when I was in college at Connecticut, I red-shirted as a senior, which was really rare. I sat out and didn’t play as a senior so that I would have the opportunity to graduate and play my final year as a graduate student. Part of that was also my belief in the coach that had just come into Connecticut; his name is Ray Reid, who’s the current coach. I really bought into his system and his coaching philosophy and thought not only would I be able to graduate, but I would be able to go into grad school and also eventually become part of a program that was destined to become a national power again – which had kind of fallen by the wayside of mediocrity at the time. So I finally felt like I was starting to become part of something special at Connecticut. (Note: UConn was ranked near the top of the NCAA standings during Rhine's final year - 1998; two years later, it won the 2000 NCAA College Cup to become National Champions).

I’ve had conversation with people and I’ve told them that I feel with FC Dallas, as we transition from the Burn two seasons ago to have two winning seasons with FC Dallas, and in our own stadium, you can feel the buzz in the soccer community about the direction that our club is taking – I get that same feeling on a personal level about wanting to be a part of that in terms of where we’re headed. I take a great deal of pride in being one of the earlier guys at the University of Connecticut that got the program back to the national prominence that we had back in the 80’s. So I kind of have a similar feeling about the club here – not so say that I’m spearheading the charge or anything like that – but I feel that I can be an influence whether on or off the field to be part of bigger and better things as we go forward.

My wife Bevan and I took a couple of vacations this off-season. We went to Cabos, St. Lucas (where we had gotten married) for a few days and then we went to Maui for Brad Davis’ wedding in mid-January. We had a good vacation there and when we came back is when we had figured out that this is exactly what we want to do.

I want to first thank Bevan. Basically November/December were kind of nervy months for us, and particularly the beginning of January when we were kind of wondering what our situation would be; would we be coming back to Dallas or would we end up in another city in the league. We started seriously trying to negotiate with Dallas in the middle of November, that’s when we started to get some headway.

I always wanted to stay here; this is where I started my career in 99, which seems like a long time ago now. So for me to be in Dallas, and to have the opportunity to finish my career where I started, is ultimately the overriding part that both my wife and I thought through and thought would be the best thing for us.

I heard Jim Nantz talking on the radio the other day with some guys on The Ticket, and he was saying that he’s kind of a fan of the ‘throw-back’. He mentioned guys of the 60’s and 70’s of the NFL and guys that played their entire careers with one team. I’m not trying to say that I’m a throw-back, but I like the idea that currently, particularly in our league, there aren’t many guys that stay in one place for their entire career. Just even having the opportunity to play with one club and play an entire career with one team – that’s probably one of the things I’m most proud of. And I have so many ties here – my wife is from here, we have friends here, the relationships I have here – I’m just deeply imbedded in the soccer community, really. I do quite a bit of coaching outside of playing. I have an under-10 boys team that I love coaching – and figuring out my way as I’m doing that.

A few weeks ago, most of the guys that were in town started getting together for some optional training and small sided games, things like that. We did it to get some touches on the ball and get moving before we start officially next week. Last week we came in for physicals and to get all the paperwork out of the way, and this week we’ve been undergoing different tests, both for fitness and for observation. I'm looking forward to next week - and the weeks ahead.

The ball comes out

As most soccer players will attest, it's fun to go to the park to kick the ball around. Not sure the same applies to showing up to run, test, and run. This morning, the guys brought out the soccer balls for the first good kick around of the week. The past couple of days they kicked a few balls around for warm-ups and cools-downs after their timed runs. One major difference, from yesterday to today? Yesterday it was around 70 degrees outside - today, in the high 30's.

The 1.5 hour session included a warm-up pass-around; a keep-away-game where the two center players switched out every minute after intense and quick running and passing; and a larger field version of keep-away, which included three teams of seven each with two neutral players. Not sure if they kept score, but for the first day with one ball on the field, they were all hungry to protect the ball. The keepers stayed out of these drills. Instead, they trained for the first time with new coach, and former teammate, Jeff Cassar.

Above, you see (kind of) the full team spread in three different groups. On left, Bobby Rhine and Ramon Nunez look to break up the passing.

BTW - Marcelo Saragosa joined the team today, arriving from Brazil last night. Current number of players at camp: 29 (Kenny joins on Friday to make it 30).

Feb 7 - Biodex Balance and Isokinetic Test

The players went through a morning timed-run today, which allowed the staff to measure, among things, the player’s heart-rate both before, during, and after the runs.

The afternoon tests were medical related. We told you last week about the concussion tests, and the significance of testing the athletes in a baseline state. Today, the staff at the Baylor Rehabilitation Center, which is connected to the FCD lockerroom, conducted two significant tests that are preventative in nature.

We're going to try to explain, as plainly and as well as we understood, both the way the tests were administered as well as what can be derived from them.

The first test was the Biodex Balance System test, which records data on a players balance. Balance plays a key role in preventing injuries for all athletes. In the example of soccer players, it is very rare that a player is performing any function on the field with both feet planted on the ground. They are running, cutting, jumping - using their bodies in different motions. Balance allows a person to know where the body is in space and how to adjust to different situations, depending on the way the body moves. So when a player goes up for a headball, the right balance is what causes a player to know how to land properly.

Propreoceptive nerves, which are all over the body, can be shut down when an athlete suffers an injury which causes swelling - which could cause a lack of perception for how to react to, for instance, landing or falling correctly.

This test is administered on the Biodex Balance System; a machine that has the athlete stand on a round plate with hydraulics underneath. The player is asked to stand on one leg, and the platform is adjusted to be in various states, such as more flexible or sturdier. The player has a monitor screen in front of him, with a circular diagram in the form similar to a dart board. As the 'floor' moves, the player balances himself by keeping a dot on, or as close to the center of the screen in front of him. This test is administerd for each leg and both feet together.

The data can be used, for example, as follows: If a player is tested on his right foot, and the recorded dotted data on the screen is skewed to the right of center, it may mean that his body tries to find balance by rolling his ankles outwards, thus leaning inwards while trying to establish his balance (imagine the bottom of your right foot facing inwards). Now, if the dots on the screen were skewed left of center when the player is on his right leg, it could mean that his knee is pushing outwards when trying to balance the body (a lot easier for trained medical staff to recognize this than us writing).

These are a few examples of what a trained doctor and training staff can evaluate in a player's physical condition. In turn, they could then give the player the right exercises to strengthen, stretch, or balance themselves to better be able to prevent injuries, or return from one.

Wow - we think (and hope) that made sense - let's try the next one....

The next test was a bit easier (for us at least). The Biodex Isokinetic test is a machine which looks at a players' strength in his hamstrings and quadriceps - both right and left and in comparison to each other. It gives an idea of peak torque, which is the total power of the leg.

The machine measures the leg at three different resistance and speed levels, after measuring the players range of motion in his knee. So for example, the machine can test if a player has a stronger hamstring, compared to his quad. The ideal practice for strength in each of these muscles is said to be about 60-40; meaning, that if a person can lift 100 pounds with his quad, that person should ideally be able to lift 40 pounds with his hamstring.

One such reason this is beneficial to monitor is in the case of a player running or balancing himself. If a player starts squatting with one leg, and has a week hamstring, the strain on keeping him balanced lies solely on his ACL or other knee parts. The stronger the hamstring, the better he can use that to remain balanced, thus possibly preventing injury to his knee.

As you see in the photos, Abe Thompson undergoes the two-footed balance test, while Justin Moore is on the Biodex Isokinetic machine.

Hope that made some sense...

Mina in the House

While the office was busy taking and placing calls, a familiar faced surfaced downstairs during the morning tests - Roberto Mina. Mina arrived last night from Ecuador, and the team and player are close to finalizing a deal that would see the "Tank" remain in Hoops this season (and possibly more).

We're not sure if he's been paying attention to this blog, but its clear he was ready for some face time with the camera (and because we missed the other guys going through today's morning tests. On the left, he prepares for the broad jump test. On the photo below, Mina works with Oscar Pareja on push-ups tests.

Timed runs made up the afternoon session, so not much to report from there.

We're going to ask on Wednesday if we can obtain some test results from the last two days, to at least let see who jumped the highest, the longest, who had the fastest times in the agility tests, etc. etc.

07 Schedule - When and How to Beckham Tickets

Lot going on today, not necessarily with the team, but up here in the office. MLS released the complete schedule today (here's FC Dallas'), and FCD was able to get most of the preseason trip details ironed out in order to announce on the site today.

One thing we want to clarify about the schedule with regard to the Los Angeles Galaxy games at Pizza Hut Park. When David Beckham signed with the Galaxy last month, he said he'd join the team after his contract with Real Madrid ends June 30. Therefore, we are expecting that he's part of the Galaxy when LA visits Pizza Hut Park on July 31 for the third SuperLiga game of group play. Now, if something happened where he and Real Madrid reached an agreement that would get him to MLS earlier (the Galaxy will also be playing at PHP on June 9), it would have to happen before April 15, which is the MLS deadline for registering players. The next window to register international players is from June 15-July 15.

Warning, public service announcement follows:
Currently, the only way for fans to assure themselves ticket to come watch Cooper, Ruiz, and the rest of FC Dallas take on Beckham, Landon, and the Galaxy at Pizza Hut Park is through one of the season ticket packages. Even the five-game packs, which start at just $80, would get fans a ticket for (what we think is a World Cup package - since each game will include at least one player from last summer's World Cup):

• July 31 - Featuring Beckham, Landon, Chris Albright, and Cobi Jones.
• April 22 - Home Opener against Pablo Mastroeni and the Colorado Rapids.
• April 26 - The first "MLS Primetime Thursday" game of the year on ESPN2, featuring Claudio Reyna and the New York Red Bulls.
• May 20 - The return of Jason Kreis and new addition Freddy Adu with Real Salt Lake.
• July 4 - Chivas USA bring Claudio Suarez (MEX) and Jonathan Bornstein (USA) - and a great fireworks show to end the night.

If you're reading this blog, there's a good chance you are a fan or media person that might not have realized the value of this package. Fans, please pass this message on to co-workers, collegues, neighbors, etc; help FCD gain new fans by using Beckham's appeal to the general public. Media - hopefully you can help inform the general public of this offer through your outlets.

Feb 5 - Fitness Tests (Photos)

Almost everyone is in now. Abe Thompson (sorry Abe, we forgot to include you in yesterday's update), Adrian Serioux, and Ray Burse joined the rest of the players that were in town last week as well as draft picks Scott Jones, Tommy Krizanovic, Sandi Gbandi, Andrew Daniels, and Anthony Wallace, and two players from this past weekend's combine that were invited to join the team during workouts for at least the next two weeks - Eddie Santeliz and Sebastian Letoux.

The staff put the players through verticle jump and cores tests in the morning, and fitness and agility tests in the afternoon. Below are some pictures of the groups. Notice the new training tops, as well as the numbers that the new players have been assigned. We'll let you know when / if the tops become available to purchase through the team store.

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From left to right: Dario Sala, Clarence Goodson, Ramon Nunez, Justin Moore, Bobby Rhine, Richard Mulrooney, Scott Jones (29)

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From left to right: Drew Moor (14), Shaka Hislop, Blake Wagner (23), (Jeff Cassar in back), Arturo Alvarez (12), Eddie Santeliz (32), Carlos Ruiz, Aaron Pitchkolan (has switched to # 17).

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From left to right: Anthony Wallace, Michael Dello-Russo (22), Dominic Oduro, Andrew Daniels (27), Abe Thompson, Ray Burse.

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From left to right: Adrian Serioux (15), Sebastian Letoux (34), Tommy Krizanovic (28), Alex Yi, Sandi Gbandi (31 -in back), and David Wagenfuhr.

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(L) Richard goes through the gates on an agility test and (R) Drew and Pitch (far) concentrate on the core tests.

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(L) Arturo on core test and Clarence reaching high on the verticle jump.

Preparing for Preseason

More players began arriving over the weekend to join current teammates as they prepare to begin preseason training. As we mentioned on a previous post, 18 players were in last week for physicals and concussion tests. Goalkeeper Ray Burse arrived on Friday, and will be joined on Monday for his tests by newly acquired defender Adrian Serioux, SuperDraft selections Anthony Wallace, Andrew Daniels, Tommy Krizanovic, and Scott Jones, and Supplemental Draft pick Sandi Gbandi.

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SuperDraft pick Ryan Guy has decided to explore playing opportunities in Europe, and has informed the FC Dallas coaching staff that he will not be attending the preseason camp at this time.

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Supplemental Draft pick Chase Wileman, from SMU, has elected to remain in school through June. Being a local player, the coaching staff may opt to bring him in throughout the year, and he could possibly join the squad this summer when he finishes classes.

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Fifteen-year old SuperDraft pick Abdus Ibrahim will also not be joining the team at this time. He will be with the U.S. U-17 residency camp in Bradenton, Florida for the time being.

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Midfielder Marcelo Saragosa is expected to arrive from Brazil on Thursday, Feb. 8.

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Forward Kenny Cooper will be given the week off, as he just completed a month of intense training with the U.S. Men's National Team in California. He will come in for his tests on Friday, Feb. 9 along with Saragosa.

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All the players will be put through fitness tests throughout this week to determine their levels and see what each needs to work on once preseason camp officially begins on Feb. 12.

The players will be placed in groups of 6-7 each, and go through morning and afternoon testing. On Monday, each of the four groups will come in during their assigned times for Vertical Jump and Core testing in the morning, and Aerobic and Agility T-Tests in the afternoon.

Stay with us this week as we follow the progression of these tests, which are sure to intensify as the week goes by.

Feb. 4 - Combine wraps up

The FCD Combine wrapped up this afternoon after the third session in two days. The FCD coaches put 30 players through an 11v11 game, though a few players sat out after picking up knocks during yesterday's sessions.

FCD head coach Steve Morrow and assistant coach Marco Ferruzzi provide their thoughts on the combine:

Morrow:
“From my point of view, to start with, a lot of credit goes to Marco and Jeff Cassar, on how professionally they this event was set up and how well-run it was. We thought the level was good for the most part. The purpose of this combine from the onset was to identify players who thought had a chance to make our roster. We certainly identified a few players who we think we would like to follow up with and who we are going to invite to train with us at some stage during the preseason. And also there were a couple of other players as well who we are going to monitor their progress over the coming months and throughout the season. So overall, it was a worthwhile exercise.”

Ferruzzi:

“I was pretty pleased with it overall. Ideally we wanted to create an environment, where if there were a few players that we really wanted to take a good look at, they would be pushed enough so we could see what kind of qualities they really have. And I think we got pretty close to it, though it could have definitely been better. There are some players that intrigued us.

Ultimately, if we can create a situation and environment where we can have one of these events and bring in four or five players that we’re really interested in, whether local or from abroad or from where ever it is, and they are pushed in a competitive environment for two or three days, we would get to see what they are all about and make a good decision on them. So I think this event was worth it.”

Check back in the coming days either here or on fcdallas.net to see if any of these players are invited to join the team at any point this preseason.

Feb 3 – FCD Combine

FC Dallas coaches today held an invite-only player combine on the training fields at Pizza Hut Park. Throughout the year, the coaches receive numerous requests to observe players. This year, they organized a controlled tryout by inviting local talent they had previously seen, players that had been recommended through known agents, and qualified candidates that applied through the online form on fcdallas.net.

Assistant Coach Marco Ferruzzi was tasked with organizing the event, but also included the support of FCD assistant coaches Oscar Pareja, Jeff Cassar; Chris Clarke (FCD Manager of Youth Player Development), Aaron Gordon (Director of Coaching for FC Dallas Youth), and of course head coach Steve Morrow.

Around 40 players were on the field this morning by 9:30 a.m. dressed in red adidas socks, shorts and jerseys, and divided into four equal groups each wearing a different color penny. FC Dallas trainers Josh Watts and Robbie Cox ran the players through a warm-up session and stretching, and at 10 a.m. began the two simultaneous small-sided games of eight. The teams alternated and faced each other a few times before the morning session ended around 11:30.

Everyone took a break and all came back for an afternoon session at 3:30 p.m. Having met after the morning session, the coaches took their notes and made three teams that would play full-sided 30-minute games of 11v11, complete with a center referee and assistant refs.

Players from all around the country, and even a few from outside the U.S were invited to the tryouts. The players included, among others: four that were first seen by the FCD coached last September at the Hispanic Showcase; five players of Liberian decent from Minnesota; former MLS defender Ricky Lewis; midfielder Eddie Santeliz (19), who played for Guatemala in last months U-20 World Cup Qualifiers; and midfielders Simon DeLaveau (22) and Sebastian Letoux (22 - photo on left) - who were part of the Rennes Academy in France. These two players were members of a selection made up of academy and pro players from France that played the FC Dallas 89’s at Pizza Hut Park in November during the MLS Cup weekend.

The tryouts end on Sunday, with a full-sided game scheduled for 10 a.m. on field #4 at Pizza Hut Park. Fans are welcome to come watch.

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Pictured: on the left is former France National U-18 player Sebastian Letoux, who, in person, has an uncanny resemblance to FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper. On the right is Robert Luevano, a local player who was first seen at the Hispanic Showcase last September, and Michael Brown, from Standford Univ.

Feb 2 - Concussion Test

The same 18 players that were in on Thursday for physicals came in to today for a 20-minute concussion exam. Today's test is called the ImPACT Test (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing), which is computer program that measures multiple aspects of cognitive functioning in athletes, including: attention span, working memory, sustained and selective attention time, response variability, non-verbal problem solving, and reaction time (this phrase is taken from the ImPACT Website, which has a lot of information, stories, and details about this exam). This test is administered under what is called a baseline state, which is a time when a player is healthy and clear of any concussion symptoms.

A little brief history, as explained to us here at FCD Updates. The medical field has always used an athletes’ explanation of a head injury to determine if the athlete has symptoms of a concussion. Medical practices use a variety of subjective grading systems, which would grade the level of a concussion, again, based on an athlete being as honest and detailed about the symptoms he / she is experiencing. Doctors used this system to provide the best possible advice with regard to how long an athlete needs to rest prior to starting activity again.

While Chuck Noll was the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he told his team physician, Dr. Joseph Maroon, to come up with a system to better treat concussions. After starting with a pencil test, continued advancements led Dr. Maroon to establish the computer-based ImPACT Test.

Since then, the NFL and NHL have adopted this test as a mandate for their athletes, and many high schools and other organizations have followed.

Dr. Larry Lemack of the Alabama Sports Medicine Clinic and Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, who serves as Major League Soccer’s medical director or advisor, and team doctors and trainers conduct regular meetings and conference calls to discuss this and other injuries. During the 2006 MLS Combine, representatives from ImPACT were brought in to make a presentation to the team doctors and trainers who attend as part of part of PSATS. Throughout that season, it became evident that there was a collective agreement among all teams that this test should be administered to MLS players. Therefore, during the 2007 MLS Combine last month, ImPACT came out to the PSATS meetings to offer assistance to the team’s medical staffs, as they and MLS had agreed that this test was something each team needed to conduct beginning in 2007.

FCD Head AthleticTrainer Josh Watts brought the players in to this office, in groups of three, and had each of them take the test on laptops. The tests included exercises which tested for reaction, word memory, design memory, symbol match, color match, X’s and O’s, and a three-letters exercise that we don’t know much about.

A couple examples of the tests: The computer screen shows a page with X’s and O’s inside various shapes, with 3-5 of the X’s and O’s highlighted. Then, the athlete is put through a serious of other exercises, and at the conclusion of these tests, the page with the shapes re-appears (this time without highlighted X’s and O’s). The athlete is asked to click on the X’s and O’s that were highlighted when that page was first shown - a test for memory.

There’s also a Color Match exercise, which consists of boxes that say the words Red, Blue, and Green. Next an image appears on the screen, in which the word in the box is ‘Green’, but the color of the word is red. The athlete is asked to click on the box when the word and the color of the word match. The response to that has to do with the person’s cognitive awareness – therefore, a test for awareness.

After the initial full test, ImPACT will generate reports for each player and provide to each team doctor and trainer. If and when a player suffers a concussion, they are put through the same test. The trainers, through the recommended grading system administered through ImPACT, will then be able to see if the player tested similarly compare to his score after in a baseline state. The test will determine how quick a response is made and for accuracy of the response, among other measurements. If a player’s scores differs when comparing a test after a head injury to that when he is healthy, the doctors will have statistical proof that will help them determine when and if a player is ready to resume.

These tests are done online, through a secure password login. This facilitates trainers conducting the re-test. For instance, if an FCD player is injured while in Brazil for preseason, Watts can put the player through the re-test on a computer in Brazil, and be able to determine the extent of his injury by comparing to the one he took today.

Feb 2 - Quick Hits

Good news for former Dallas Burn tough-man Leonel Alvarez so far this year. Last month, he became eligible for induction into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame, and yesterday, according to a report on mediotiempo.com, he will be named to the coaching staff of Colombia's U-17 National Team.
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Eight-year veteran Bobby Rhine spoke to MLSnet.com's Steve Hunt today on returning to FC Dallas for his ninth MLS season. Check back here later tonight or on Saturday for Bobby's first blog post on this site.
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Hunt also talks to FCD assistant coach Marco Ferruzzi about this weekend's FCD invite-only Player Combine, which will include former college players, local players, and at least one former MLS player looking to get back into the League. We'll post updates on the event in the coming days on this blog.
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We expected to be able to officially announce the preseason schedule today, but a couple of minor details are still being ironed out. We expect to have most of the vital details completed this weekend, which would permit us to officially announce the calendar for the next couple months on Monday.
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Finally, for those that hadn't seen the news, FCD forward Kenny Cooper - who scored a goal in his debut with the U.S. Men's National Team last month in a 3-1 win over Denmark - was not included in Bob Bradley's 20-man roster that will face Mexico next week. We want to congratulate Kenny on making the decision difficult on the coach, being a true professional, and representing FCD proudly. We look forward to him joining FCD for preseason and many more future opportunities to wear his country's colors.
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Here's a photo of what Pizza Hut Park looked like on the morning on Feb. 2, 2007 - yes, that is about an inch of snow on the field.

Feb 1 - Physicals

February 1, 2007 - today, the players began arriving at Pizza Hut Park for their first official function of 2007 -physicals. We'll leave out the details that most already are familiar with when it comes to physicals, but we'll share a couple of the other tests that we're not sure fans know about.

In total, 18 players that were on the roster at the end of the 2006 season were in today: Arturo Alvarez, Michael Dello-Russo, Chris Gbandi, Clarence Goodson, Shaka Hislop, Dax McCarty, Drew Moor, Justin Moore, Richard Mulrooney, Ramon Nunez, Dominic Oduro, Aaron Pitchkolan, Bobby Rhine, Carlos Ruiz, Dario Sala, Blake Wagner, David Wagenfuhr, and Alex Yi. The rest of the guys will be arriving over the weekend, including many of the draft picks.

Physicals were conducted in the FCD training room and the connected Baylor Rehab center by the FCD team doctors and trainers. Since many of the players had been to some exotic locations over the past couple months, we're not sure how many expected to drive in today to see the fields covered with a blanket of snow.

The exams were scheduled on a first come, first serve basis - though the veterans began jockying for positions as they started arriving. The tests consisted of the usual physical exams, which also included measuring height and weight. This was cause for good humor among the guys. It seems that some guys came in, um, over ideal weight. In addition, some guys claimed to have been taller last year, and some guys were claiming that those fractions of inches should really be rounded up to another inch on the charts.

Team trainers Josh Watts and Robbie Cox conducted the Functional Balance Test and the Sit and Reach Test in the weight room. For the balance test, a square plastic sheet with a measured pie-chart circle was taped on the floor. The guys had to stand in the center on one foot and with the other reach forward, to one side, and backwards with to push pilons forward, while balancing themselves. Once they completed a cycle without losing balance, they then extended again to pushed the pilons and see if they could improve the distance they had initial achieved. The next test was to also to stand on one leg, and lean to the determined colored space to place a cone on the ground as far as they could reach.

The purpose of the Functional test is to observe flexibility and balance. The trainers could determine from the performance, which included the measured distance the pilons and cones moved and were placed, if the players had weakness in places such as ankles, knees, core, etc; as well as to determin if they showed any favoring to one side or another.

The other test was the Sit and Reach test for flexibility, which had the players sitting up straight on a measured matt with their legs extended on the ground shoulder-width apart and heels on a starting point. A foam cylander was placed between their feet, and the players had to put one hand over the other, lean forward, and push the cylander forward in a controled motion. He then sat back up, and had to twice lean forward and slowly advance the foam again from it's last point.

In about two hours, all the tests were completed. It had been a while since some of the guys had seen each other, and while they were obviously catching up on what each did, where each guy went, and how their families are, it didn't take long to remember the competitive nature in each of them. Late in 2006, somebody brought a ping pong table in to the lounge area of the lockerroom - and today, after a couple hours back, it appears that there will be good competition to see who's the best. Among those showing good skill with the paddles today were Alex, Dax, Dominic, Dario, and Arturo - though we're not sure they would all agree that all had skill!

On Friday, the same players will be coming in for concussion testing. Check back for that update...