March 31 - Gameday

Looks like the weather people have cooperated nicely this week. A lot of rain on Monday, but beautiful day on Wednesday for the USA v GUA game...then, heavy rains on Thursday and even heavier rains on Friday night - but today, it's about 65 degrees and sunny here at Pizza Hut Park....looks like it will remain nice all day / night.

With the Dallas Cup starting on Sunday here at Pizza Hut Park, here's an interesting bit that ties in tonight's FCD v CAP game with tomorrow tourney:

Atletico Paranaense won the Dallas Cup Super Group (U-19) in both 2004 and 2005...they did not participate in 2006, and missed out on entry for this year's tournament. Even so...from CAP's roster that is playing FCD tonight, there are 10 players that were part of those Dallas Cup championships:

Vinicius – 04
Alex – 04-05
Lucas – 04-05
Chico – 05
Edimar – 05
Rodrigo Crasso – 05
Stanley – 04
Kaio – 05
Bravin – 05
Ricardo – 05

March 30 - Getting ready for CAP

Busy day getting ready for tomorrow's game...FCD fought through some heavy rains last night, training on the stadium field under the lights for 45 minutes until the lightening came....this morning, FCD was back out on the adidas field, lining up the starters against the rest for one final practice before the game...CAP was on the stadium field, getting their first taste of the field - which they are raving about.

Couple notes: we're broadcasting the live on www.fcdallas.net. We'll also have the matchtracker running... here's an interesting one - we're actually going to show our scoreboard feed, but tie in Ray Canevari's radio call...we'll also be sending this video feed to a satellite truck, which will send the signal to Brazil for TV Educativa...we're told that since there aren't any Saturday night games in Brazil this weekend, that this game could potentially garner up to 20 million viewers.

Finally, go to fwww.fcdallas.net for the game preview, which gives you an idea on who's likely starting this game and the season opener...we've also put up the highlights of the first game.

CAP trains at PHP

Atletico Paranaense arrived in Dallas this morning. After getting some rest from the overnight flight, they were out on Pizza Hut Park's Field #4 training this evening. They bring a roster of 18 players, including forward Paulo Rink - one of the first players developed by CAP that went on to have a prominent career in Europe.

We caught up with Paulo as he entered Pizza Hut Park following today's practice...

March 29 - Foundation Luncheon

We'll start with a congratulations to Kenny, Carlos, Dax, Anthony and Blake - they each played for their country last night, here in their home stadium. The young guys (U.S. U-20) defeated Haiti 2-1, with Dax getting the assist on the injury-time winner (all three finished on the field at the same time).

Carlos and Kenny also were able to be on the same field together - though for different teams. No winners, no losers between the U.S. and Guatemala, which finished tied 0-0.

This morning, all the guys were back at work. Dax, Blake, Anthony, and Kenny were on the exercise bike, while Carlos was given the morning off (he came in towards the end of the fitness session).

So, the fitness session: You'll see from these two photos what the guys were up to. A weight / exercise course was set up both inside the weight room and out on the concourse under the party deck. Each player was on a different station, until the whistle blew - then they would rotate to the other one.

The entire team will now attend the FC Dallas Foundation Luncheon - which sold out a couple of weeks ago. We've set up some large tents on the stage, and nicely decorated the inside. The guys are scheduled for another training session tonight - under the lights inside the stadium (weather permitting)....

Couple other notes: the game versus Haiti that was scheduled for tomorrow morning is now off. We learned yesterday afternoon that Haiti would be returning home following their game versus the U.S. U-20s....also, former MLS defender Ricky Lewis came in to practice with the team today.

FCD TV - "90 Minutes to Kickoff"

The 4th edition of FCD TV is out. Today we bring you into the locker room "90 minutes before kickoff" of the preseason game against Rochester in Puerto Rico on March 24. You'll see the guys from when they arrive in a stadium - 90 minutes from kickoff, until the whistle blows. In between, the guys prepare, have fun, get psyched, and wish each other luck.

NOTE: Many have asked - we do have the clips available for podcast....also, keep on eye on the team site later this week, we'll post the highlights of the first-leg of the CAP series (hopefully on Thursday). You'll get a sense of what the CAP team is like...

National Teams at Pizza Hut Park

Dax, Anthony, Kenny, and Blake pose for a photo after the U.S. U-20 practice, just before Kenny started practice with the MNT.

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The international week at Pizza Hut Park picked up this afternoon, when the U.S. U-20 team, the full U.S. Men's National Team, and the Guatemala National team all trained at the complex.

The U-20's -which includes FCD's Dax, Blake, and Anthony - trained on the stadium field at 3 p.m.....Kenny and the U.S. Men's national team arrived on to the stadium field right as the U-20's were finishing....and at the same time, Fish was with Guatemala out on field #4 doing their thing.

The U.S. closed their training to fans and media - actually, media was able to enter for the last 15 minutes...Guatemala's was a little more relax, with fans and media permitted to watch from the sidelines.

The Haiti team that is in town is the full national team, not the U-20 as we had previously mentioned. The U.S. U-20's will play Haiti tomorrow prior to the U.S. Men's game - however, this game is closed to the public. Gate for the big game will open at 6:30, so fans could potentially watch the last 30 minutes of the U-20 game).

Here's the rosters for each team (we don't have Haiti yet):

U.S. U-20 team:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Diego Restrepo (University of South Florida), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (5): Kyle Davies (Southampton FC - ENG), Amaechi Igwe (New England Revolution), Quavas Kirk (L.A. Galaxy), Ofori Sarkodie (Indiana University), Tim Ward (Columbus Crew), Blake Wagner (FC Dallas).

MIDFIELDERS (5): Freddy Adu (Real Salt Lake), Jalil Anibaba (Davis, Calif.), Tony Beltran (UCLA), Danny Szetela (Columbus Crew), Anthony Wallace (FC Dallas), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas).

FORWARDS (4): Josmer Altidore (N.Y. Red Bulls), Gabriel Ferrari (Sampdoria - Italy), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Sal Zizzo (UCLA)

U.S. Men's National Team:

GOALKEEPERS (3) – Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach - GER)

DEFENDERS (9) – Wade Barrett (Houston Dynamo), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96 - GER), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Jay Demerit (Watford FC - ENG), Heath Pearce (FC Nordsjælland - DEN), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday - ENG), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United - ENG)

MIDFIELDERS (7) – DaMarcus Beasley (Manchester City - ENG), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen - HOL), Kyle Beckerman (Colorado Rapids), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC - ENG), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburger SV - GER), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Brian Mullan (Houston Dynamo)

FORWARDS (5) – Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)

Guatemala National Team: (all play professionally in Guatemala unless note)

GOALKEEPERS: Ricardo Trigueno (Marquense), Luis Molina (Jalapa).

DEFENDERS: Pablo Melgar (Antofgasta - Chile), Henry Medina (Municipal). Gustavo Cabrera (Comunicaciones), Claudio Albizuriz (Municipal), Nestor Martinez (Marquense).

MIDFIELDERS: Leonel Noriega (Marquense), Jose Contreras (Comunicaciones), Marvin Avilla (Suchitepequez), Carlos Figueroa (Municipal), Freddy Thompson (Comunicaciones), Saul de Mata (Comunicaciones), Carlos Quiñónez (Marquense), Mario Rodríguez (Municipal).

FORWARDS: Edwin Villatoro (Municipal), Dwight Pezzarossi (Marquense), Carlos Ruiz (FC Dallas – USA)

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Below you see U.S. head coach Bob Bradley and then Landon Donovan, who scored three goals on Sunday, being interviewed.

March 27 - Good Practice

The guys were back on the training field at Pizza Hut Park this morning - going through a 2.5 hours session that included fitness work, a short-sided scrimmage, and core exercises.

Dax and Blake joined FCD teammate Anthony Wallace on the U.S. U-20 team today. Kenny Cooper is with the U.S. National Team, expecting to come in later this afternoon for training in the stadium...and Carlos is with the Guatemala team - also expected to come train this afternoon on one of the complex fields.

Defender Chris Gbandi was back out on the training field today - which is the first time he's tested his ankle since spraining it on March 7 in Brazil. Chris worked out with the trainers today, but joined the team for the core exercises that finished off the practice.

March 26 - It's raining at Pizza Hut Park

Juan Carlos Toja, Pablo Ricchetti, and Carlos Ruiz upstairs in the FC Dallas offices today at Pizza Hut Park.
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After some more fun and adventures at the airport yesterday, we can say that everyone made it safely back to the Metroplex on Sunday night.

FC Dallas was scheduled to have today off, but the Park was also scheduled to host practice sessions for the U.S. U-20 team and the full U.S. National Team. However, the pending storms made both teams cancel training - which is a good thing, because it seemed like night came early out here in Frisco tonight. It's been raining heavy for the past couple hours and doesn't appear to want to stop...

Guatemala is scheduled to arrive tonight at 8 p.m.

FC Dallas will be training at 10 am on Tuesday...The U.S. will hold a closed-door training session inside the stadium on Tuesday at 4:30 pm. Fans looking to meet the U.S. players and get autographs can try their luck outside the north gate, where the team bus should drop off and pick up the players.

With the team having the day off, Fish picked up new teammate Juan Carlos Toja and trialist Pablo Ricchetti at the Hilton Lincon Center this afternoon and brought them to Pizza Hut Park - neither had ever seen the complex in person, only in photos. After showing them the fields, the stadium, and locker room, Fish brought the two guys upstairs to the offices to check out the place and to meet the front office staff that was around.

Since our staff keeps up with this blog, most recognized the two players. Still, it's not every day that some staffers get a chance to have players that have played for the national teams of Guatemala, Colombia, and Argentina be interested in seeing what they do - usually, it's the staff that goes to games to see what the players do. When the players left, a wide array of musicians' names were thrown out as to who Toja looks like the most.

NOTE: We'll soon be posting a guide to nicknames on the right hand side of this page, but for the time being, Fish is Carlos Ruiz for those new to this forum.

Additional Note: Many have asked, and no, Ricchetti is not signed. He is here for an extended trial.

March 25 - On our way to Texas

Following Saturday night's win over Rochester, the 23 players and some staff returned to the hotel, while the coaching staff stayed at the stadium to watch the Galaxy game.

The guys were told that Saturday night was theirs, and that there would be no training or sessions on Sunday. With that, they had the choice of eating the team dinner at the hotel or going somewhere on their own....just about everyone ate at the hotel, which was after all, free for them.

At 9:30, the majority of the players boarded the bus that took them to the Old San Juan section of Puerto Rico - which is filled with restaurants, souvenir shops, bars, etc. It's a neat area, with narrow cobble-stoned streets and sidewalks near the harbor where cruise ships dock....samba, hip-hop, dance and generally upbeat music plays out of many windows, one almost feels like they're dancing just by walking....sorry, we didn't see any of the guys out but we hear they had a good time.

With no training on Sunday, many guys slept in but by around 10 am, a large group of them made their way to the beach next door (photo posted on Day One). Some staffers went back to Old San Juan, and caught the U.S. v Ecuador game - not knowing for sure if Kenny would be on the U.S. game day roster or not.

The bus will be here in about 30 minutes to take everyone to the airport...the large group should be arriving at DFW at 9:40 p.m. tonight...about five staff members will be going through Miami to get to DFW, touching down around 11:10 p.m. tonight.

So as you see, not much excitement to report...but here's an interesting one for those following the make up of the team....

Argentine-midfielder Pablo Ricchetti, who trained with the team during the 10 days in Brazil, is flying into DFW on Monday morning, arriving at 10 a.m. The team has Monday off and will resume training on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Pizza Hut Park.

March 24 - FCD 2, Rochester Rhinos 0 - FINAL

A recap of the game can be found on fcdallas.net.

SCORING:
FCD – Juan Carlos Toja (Carlos Ruiz) 7’
FCD – Arturo Alvarez (Juan Carlos Toja) 47’

FC Dallas: Shaka Hislop, Bobby Rhine (Alex Yi 82), Drew Moor, Clarence Goodson, Blake Wagner, Marcelo Saragosa (David Wagenfuhr 85), Juan Carlos Toja (Aaron Pitchkolan 82), Roberto Mina (Dominic Oduro 79), Ramon Nunez, Arturo Alvarez (Dax McCarty 77), Carlos Ruiz (Abe Thompson 79).

Subs not used: Ray Burse, Michael Dello-Russo.

March 24 - one training, one clinic

Univision TV personality Fernando Fiore was at FCD training this morning. Here, he poses with the FCD Spanish-speaking contingent; Back row (L-R); Juan Carlos, Dario, Fernando, Carlos, Ramon; front row (L-R), Arturo, Oscar, Roberto, and Marcelo.
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Following the game last night, the team boarded the bus (security counted us all, we were all there) and headed to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner. Prior to the game, everyone had preselected what they wanted to eat - a choice of broccoli pasta with chicken, chicken Parmesan pasta, or steak with potatoes.

Sidebar 1: One thing we haven't covered here with much attention is that for the players, the food is often times the same when on the road - that is, there always seems to be three staple dishes: chicken (plain), pasta (plain), vegetables (plain). They do get sauces on the side, and juice, water, bread, and fruit - but being on the road, players (and staff) are often times hoping one will walk into the eating room, and have something different. The meals are also served buffet style, leaving the individual to choose what they want, as much as is available, and when they want.

So when the three choices were presented - on a sheet of paper, evenly divided with 1-15 for each meal - it was to no one's surprise that the third choice -steak - was signed by 95 percent of the group (two names per number).

We arrived in the restaurant at about 11 p.m. - and at least two people were very happy the Ohio State game was on the TVs. It was about 10 minutes in, and the larger group was having fun laughing the Buckeyes were at one point down by 20 to Tennessee. Ray Burse was not alone in defending OSU (one of our blog staffers also), and there was no one among the group that was from Tennessee anyway.

Dinner was served, and as we were about to leave, the Buckeyes had already narrowed the lead to four points. For the 10 minute ride home, the scores were yelled out on the bus (the guys have a pool going, and more players started realizing they had the Buckeyes winning - which we know had them quietly hoping they would pull it out). Buckeyes won!

Breakfast this morning was at 8:30...we were supposed to leave for training at 10, however, the bus had mechanical problems and was not there on time. The plan was to train at the stadium and go to lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Sidebar 2:

One unique part of these trips - whether here, Brazil, Phoenix, or Oklahoma - is that the promoters that bring the teams are responsible for the meals. Often and most of the time, the meals are in the hotel (as they are in about 95 percent of the road games in MLS). Sometimes, the team may requests for a lunch or dinner to be out...and still other times, the meals are part of a partnership with the promoter / organizing committee / host - be it sponsorship or ticket trade, or another form of ally.

As the guys waited outside the hotel for the bus, Oscar made a quick run to a nearby mini-stadium to check out the condition of the field, which was surrounded by a track. The quick report was there was a small area in which some drills could be conducted, but the large area was not suited for soccer. It turns out, the stadium's primary use is track and field - and the shot-putters train by throwing the weighted ball into the 'playing field'. Therefore, there were divots and holes throughout large portions of the field.

Our liaison was frantically calling the bus to see where it was at - but couldn't make contact. The security guys assured us that they had informed the police escort to facilitate our route when the bus did arrive, to see if we could make up time (hearing this made some of us a little nervous, as we've already seen that we don't need to encourage the CHIPS police).

We get word that it could be another 20 minutes for the bus to arrive, so the coaches decide to go to the mini-stadium to make use of the available area. Right as the guys started walking to the other field, the bus pulls up (definitely not 20 minutes this time). Everyone grabs their bags, and boards the bus. (we did inform the bus driver, and policeman, and security, that even though we were late, we didn't need to make up any additional ground in the ways they seemed to be preparing).

'About 20 minutes' later, the bus pulls into the stadium. In all, we're only about 35 minutes late.

The guys come out of the dugout into a humid and sunny day. Sweat tops quickly come off and the usual warm-ups take place. The guys that played last night work with Marco - it's a recovery day for them, so training is very light. The remainder of the group goes through a competitive intra-squad mini game for about 45 minutes.

We'll take this opportunity to say hi to the FC Dallas fan that found a way into the stadium (apologies, we didn't catch his name). He tells us that he's followed MLS for a while, having seen games in Tampa and LA, but he's now a Dallas fan. Sitting in the stands, the gentleman is decked out with a Dallas Burn cap and Islanders jersey, and has playing cards of many of the guys on the FCD team (including some of the coaches). Last night was the first time he was able to see FC Dallas in person, and he tells us he's also a regular reader of this blog - so if you're reading, thanks for coming out and leave your name on the comments page, we're sure other FCD fans will greet you with open arms.

Univision personality Fernando Fiore watches the end of training, and conducts a couple of interviews with Dario and Fish.

It's hot...the guys shower and board the bus (we forgot to ask them to start the bus earlier, to get the AC running) - it was still hot. We arrive back at the mall we ate in on Wednesday - this time, we go to Margerita's, a Mexican restaurant. It's on the third floor of the mall - and it's a sit down restaurant, meaning, we had to order and wait for the food. If you know any of the guys, for as skinny as in shape as they are, they can eat a ton. So, it's about 1:30 - five hours after breakfast and after a large expense of energy for many. We'll just say the food couldn't come soon enough.

Everyone eats, we board the bus and get back to the hotel at 3 p.m. Five players and a couple coaches are heading back to the stadium tonight for a clinic organized by the Bayamon mayor for kids from Bayamon. The rest, well, they consider themselves lucky - as this is the longest stretch they've had off since arriving. Families and friends keep asking everyone 'how's Puerto Rico?' The reality is, none of us on the trip have really had any free time to know - it's been training, bus rides, restaurants, game, training since we arrived.

We're expecting some of the guys take the next few hours to check out the beach or stroll through the neighborhood (though we suspect some will be sleeping). Oh, and by the way, the view of the beach we should on Day one - not the same view many of the guys have (believe us, we've heard from a number of players that their families and friends are jealous of where they are staying while here - in truth, that beach is for the hotel next door - and for some players, they are looking out at the parking lots / garage).

March 23 - FCD 0, Puerto Rico Islanders 1 - FINAL

FINAL - Puerto Rico Islander 1, FC Dallas 0

We'll be back in a bit with some more on the game...we actually made a mistake on the first post...it was Dominic Oduro who scored late in the game, which the refs called offsides... Arturo took a shot that was saved by the keeper. Dominic reacted and knocked the ball in. The linesman kept his flag down, but the ref must have seen something different as he called the goal off. Dominic was all over the place today - just couldn't get in the right spot (other than the one we just mentioned).

Steve Morrow on the game:

"I was absolutely delighted with everything apart from the result. I thought it was a very good team performance. We had a lot of young kids out there as well who performed very, very well. I thought we dominated the game from start to finish. Possession was good; the work rate was very, very good throughout; our system worked very well - and we kept our formation throughout the game. I thought there was a lot of good stuff, created a lot of good chances as well; and lost the game to an offsides call. Disappointed in not getting the three points but I was more than delighted with the performance."

"We’ve two games in three days so we wanted to push guys through 90 minutes as much as possible. We knew it was going to be two different lineups for Thursday and Saturday and we wanted to keep both teams as strong as possible. Delighted all around; a lot of young kids showed very, very well tonight. "

FC DALLAS: Dario Sala, David Wagenfuhr, Alex Yi, Drew Moor (Clarence Goodson 46), Michael Dello-Russo, Dax McCarty (Ramon Nunez 80), Aaron Pitchkolan (Marcelo Saragosa 80’), Dominic Oduro, Sandy Gbandi Jr. (Roberto Mina 73’), Scott Jones (Arturo Alvarez 73’), Abe Thompson.

Subs not used: Shaka Hislop, Ray Burse, Bobby Rhine, Clarence Goodson, Blake Wagner, Juan Carlos Toja, Carlos Ruiz, Tommy Krizanovic.

PUERTO RICO ISLANDERS: Josh Saunders, David Johnson, Mauricio Segovia, Marco Velez, Alexis Rivera, Edwin Miranda, Gustavo Avila, Noah Delgado (Jeremie Piette 94+), Alex Marcina (Goran Vujanovic 86), Victor Herrera, Neil Emblen (Alberto Zapata 73).

Subs not used: Terrence Boss, Luis Arroyo, Jay Needham, Ruben Diaz, Alberto Delgado, Cristian Caicedo.

RULES: teams are permitted eight subs tonight...here's the rules provided to us to determine the winner of the Puerto Rico USL/MLS Challenge:

*By points, win (3) draw (1) loss (0)
*Result of the match between the teams.
*Difference in goals scored for and against.
*Team that has scored the max. goals
*Sort out by a flip of a coin.

If on the last match both teams result in a tie and the result of that match determines the winner of the tournament, applying criteria a thru d, penalties will be the final solution.

Other Notes:The FCD coaching staff came to Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel early to catch the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-2 win over the Rochester Rhinos.

Morrow - "concerning the recent trade"

FC Dallas head coach Steve Morrow:

I apologize that it’s been a while since I’ve posted…an update on our preseason from the coaching side is long overdue. I’ll be back here early next week to fill you in on that; but for today, I wanted to give you a little bit more insight into the thought process concerning the recent trade of Richard Mulrooney.

I think it makes a lot of sense for me as the head coach – and for FC Dallas as an organization – to explain the reasoning and rationale behind major decisions that affect the team.

The first thing I want to do is thank Richard for his hard work and efforts for FC Dallas. I respect him as a player and a person, and for what he has achieved in this league. These decisions are not easy and are never taken lightly – especially on a personal level. I completely understand and sympathize with the repercussions such moves have for the player (and his family).

That said my primary focus must always be what I think is best for the team, and I 100% believe that this move is the correct one for the immediate and long-term future of this team.

When I first took over this job, I made it very clear to the players what my expectations were both on and off the field. Since the very first day of our preseason training camp, all the players have worked hard to prove they have the talent, character, and attitude that I’m looking for.

If an opportunity ever arises where I believe I can improve the team and held us towards our ultimate goal of winning championships, I will not hesitate.

We are almost six weeks into our preseason training camp - during which time I have been able to closely evaluate all the players on the roster. Not only is it important to see how players are fitting into what I want to achieve in the locker room, but also that they fit into the style of play that I want for this team.

We have some great young talent that I believe is ready to play. By making this move, not only are we giving the young talent a chance to shine, but we also have the opportunity to add to our roster.

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As a footnote, when a situation like this arises, the following are the principles that we’ll use and that were used this week: Myself and Michael Hitchcock will privately sit down with the player to inform him; we’ll then inform the team, in private; and finally, we’ll publicly announce the trade (with the approval of the opposing team) and then address questions from the media.

March 21 - Afternoon Practice

5:15 p.m. - Everyone has had a chance to take a short nap and is on the bus (not all of us slept). With two motorcycle police escorts, we leave the hotel for Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel, where the team would practice for the next couple hours.

Sidebar - yes, it's early in this blog post for a sidebar, but we've noticed a trend among all the trips the team has taken this year. Apparently, no matter where we've been, we are always only 'about 20 minutes' from anywhere we are heading...In Phoenix, the University stadium was 'about 20 minutes' from the hotel - and it actually was close to 20 minutes...In Brazil, Kyocera Arena was 'about 20 minutes' from the CAP training center - actually, our bus driver didn't get the word since it took about 45 to get there...in Oklahoma last weekend, our hotel was 'about 20 minutes' from John Crain Field - um, not really. So, today, when we ask how far the stadium is from the hotel, we're told - 'about 15-20 minutes'....

A few minutes into the bus ride to the stadium we're in some heavy traffic - which for some of us is not surprising at 5:30 in the afternoon. This is where the ride became interesting.

The motorcycle cops would speed ahead to create space for the bus to go...and apparently, these policeman have some pull here. The bus was staying on the far right lane, and when traffic seemed to get a little more congested, one motorcycle would move into the left lane to slow down the traffic...if a car didn't move, a simple kick to the car's side from the cop on the bike usually drew the attention of the driver. The bus would move from one lane to another in order to follow the cops... At times, it was apparently necessary for the cops to lead the bus on the right side - meaning, the burm. From the front, middle, and back of the bus, guys kept leaning over to get a look at the work of the 'CHIPS' police - as some guys named them - on the side of the bus, all the meanwhile holding on as the bus changed lanes...while humorous and wild to some at first, I think it's safe to say we were all glad when we finally got off the highway and the ride became more relaxed...

We arrive at the stadium around 6 p.m. (see, it was not 20 minutes here either). It's an old baseball stadium which is now used exclusively for soccer. As the guys enter the locker room, our security escort begins counting heads. He says he needs to make sure that all 31 people on the bus have made it in - we know we're all in, but it's his job to do it himself. Thing is, the locker room has a hallway that leads to the dugout, which is out on the edge of the field. So, with some guys in the bathroom, some guys down the hall, some guys already out taking a look at the field - the man could not get an accurate count. We'd walk by him and he'd point at one of the players and say "12"...a minute later, coming from a different direction, the same player would be "7"...we're not sure he actually ever finished counting us all - but we were sure we had all made the 20 foot walk from the bus to the inside of the stadium. We're taking it as being impressed with the attention they are giving us, rather than thinking there are safety concerns...

Training last about two hours...after some stretching and jogging, the teams play a couple of even-sided games. Then, Marco takes Ramon, Carlos, Abe, Dominic, Roberto, and Arturo, along with the keepers, and runs some offensive drills with them.

Four positions - one at each of the two corner flags, and one on each sideline near midfield - alternate sending balls in to the top of the box. An offensive player must round a defender and receive the long pass from each spot, trap the ball with one touch, and take a shot. The final and fifth pass comes from the endline next to the goal, which makes it a point blank shot on the keeper....after each player gets a few turns at shooting (they would rotate positions) - the drill changed. Now, a pass would come in from one of the four spots and instead of rounding the defender, that player had to one-touch trap the pass and leave it in stride for the offensive player to shoot.

On the other end of the field, Oscar and Steve worked on positioning and movement with the rest of the players.

GM Michael Hitchcock flew here with the team, but had conference calls all afternoon so he couldn't attend the practice. He did catch up with the team at the stadium in time to join the group for dinner.

Dinner was at the Galaxy Room, which is a casually nice restaurant inside a bowling center in a local mall...As dinner was being served, we received a surprise visit - nationally-known Univision sports personality Fernando Fiore and the Univision crew.

As most know, MLS has many nationally television partners this year, including Univision (FCD will appear seven times on one of the Univision stations this season). Fernando and co. are here to work on a preview of both FC Dallas and the Galaxy. Based in Miami, they've already prepared previews on most other MLS teams that had preseason in Bradenton, Florida and in Carson, Cali. Since FCD didn't conduct preseason in either location, they had contacted us a few months ago to find out where would be best - and given that Puerto Rico is a short trip from Miami, they flew out here.

Fernando is and has been a friend of MLS for a long time. He's in many ways the Chris Berman of Univision - hosting the most popular Spanish language sports show in the country - Republica Deportiva - every Sunday. He is also the host of the big games Univision airs, such as last summer's World Cup and tournaments like Copa America. Interestingly, it wasn't just the Spanish speaking players that knew who he was. However, when some of the players said he looked familiar, they knew right away who it was when we explained the Senadoras are on his show...some guys asked - and no, the Senadoras are not in town.

Breakfast is at 8:30 am...training at 10.... Toja gets in at noon (we don't know if he'll be available to play)...game time is 8 p.m. (7 CT).

March 21 - In Puerto Rico

FC Dallas arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico today, touching down at about 1 p.m. ET - which means, the day started pretty early for the travel party.

All the bags were packed yesterday, so this morning it was a matter of getting everyone to the airport. Players and staff were scheduled to arrive at Pizza Hut Park by 5:30 - in the morning. Shaka, Bobby, Scott, and Marco went straight to the airport, the other 19 players and staff road the bus to the airport.

Anthony Wallace is not coming to Puerto Rico, as he remained in Texas to join the U.S. U-20 team, which is holding a camp in Frisco this week . We'd been waiting for confirmation from U.S. Soccer on if / who / and when the team would play game (or more than one) in order to announce all together, but since some of the details are still being worked out, we can at least inform people that the U-20 will in fact be at least training at Pizza Hut Park for the next week. (We'll have more on this later).

Andrew Daniels and Juan Carlos Toja will join the team here later this week...Chris Gbandi and Adrian are not on this trip as they recover from their injuries (BTW - Adrian will be off crutches this weekend, two weeks ahead of schedule...he talks about his situation on the 3rd edition of FCD TV).

Everyone is through security by 7:10 am...breakfast for some, sleep for others. All on board and four hours later, we touch down. One noticeably difference as we were about to land here - compared to landing in Sao Paolo a few weeks ago - is that here you see many baseball fields and stadiums from above....in Brazil, it was all soccer fields.

The organizing staff greets the team at the airport. The routine for baggage is to take all the team bags off the carousel and put them in one place so we can count to make sure they all made it. We begin taking bags off the belt, but, here, airport security need to check our claim tickets with the bags we're pulling off - which would be very difficult since we're traveling with about 80 bags all together.

We explain that they are 'team' bags, and what our process is - it's all good. However, they ask for us to not take any bags to the bus - instead, they'll load and carry them all. Um, no complaints here!

On the way to the bus, a reporter stops to interview Carlos and Steve. We have a motorcycle police escort to the hotel, and have been assigned a security guard to be with the team wherever we go (we also had a guard in Curitiba, who turned out to be buddies with many of the guys).

We arrive at the Normandie Hotel at about 2:30 p.m. The guys go straight to lunch while their bags are brought into a room near the hotel lobby. Lunch is over, everyone grabs their bag, and heads to their rooms. The bus for training leaves at 5:15 ET - then straight to dinner.

By the way - one thing we failed to mention when we announced this part of the preseason is that the organizers are calling this the "USL / MLS Challenge"...interesting name...anyway, on Thursday, the Rochester Rhinos will play the LA Galaxy at 5 p.m., followed by FCD versus the Puerto Rico Islanders at 8 p.m...on Saturday, it's FC Dallas vs. Rochester at 5, and Los Angeles vs. Puerto Rico at 8. Both doubleheaders will be played at Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel in Bayamon. (this is also where the teams will train this week.)

The cameras made the trip - so we hope to bring you photos and video whenever possible over the next five days...

Here's a view from one of the hotel rooms...

March 20 - FCD Completes Trade with Toronto

FCD today completed a trade with Toronto FC that saw FC Dallas aquire allocation money and a first round pick in exchange for midfielder Richard Mulrooney...here's your chance to voice your thoughts...

Highlights from the weekend

Below are the goals from the weekend. FCD defeated Chicago 4-3 in the Saturn Cup in Oklahoma on Saturday behind goals from Clarence Goodson, Carlos Ruiz, Ramon Nunez, and Dominic Oduro.

March 19 - FCD 2, Midwestern State 0

FC Dallas today scrimmaged Midwestern State University at Pizza Hut Park, winning 2-0 on two goals by rookie forward Tommy Krizanovic.

FC Dallas lineup: Ray Burse, Blake Wagner, Alex Yi (Ever Alvarado 46), Aaron Pitchkolan (Dax McCarty 60), Michael Dello-Russo, Anthony Wallace, Takuya Yamada, Tommy Krizanovic, Sandy Gbandi, Scott Jones, Abe Thompson (Dominic Oduro 60).

We had a couple of guest players with the team today - Takuya Yamada is a defender / defensive midfielder from Japan who was recently playing in the J-League with Cerezo Osaka. The other guest was defender Ever Alvarado, who was first seen through the Hispanic Soccer Showcase last fall and again this spring in the FCD Combine.

Couple notes on the game:

* Alvarado came in for Alex Yi to start the second half. When he entered, Michael Dello-Russo moved from right back to center back and Alvarado took Dello's role on the right. At the 60 minute mark, Dax McCarty entered for Aaron Pitchkolan, who had been playing the other center back role. Dax moved into the center midfield spot alongside Yamada - Blake Wagner moved from left back to Pitch's position in the center of the defense - and midfielder Anthony Wallace moved back to take Blake's spot at left back.

*Tommy scored the first goal about 15 minutes into the second half. Scott Jones was freed up coming down the left side, and after taking the ball into the area and towards the endline, he sent a cross to the center of the box where Krizanovic was able to easily knock home.

*Fifteen minutes later, Sandy Gbandi sent a through ball from the middle to the left side where Tommy took one touch forward and calmly curved the ball around the onrushing keeper (the photo above is actually the shot that went in).

Also: Juan Carlos Toja had an appointment today at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina to submit his passport and get his visa attached. It's expected that he gets his passport within the next couple of days. We're planning on flying him straight to Puerto Rico later this week....FCD will train at 10 am on Tuesday and fly out to Puerto Rico early on Wednesday morning...finally, the third installment of FCD TV should be posted on www.fcdallas.net either later tonight or on Tuesday - we catch up with Adrian Serioux one month after his surgery.

FCD 4, Chicago Fire 3 - FINAL

A wild second half saw five goals scored, including a breakaway game-winner by Dominic Oduro in the 82nd minute. Dominic took off from his own side near midfield, taking the ball from the center circle and racing past two defenders before hitting a shot over the right shoulder of keeper Matt Pickens to clinch the win. His teammates ran to congratulate him, as he posed with the Bird Man celebration.

After a first half that saw the teams each score once, the fans were treated to an exciting second half. Five minutes into the second half, Carlos Ruiz took a short pass from Ramon at the top box, took a touch to his right and hit a low shot to the far side out of the reach of Pickens.

The lead didn't last long, as Chad Barrett was able to head in a ball that hung in the air after Shaka's saved the original shot.

FCD came right back down. Carlos opened a play to the left for David Wagenfuhr, who took the ball near the endline before hitting a cross to the far post. Ramon Nunez came in unmarked to head home the third Dallas goal.

Chicago once again tied the score in the 63rd. Thiago sent in a freekick from the left side near midfield into the area, where Jum Curtin leaped and flicked the ball to the far side over Shaka.

Both teams made a number of subs, including Bird Man Oduro for FCD, who finished the game in the 82nd.

SCORING:

CHI: Chad Barrett 11'
FCD: Clarence Goodson 29'
FCD: Carlos Ruiz 50'
CHI: Chad Barrett 51'
FCD: Ramon Nunez 53'
CHI: Jim Curtin 61'
FCD: Dominic Oduro 82'

FC Dallas: Shaka Hislop, David Wagenfuhr, Clarence Goodson, Drew Moor, Alex Yi (Bobby Rhine 46), Richard Mulrooney (Aaron Pitchkolan 69), Marcelo Saragosa (Anthony Wallace 84), Arturo Alvarez (Dominic Oduro 74), Ramon Nunez (Dax McCarty 74), Kenny Cooper (Roberto Mina 58), Carlos Ruiz (Abe Thompson 78)

Chicago Fire: Matt Pickens, Gonzalo Segares (Daniel Woolard 87), Jim Curtin (Osei Telesford 76), C.J. Brown (Jerson Montiero 74), Ivan Guerrero (Brian Plotkin 46), Justin Mapp (Jordan Russolillo 76), Chris Armas (Thiago 60), Diego Guitierrez (Dasan Robinson 69), Logan Pause (Erik Hort 82), Floyd Franks (Calen Carr 60), Chad Barrett (Nate Norman 72).

Referee: Abbey Okulaja

Attendance: 2,226

Here's Dominic's goal...we hope to get the other goals uploaded on Sunday.

March 17 - Gameday in Oklahoma

Steve Morrow talks to the team following this morning's practice at John Crain Field. The cones on the ground represent a player's position on the field.
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Training ended a little past noon on Friday back at Pizza Hut Park. The guys had lunch in the lounge, and then left at 1:30 p.m. - 25 players and nine staff members, including Cliff Shaw, the team chaplain boarded. It's not often the team takes buses to games - actually, it's very rare. There were two bus trips last year - to Oklahoma for the Saturn Cup in March; and then to Houston in August for the Open Cup game.

On flights, unless you bring your own DVD player / laptop, you're left to watch whatever the airline is showing on the flight (that is, if you want to watch anything at all). However, on these bus trips, the guys know they can control the TVs. So, upon boarding, it seemed like it the guys had agreed on the movie to watch - Borat. But....

The DVD player on the bus had been removed. The VCR was still in place, so a few of the guys tried to hook up a portable DVD player to the VCR - couldn't do it. See, these VCRs are, first, basic and tiny; and second, secured in an overhead storage compartment - which made it nearly impossible to see anything.

The bus leaves Pizza Hut Park -and someone up front offers a suggestion. Let's stop at Blockbuster and rent a few VHS movies. Done. The bus goes north on Dallas Parkway for a few miles, and pulls into a Blockbuster on the corner of 423 and El Dorado in Little Elm. Bobby Rhine and Clarence Goodson step out, with their own ideas in mind but still listening to the suggestions being yelled out from the back of the bus.

Walk into the store, and right away they saw the next challenge. The walls are covered with DVD cases, the previously-viewed shelfs are also DVDs. The two walk up to the counter, and with a trace of hope, ask the question. "No, we stopped renting out VHS tapes 2-3....years ago," said the employee behind the desk.

Back on the bus, and after a short stop for the bus driver, the team arrives at the Sheraton Oklahoma City at about 5:30 p.m. (NOTE: on yesterday's update, we mentioned their would be a banquet...well, that was old info and the message had not been relayed to all that the banquet was not taking place).

Team comes down to eat at 6:30, and about 30 minutes later, the Chicago Fire join. As with other teams, many guys from each team know each other, so a few guys cross the invisible dividing line and catch up.

Breakfast this morning was at 8:30, and the bus left for training at 9:45. A group of about 40 people came out to watch, and we're comfident they left as FCD fans. While the team trained (and by the way, a great looking field), we went up to talk to the fans, giving them info on the team and taking questions.... How many times a day do they train....Will Shaka be the starter this year....does Blake Wagner have a chance to get minutes...how old are the guys / what's the average age ("They look so young")...what kind of teams did you play against in Brazil.

Following practice, the fans came down from the stands and asked the FCD players for autographs and to pose for photos - and the players of course oblige. Oklahoma is only a 2.5-3 hour drive to Frisco - and while there are many fans that make the drive, we're hoping to leave here today having made new fans.

Lunch was back at the hotel at 12:30. For some of us, it was a quick lunch since the Ohio State vs Xavier NCAA Basketball Tournament game had just begun. You could hear the cheers in the hotel a couple hours later when the Buckeyes' Ron Lewis hit a three-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game to OT. We're sure Ray Burse was excited when the Buckeyes won (he went to Ohio State). The Fire also have a couple of players from Ohio - Dasan Robinson and Chris Rolfe both went to Dayton, Xavier's nearby-rival.

The St. Patrick's Day Parade was going on down the street, and one could hear the bagpipes from the hotel...

Dinner was at 4 p.m. - the bus leaves for the stadium at 5:45...gametime is 7:30...we'll be taping the game tonight so we'll look to update this blog before, at halftime, and following the game.

The team will return, by bus, to Pizza Hut Park following tonight's game - with VHS movies in hand.

March 16 - Driving to Oklahoma

FCD rookie Scott Jones connects on a left-footed volley this morning at Pizza Hut Park.
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FCD conducted a two hour training session this morning here at Pizza Hut Park. They'll have lunch here, and leave for Norman, Oklahoma at 1 p.m. by bus for Saturday's preseason game against the Chicago Fire. The entire team is traveling, with the exception of rookie Andrew Daniels, who was given permission to return to school this week.

This year marks the second consecutive year that Dallas is traveling to Oklahoma to play in the Saturn Cup (last year, we lost to Kansas City in Moore, Okla). As part of the weekend, the organizers are hosting a "Road to the Pros Banquet" tonight, where the full team has been invited (6:30 p.m.).

On Saturday morning, FCD will train at the University of Oklahoma's John Crain Field from 10:30-11:30 am.

Game time is 7:30 p.m. at John Crain Field (Tickets are still available) ...FCD will return to Pizza Hut Park following Saturday's game.

SPECIAL NOTE: The Brimstone Cup was dusted and polished this week here at our offices. As many reading this blog know, the Cup has lived in Dallas since 2002! Flashback to last season's Brimstone Cup clinching win.

Congrats to Kenny, Carlos, and Chris

Congrats to Kenny Cooper, Carlos Ruiz, and Chris Gbandi - who were each called in to their respective national teams.

Kenny will join the U.S. team in Florida on Sun., March 18 ahead of the games against Ecuador on March 24 in Tampa and at Pizza Hut Park against Guatemala on March 28 - where he will have the chance to play against Carlos (includes comments from Kenny, Carlos, and Steve Morrow).

Kenny has something in common with both cities. He lived in Tampa and completed 5th, 6th, and 7th grade at Guardian Angel school. He played club soccer for the Clearwater Chargers (won the state championship in 5th grade). Kenny's dad was the coach of the indoor team Tampa Bay Terror at that time.

We've included some numbers on Carlos (we inform those new to the blog that he also goes by the nickname Fish) on the team release posted on fcdallas.net.

Unfortunately for Chris, he won't be able to play for Liberia, which had called him in for a game against Cameroon on March 22. Chris is recovering from a left ankle sprain he suffered in Brazil on March 7.

Kenny was also on an ESPN.com chat today - click here for the transcript - which one can read in its entirity if you're an ESPN.com insider (if not, we're thinking there may be other places to get the full transcript).

Hitch - "What an amazing trip!"

FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock...
FCD players hold a sign at Kyocera Arena - "Hurricane, thank you for your hospitality!"

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What an amazing trip!

Speaking for the entire team (players, coaches, staff), our preseason trip to Brazil was a great experience. These types of experiences are only as good as two things (1) People and (2) Facilities.

Allow me to start by commenting on the CAP facilities. Their training complex is as good as you'll find anywhere in the world. Absolutely world-class! Everything about the set up is first-class; from the hotel, to the weight room, to the locker rooms, to the rehab rooms, to the cafeteria, to the hotel, to the fields. As impressive as the facilities are, what really made the trip special was the CAP Management and support staff.

The staff at CAP is an incredible team of top-notch professionals. CAP President Mario Petraglia is a strong leader who has a great vision of where he wants the club to be - the best club in Brazil on and off the field. Their management staff is just as impressive.

Our primary contact is Frank Romanoski - a very smart/innovative businessman who gets the big picture of the CAP/FCD relationship and what it means to both parties (he's on the far right, next to Petraglia and Hitchcock). And the rest of their support staff was all great hosts. During our stay in Brazil, we didn't feel like a partner but more like a member of the CAP family. Everyone went beyond the call of duty to make us feel at home.

I left on Saturday, March 3rd and got into Curitiba on March 4th (it’s a long trip, although in hindsight, the trip down was short in comparison to our return trek) - therefore, I missed the first week of training and games plus the road trip to the tropical island of Floranapolis. That said, here's a short log of my trip to Brazil.

On Sunday, we attended the CAP vs. Parana game with the CAP management team. The game (is a rivalry) was at Parana stadium which was one of the stadiums used in the 1950 World Cup (the US played one game there). They've recently renovated half of the stadium and added luxury suites (or, more like old school boxes that you'll find in older stadiums in the US.)

It was an intense game - where the intensity on the field matched the intensity in the stands; fans were going after each other all game. In the second half; some fans recognized CAP players/execs in our suite and starting to taunt our suite, throwing trash, etc. We were advised to leave the stadium under a security escort.

CAP beat Parana 3-0; good win for CAP (who's first place in their State Championship) over a rival who happens to be in the Copa Libertadores.
Latet that night, we met with the CAP Executive Board over dinner at the CAP Training Facility. Their cafeteria serves five star quality food. Impressive stuff!

Our team returned from their weekend trip to the beach and we spent some time catching up. I jokingly tell the president of CAP that since he was kind enough to send our team to a tropical island that is described as paradise three days before the game, that I would return the favor with the return-leg and send CAP to New Orleans:)
On Monday, we have a number of meetings followed by a Cruise in one of the executive director's yacht. We had some of the best seafood that I've ever eaten while cruising around. Later that night, Frank hosted our front office and coaching staff at his house for a Brazilian-style BBQ and soccer match. Frank has a soccer field under lights in his backyard so he challenged us to a match. FCD staff/ coaches lost to CAP staff/players 7-6 (Scoring for FCD: Hitch 2, Jeff Cassar 2, Marco 1, Oscar 1).

You see, Frank invited a current CAP player and a couple of former pro players to play on his team - so the game is currently under protest. Following the game, we had a great BBQ (the food in Brazil is amazing) and live music with one of the top bands in Curitiba. It was a great night for both staffs.

On Tuesday, HSG vice-president Dan Hunt joined us in Curitiba... Dan, Frank, Jorge Miguel (a former Dallas Tornado player who helped facilitate the meetings with CAP last year), President Petraglia and I took a helicopter tour of the city/country side. We then landed at the CAP training complex and had meetings with their technical staff (a very impressive staff) to discuss among other things, a few of their players that we're interested in looking at. That meeting was followed by the FCD vs. CAP U-20s game.

The CAP U-20s just finished 3rd in the Brazilian U-20 National Championships. Good side; lots of talent. They have a couple of players on the Brazilian U-20 National Team. We outplayed them with CAP reps commenting on how we looked like the Brazilians (which is a strong compliment). We ended up tying 2-2, but should have won. I was proud of the effort.

Tuesday night, President Petraglia and the executive board took us out to dinner at the top restaurant in Curitiba. It was the place to be... the Governor of Parana was there, Mayor of Curitiba as well as other business and political leaders. Another great meal (which was a theme during our trip.)

Wednesday was the big game. We had more meetings with their management team during the day, discussing some of the future business opportunities for us to work together, then the match in the big stadium.

In my last meeting before the game, I met a Sporting Director for an inner-city soccer program (they have 700+ underprivileged kids who don't have clothes or shoes - but love soccer.) I told him that I would like to stop by to speak to his kids on this trip. I bought 30 tickets to the CAP v FCD game (the city provided a bus) and we brought 30 kids to the game who've never been inside the stadium since they couldn't afford it.

Their stadium is a state-of-the-art, beautiful stadium that seats 26,000. Kudos to Mauro Holzman (VP of Marketing for CAP) who hosted an amazing event. Vegas would have been proud of this show.

Mauro and CAP did a great job of marketing the event and creating a ton of buzz for the match. Then at the stadium, they pulled out all the stops: They hosted a nice VIP reception for us; there was a fireworks show. It was an electric atmosphere. If you and I were standing next to one another, we couldn't hear each other. It was special. CAP has a great team with some very talented players (which you'll have a chance to see on March 31st.) Half of their starting lineup could easily be in Europe in the next transfer window. After the game, CAP hosted a post-game party at a very hip restaurant for the team. All in all (outside of the result) it was a great night.

On Thursday, before we go to the airport; I made an appearance in one of the poorest communities around Curitiba - to meet with the kids from the soccer-program. Giampaolo Pedroso, a long-time FCD exec who is from Brazil, came with me and we brought jerseys/shorts/socks/shoes, etc with us. You should have seen the response from the kids. It was one of the highlights of a great trip - to see how these kids live; literally, in homes made out of cinder block or cardboard walls and metal/tin roofs...Somewhat surreal…but a great experience and one that I will never forget. Very emotional.

Then we head to the airport and 21 hours later arrive at DFW.

In closing, we can't thank enough the CAP staff, leadership, fans and the city of Curitiba; they welcomed us with open arms and exceeded all of our expectations. The response from the fans in Curitiba was amazing. Everywhere we went, fans were asking for autographs, asking to buy jerseys/hats, etc. The media coverage was outstanding. It's fair to say that we're the most popular MLS team in Brazil and we know that the FCD Hoops Nation Membership has grown in Brazil as a result of our visit. We look forward to their return trip to Frisco for what promises to be a great game/event. We know our fans will enjoy seeing CAP play at Pizza Hut Park and we look forward to returning the hospitality that was shown to our team and staff when CAP arrives in Dallas.

And we look forward to going back to Brazil for future pre season trips! It's the perfect place for a pre season.

March 13 - update from PHP

We're getting caught up after getting back from Brazil and having the Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup Game on Sunday - in which we obviously did not get the result we were looking for. Here's a couple of notes to tie you over until the team gets back to training on Wednesday (they had a light recovery / film session on Monday and are off today).

• Defender Chris Gbandi will be out from 4-6 weeks with a grade 2 sprain of his left ankle. He had an MRI on Saturday, and the medical staff received his results back on Sunday. Chris was injured last Wednesday against Atletico Paranaense in the first-leg of the USA-Brazil Challenge. What's more unfortunate for Chris is, that he was called in by his native-country Liberia to play against Cameroon on March 22 in Yaounde, Cameroon.
• We're expecting a positive announcement in the next couple of days with regard to forwards Kenny Cooper and Carlos Ruiz playing for their respective national teams in later this month. As many know, the U.S. is playing Guatemala at Pizza Hut Park on March 28 - in a game that could feature Kenny playing for the U.S. and Carlos playing for Guatemala. The U.S. is also playing Ecuador in Tampa on March 24.
• The team has had initial talks with Argentine-midfielder Pablo Riccheti and his representatives to see if the two sides could work out a deal which would have Pablo join FCD this year. Pablo trained with the team while in Brazil last week.
• Colombian-midfielder Juan Carlos Toja received notice today that his visa to work in the U.S. has been approved. The team will now work to set up an appointed at the U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina as quickly as possible. If we can get an appointment for later this week, he could potentially get his passport back with the visa right away - in which case, he would join the team in Puerto Rico next week. These situation don't always work the same for every player. When the team arrived in Brazil on Feb. 27, we had an appointment for Roberto Mina and Dominic Oduro to get their visas attached to their passports at the Sao Paolo U.S. embassy. A week later, the players received their passports. However, we've also had instances where a player received his passport back the same day (Steve Morrow, when he was playing for Dallas.)
• The team took their headshot photos on Monday, which will be used for media guides, TV, newspaper, etc.
• The team will have two sessions on Wednesday, the first one being at 10 a.m. and the second one likely at 2:30 (to be confirmed on Wednesday).
• And finally, today we're expecting to finalize details for the third big concert coming to Pizza Hut Park. Kenny Chesney will return to Frisco on June 16 - his concert on July 22, 2006 at Pizza Hut Park drew 27,337 fans, establishing the current stadium attendance record for concerts. FCD season ticket holders will have a presale opportunity to purchase tickets from Thursday-Friday of this week.

March 10 - training at PHP

The team was back on the field today, preparing for the Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup on Sunday. The Columbus Crew was also in town. While the Crew trained on FCD's adidas training field, Dallas was inside on the stadium field, which as you see above has been nicely decorated with the initials of Lamar Hunt in the center circle.

Couple notes: Marcelo Saragosa did not train; he had sprained his ankle in Brazil against Malucelli, and slowly recovered in order to play last Wednesday against Atletico Paranaense. However, his ankle was still swollen on return, so he worked out with the trainers and is unlikely to see action on Sunday....Adrian Serioux was at practice, though of course not participating. He is on crutches and had an elastic wrap on his knee...Chris Gbandi was also inside with the trainers, recovering from a sprained ankle he suffered last Wednesday. He'll undergo an MRI today to see if he has any ligament damage...finally, Arturo Alvarez only jogged today, as he's recovering from a toe injury suffered last Wednesday. He will be questionable for Sunday...

The day ended with a meeting with MLS officials in the Verizon Wireless Club, where both the Crew and FC Dallas players and coaches had to attend. Joe Machnick (Assistant to the Deputy Commissioner for On-Field Competition) and Alfonso Mondelo (Director, Player Programs) gave a presentation that covered many issues including: players are not to kick a ball out of bounds when a player is injured; there will be yellow cards shown to those that are fouled and show the referee imaginary yellow cards (asking for a card to be given); cautions more strictly enforced for simulating injuries; behavior to officials and fans (mentioned the two Colorado player's incidents from 2006); dealing with the new requests expected from national TV partners, such as on field mikes / interviews, etc; public criticism; a new player to referee initiative program, where former players can enroll in classes to become referees; video review of incidents such as off-the-ball fouls or incidents, and aggressive behavior that leads to injuries that are not caught by the referees during the game; and finally, there will be a secure area for the referees where players can shake their hands, and where the referees can observe post-game incidents without the interference of security.

Below is a 10 minute clip of a 7v7 game from today, followed by comments from Steve Morrow.

March 10 - back at PHP

The view as the team arrived at Curitiba's airport on Thursday evening.
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The team arrived back in Dallas on Friday afternoon - 21 hours after boarding the bus that took the team from the CAP Training Center complex to Curitiba's airport. On Saturday morning, the team went through a workout on the Pizza Hut Park stadium field - which, we'll brag a little, looks and fields awesome.

Let's back up to Wednesday, post game. Clearly the team is disappointed in the way the game began, but took it in stride. It was a competitive game - and during preseason. The guys now have something else to look forward to prior to the season starting - that is, the return leg on March 31 here at Pizza Hut Park.

Chris Gbandi had been taken to an area hospital during the second half to get x-rays on his left ankle. Following the game, Bobby Hammond and team doctor, Dr. Medlock, were to get a ride from the CAP security official to the hospital. Knowing it was a small car, and that they would have to bring Chris back not knowing if he'd be in a cast - they requested that only themselves go to the hospital. That was not going to fly with one member of the team - Sandy, Chris' younger brother. Understanding his concern, Bobby and Doc made room and brought Sandy with them.

Having determined nothing was broken, Chris and Doc went back to the CAP hotel. Sandy and Bobby took a cab to meet up with the team at a nearby restaurant, where the CAP officials had arranged for dinner. It was a long night - the team bus left the stadium, and began making its way back to the training complex...the CAP officials were able to reach the bus driver to remind him of where the team was supposed to be going - and finally, by about 1:00 a.m. the team arrived -and back to the hotel at about 3 a.m.

Breakfast was optional the next morning - and most of the guys made it down. A recovery training session was scheduled for 11 a.m., and a little harder session for those that saw little or no action the previous night. Carlos Ruiz and Dario Sala played a game of soccer tennis against Roberto Mina and Juan Carlos Toja. Each team won two games, with Sala and Ruiz taking the tie-breaker, though with complaints from Mina and Toja that they had cheat...

After lunch, half the team boards the bus that took them to the Kyocera Arena team store, and then to a local mall. The bus returned by 4 p.m., and all checked in bags had to be loaded by 5. Bobby, Josh Watts, Bill Borowski (other trainer that came on the trip), Marcus Owens, and Daniel Granados went to the airport to check in the bags - the rest of the staff stayed and went with the full team at 6 p.m.

The check in process took a little while - we were flying from Curitiba to Sao Paolo at 8:30 p.m., then directly to DFW at 10:25. Didn't happen that way.

See, United States President, George Bush, was landing at Sao Paolo International Airport that night - which meant we could not leave Curitiba until the airport was given clearance. We finally boarded at about 9:30 pm - knowing that the flight to Dallas would likely be gone by the time we landed. Bobby began making arrangements for another flight in case this happened. We sat on the plane in Curitiba for about an hour, waiting out a weather delay that had once again closed the Sao Paolo airport.

We land at 11:20 p.m., head to the AA ticket counter, where Bobby had already arranged for the team to take a 12:30 am flight to Miami - the only one still available that would get everyone back to the States. We hurriedly check in - with Daniel pushing Chris on a baggage cart to speed his pace (the CAP staff had provided him crutches, but he really wasn't moving too fast on them, and he was still in pain).

Guys try to hurry and get some McD's, which was the only place still open. We hurry through security, as we're told we have only minutes to board. Wrong.

Air Force One, the name of the president's plane, was parked right outside. The tower had not yet given clearance to even board our plane. When we did, after snapping some shots of Air Force One, a good number of players were out immediately.

We land in Miami at 7:45 am, ET. Our connecting flight was at 9 a.m, but this was our first port of entry, which meant we had to claim our bags and go through customs - this after we all went through passport control, which, as most can imagine with having such an international roster, our team was split with 2/3 in the U.S. Citizens / Residents line, and 1/3 of us in the foreign passport lines.

We tried to work out a system where each person grabbed their one personal checked in bag, and one team bag, and then go - through customs and re-check the bags in. In a short time, we got almost everyone through - but three people. Bobby, Ramon Nunez, and Shawn McGee could not get through in time and had to come on the next plane. We didn't even know if all the bags had made it, as we were in such a hurry to grab a bag and make sure we didn't miss the flight to DFW, that some bags did not get checked off.

We landed in Dallas at 11:10 am, the bus was waiting for us - all the bags made (even Ramon's and Bobby's) - and we were safe at Pizza Hut Park by 12:30 p.m. The other three - their flight was delayed, of course. But they made it by 12:30 - and were happy to be back.

Props to Bobby who found a way to get everyone home, safely, and given the circumstances, in a timely fashion...it's tough to deal with such uncertainties, and the players and staff at this point were ready to just make it back. We all did, we're sure pizza and Mexican food were had by most on Friday... and on Saturday, they were all back at the park, getting ready for tomorrow.

Inferno Tailgate BBQ - Donations to Benefit Dallas Scores

The Inferno - FC Dallas' longest organized supporters group - announced today that they will be holding a pre-game BBQ at the Dr Pepper Pavilion at Pizza Hut Park on Sunday, March 11, 2007 from 3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. The Inferno will be hosting over 300 children associated with the Dallas Scores program and providing hot dogs, drinks and sharing soccer stories with them all.

In addition, the Inferno is asking all soccer fans who will be attending the game to feel free to stop by the tailgate and drop off any used or unused soccer equipment or elementary school supplies. All donations will go directly to the kids of the Dallas Scores program. Any excess soccer equipment will be contributed to the USSF Passback Program.

The inaugural Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup, which will match the two Major League Soccer teams owned by Hunt Sports Group, FC Dallas versus the Columbus Crew, in a charity game on March 11 from Pizza Hut Park will be televised live by Fox Soccer Channel (FSC). FSC has acquired the exclusive telecast rights to the game and will broadcast the game live from Frisco, Texas at 5:00 p.m. CT. As part of the agreement, the Pioneer Cup will also air in Spanish on sister network Fox Sports en Español, the largest Spanish-language all-sports cable network in the U.S., as well as on Fox Sports Latin America and Fox Sports Middle East/Africa.

The Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup was created in honor of the late Lamar Hunt, the operator and investor of both FC Dallas and the Columbus Crew who passed away in December 2006 after a battle with cancer. The Pionner Cup will serve as a fundraiser for each team’s charitable foundations, with all net proceeds from the first edition of the Pioneer Cup being presented to Dallas SCORES, a youth development program that uses a combination of soccer, creative writing and service-learning for students in a safe, constructive learning environment after school five days a week. Students that agree to make an equal commitment to creative writing workshops will participate in a soccer league, which will be re-named the Pioneer Soccer League in honor of Lamar Hunt. The Cup will be played in Columbus next year to benefit an organization of their choice.

UPDATE: FCD 1 v CAP 3; FINAL

UPDATED: Here's the recap to the game...we'll try to get some highlights up next week.

Well, we tried but now received word that the capabilities here could not handle the number of people logged on. Still, a big thanks to Kate and Jennifer at MLSnet.com for their assistance, and Rafael and Tatiana here at CAP - who worked every angle possible to get the internet going for us to try this...

FCD Lineup: Dario Sala (Ray Burse 66'), Chris Gbandi (David Wagenfuhr 22'), Clarence Goodson, Drew Moor, Alex Yi (Bobby Rhine 66'), Richard Mulrooney (Aaron Pitchkolan 82'), Juan Carlos Toja (Dax McCarty, Roberto Mina (Marcelo Saragos 66), Arturo Alvarez (Dominic Oduro 75'), Kenny Cooper (Ramon Nunez 46'), Carlos Ruiz (Abe Thompson 82').

CAP Lineup: Cleber (Vinicius 82'), Jancarlos (Eidmar 58'), Danilo Marcao (Lucas 82'), Michel (Stanley 82'), Alan Bahia, Erandir, Evandro (Dagoberto 70'), Ferreira (Valber 70'), Alex Mineiro (Paulo Rink 66'), Denis Marques (Dayro Moreno 66').

Scoring:
CAP - Denis Marques 11'
CAP - Alex Mineiro (PK) 21'
FCD - Ramon Nunez (Juan Carlos Toja) 50'
CAP - Danilo Marcao 59'

OTHER NOTES: at the 20th minute, the fan club behind the north goal all walked out, listening to the whistles of other fans. Up in the press box, no one seemed to know the reason, though they said it's happened before.
UPDATE: we later heard two stories of why the fans walked out...1.) they were protesting that a team from the U.S. was playing (why there were whistles / boos during the U.S. National Anthem) and that President Bush was coming to Brazil...also heard it was a protest to the CAP officials, as these fans often times make demands that are not met...interestingly, the fans all along the sidelines were yelling at this small hard core group asking them to leave...more interestingly, though the section emptied out, the other sections started becoming more full. It appeared that the principle was to walk out as a group, though many still wanted to watch the game so they sat in other sections.

Also, Carlos Ruiz is wearing the captains armband tonight.

FCD came out to start the game holding sign thanking the CAP fans and the city of Curitiba for their hospitality.

The teams took the team photos together.

When midfielder Dagoberto came on, he was booed every time he touched the ball. It seems he's asked out of CAP.

March 7: FCD v Atletico Paranaense LIVE on website

UPDATE: Paranaense just defeated Cianorte 3-0 in a State Championship game. CAP used primarily their B Team for this game, leaving the majority of the first team to play the second game- that being against FCD. With their win tonight, CAP advances to the next round in the Parana State Championship. BTW - their fan group behind the goal is pretty nuts. They jump around from row-to-row in celebration and chants ...stadium is about half full, but good atmosphere...the teams warm up inside, which is new to FCD....you'll see below a picture of the room inside the locker room they warm up in.
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We have to thank the Atletico Paranaense IT staff, and actually many other CAP staffers who have been incredibly patient and so willing to help make this broadcast available to Dallas fans back in the United States, and around the world now for FCD Hoops Nation members. After a few more hours of figuring out how to make the game available online given the capabilities of Kyocera Arena, we ran a test with MLSnet.com this morning and were able to get the video through back to New York.

The game will be broadcast live on state TV here in Parana, and they've given us the clearance to use their signal to show the game on www.fcdallas.net. Baring any last minute technical difficulties, we expect to have fans be able to watch the game, which is slated to kickoff at 8:45 p.m. local time, which is 5:45 p.m. CT.

Each team will dress 20 players, and the coaches have agreed to a maximum of eight substitutions.

FC Dallas Starting lineup:

--------------------------Dario Sala--------------------------

Alex Yi ------Clarence Goodson ----Drew Moor -----Chris Gbandi

------------Juan Carlos Toja-----Richard Mulrooney---------

Kenny Cooper --------Roberto Mina------------Arturo Alvarez
------------------------Carlos Ruiz----------------------------------

On the bench for FC Dallas will be: Ray Burse, David Wagenfuhr, Marcelo Saragosa, Aaron Pitchkolan, Dominic Oduro, Ramon Nunez, Dax McCarty, Bobby Rhine, and Abe Thompson.

The coaches are off to the stadium to watch the first game, which features CAP B team taking on Cianorte at 6:30 p.m. local time. The team will leave for Kyocera Arena at 6:45 to arrive their customary 1.5 hours before kickoff.

Below are some photos of Kyocera Arena...

March 6: FCD 2, CAP U-20's 2

Below are the highlights of the game versus CAP's U-20 team on Tuesday. We had to split up the Youtube clips, but we think we have most of them in these two segments...



(NOTE: We spent a few more hours today at Kyocera working out logistics on being able to show the game on fcdallas.net. We're going to do another test on Wednesday morning, and should know by noon CT if we'll be able to 'broadcast' the game.)

FCD lineup: Dario Sala (Shaka Hislop 46); Blake Wagner (David Wagenfuhr 75), Aaron Pitchkolan (Alex Yi 75), Andrew Daniels, Michael Dello-Russo, Anthony Wallace (Arturo Alvarez 75), Dax McCarty (Juan Carlos Toja 75), Ramon Nunez (Pablo Riccheti 46, Drew Moor 89), Abe Thompson (Scott Jones 60), Bobby Rhine (Sandy Gbandi 46), Dominic Oduro (Tommy Krizanovic 65)

March 6: FCD vs CAP U-20 (plus) team

The guys went through a morning workout today, with tonight's starting lineup going for a run with Marco Ferruzzi while the remainder of the team did ball work with Steve Morrow and Oscar Pareja. Jeff Cassar put the three keepers through their workouts before they got in the nets for the small sided games....its about 85 degrees and sunny here today...the afternoon game will begin at 4 p.m. local time (1 p.m. CT) and we're told it will be a mixture of the CAP U-20 team with some additional players from the CAP B team.

March 5: Training at CAP Center

Juan Carlos Toja moves forward while Aaron Pitchkolan marks during morning practice.
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Morning practice ended and the guys have had lunch...another session is planned for 4:30 this afternoon. Shaka Hislop, Andrew Daniels, and Ramon Nunez trained for the first time in Brazil, while Dax McCarty and Marcelo Saragos went through the entire practice for the first time since both suffered sprained ankles last Thursday - in all, the entire 29 player contigency trained today.

After the 8 am breakfast, the guys were on the field by 9:30. The routine first drills took place, and then some fitness work began. Working on the small hill off the side of the field, the players did various versions of running (one leg, backwards, regular, side, etc) to get the legs moving.

Next, they moved over to the small hurdles, where control and balance were the principles. Guys would complete a course jumping hurdle off one foot, coming to full control, and moving on to the next. Then it was the other leg, sideways (each way), etc, etc. Six pushups for every hurdle knocked over...

Two 35 x 20 yard areas were created with cones...players lined up on the perimeter, and five guys filled in the inside. Among those five was at least one offensive player...as the ball was passed around the outside, the 'defenders' tried to intercept, while marking the middle man who would help out the guys on the outside. Movement of the ball was key for the offense, while pressure, communication, and knowing when to crash the ball as a group was the drill for the guys inside.

The group was then divided into two...on one side of the field, Morrow worked the 7 v 8 drills, while Marco and Oscar ran offensive drills with a smaller group on the opposite side of midfield. As Oscar and Marco demonstrated, the ball would begin at midfield, pushing wide to an offensive player that moved in from the flanks, and once he could draw the defense to him, he'd have an option down the wing or in the center...Point here - recognize the timing of runs, go at the defense and draw out the defender - if he doesn't come, keep going...if he does, the other players had to be aware of where to be to become an option so the play could keep developing.

On the other side, Morrow set up four defenders and four midfield guys to defend the goal, facing midfield. Seven guys began from midfield and attacked. Keeping guys wide on both flanks, the midfield players had the freedom to move from one side to the other, not only keeping possession but looking to create chances from the middle when it was open - and from the sides when the middle was clogged. Unlike the other side of the field, where the motions of movement were being highlighted primarily for the offense, on this side of the circle, the defense was also being judged. When they would win a ball, they had to move forward from the back to the middle, until they connected with the floating player at midfield. If the offense would score, they'd gain a point...when the defense won the ball, they'd get a point by moving it to the open guy out front...throughout the drill, players were rotated from each side of the field, and from offense to defense.

Survivor finished out the day. The Old Guys taking the horseshoes competition to break the tie and take 9-6 lead.

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Shaka Hislop works with keeper coach Jeff Cassar in his first practice with the team since arriving in Brazil over the weekend.

March 4 - Return from Florianapolis

L-R, back row: Ramon, Dominic, Tommy, Sandy, Ray, and Anthony. Dax (L) and Chris (R) have fun in the water in Florianopolis over the weekend.
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FC Dallas arrived back at the CAP Training Center on Sunday evening at around 9:00 p.m. and went straight to dinner, where the CAP officials had made the request to have the cafeteria open. Meeting the group at dinner was FCD GM Michael Hitchcock and Senior Director of Soccer Business Development Shawn McGee as well as CAP President Mario Petraglia, director of Marketing Mauro Holzman, and other team officials, directors, and executives.

We'll back up about 36 hours...the team had breakfast at the complex in Saturday morning, then boarded a bus to Florianapolis at 9:00 a.m. Special arrangements had been made to have Ramon Nunez, Andrew Daniels, and kit man Marcus Owens join the team in the beach town, since they were expected to arrive in Brazil on Saturday morning.

About an hour into the ride, the coaches had finished coming up with the third competition of Survivor Brazil. The first two challenges were won by the old guys - interestingly, both of those challenges involved a soccer skill (crossbar; juggle and shoot). The Young guys won the third challenge on Thursday morning - a basketball three point contest. So with the score 6-3 (3 pts for a team win), the Young Guys needed another win to even the score.

The competition was Pictionary...an easel and large writing pad were brought on board, placed about four rows from the front of the bus. The Old Guys took the left side of the bus, and the Young the right...We'll go a little more in depth on the website on Monday - but the basics were: taking turns, one player from each team would select a name out of a hat...the name could be a player or team staff member - along with a phrase about the person. The player would have to draw the person, and then draw a description of the phrase....the drawer's teammates would get two guesses to name the player being drawn, and the phrase attributed to him. Two points for getting player and phrase correct in the first minute, one point for getting both in two minutes, and 1/2 point if you stole either name or phrase from the other team (if they were incorrect after two guesses).

Young Guys won 13.5 to 13...score after four rounds is 6 to 6.

The bus arrives into Florianapolis, and, with the driver apparently lost in search of the hotel, Marcelo runs to the front to offer assistance. He'd been here before with Sao Paolo for exhibition games a few years ago, and his father lives within driving distance - so he's somewhat familiar with the area. On a side street, the bus pulls over and Marcelo gets directions from a pedestrian, and within 20 minutes the bus arrives at the hotel - at about 2 p.m.

Needless to say, the guys are pretty hungry. The CAP reps had the room keys ready when the team arrived, so after dropping off bags in their rooms, the group gathers for lunch at the poolside restaurant....great stuff , but by now everyone seems antsy to get on the beach...

It was about 83 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, a soft breeze coming off the water, fine sand, perfect ocean water temperature - oh, and the sun was bright but did overbearing. By 3 p.m., the full team was at the beach.

There's a common saying one often hears when in a new locations - "when in Rome, do as the Romans" - or something along those lines. What we're getting as is that at least one player felt more comfortable sporting the briefs-type swim suit, since that's what most of the men on the beach wore...upon walking to the edge of the water, the laughter from the rest of the team could be heard from a block away.

For the next few hours, the guys jumped around in the ocean, sat under umbrellas on the beach, and walked up and down the beach. One of the CAP players, Paulo Rinks (also a former German National team player) had reserved a couple of lounge chairs at a beach restaurant overlooking the water - so a good number of the player accepted the offer and for about an hour, chilled and listened to music while people watching from the edge of the sand.

Sidebar # 1:

• Last Friday, Andrew Daniels drove up from Providence to Boston to catch a flight to Miami, where later that night he would fly to Sao Paolo. In Sao Paolo, he was to meet Ramon and Marcus - who found out on Friday morning that they were flying to Brazil later that night. All three made it to Sao Paolo. The continuing leg for each was to go to Curitiba - but since the team was now heading to Florianapolis, the wheels were put in motion on Friday afternoon to have them fly to Florianopolis once they landed in Curitiba...thing is, only Andrew made it on the mid afternoon flight and was beach-side by 3:30 p.m. It turns out that Ramon and Marcus' tickets from Sao Paolo to Curitiba had been erroneously cancelled. So after some investigating, they went to the other Sao Paolo airport and stood standby for two direct flights to Florianopolis - after failing to get on either one, they finally made it on one that got them to the beach city airport around 6:30 p.m.

The team meal was planned for an 8:30 departure - but since many guys were still in the hotel pool at 8 p.m., they all agreed to push the time back half an hour....by 9 p.m., the team was on their way to a Churrascaria (Steak house) - the meats were coming around at marathon pace, but it was all so good that it took a while before the waiters could pass with out being asked to stop for more...lively discussion jumped out from different parts of the tables, often accompanied by laughter from a couple of players...the dinner lasted for a couple of hours, and then the players could do as they pleased...some went to a club, other back to the hotel - but all left full and appreciating the great meal.

By 8 a.m. Sunday, four players were already down at the beach. By 9 a.m, the breakfast room had seen a good majority of the familiar faces...it was a day off, but the mentality among many of the players was that they didn't want to waste their day off sleeping in, specially since they were on a beach in Brazil...the area under the beach umbrellas began to grow and by 10:30, about 15 chairs had already been planted in the sand. Bobby Rhine and Richard Mulrooney brought out the football, and the guys got a great work-out playing catch in the ocean.

The coaches had left around noon for Curitiba, to watch Atletico Paranaense play at city rival Parana this afternoon (and also to scout CAP in a competitive game prior to next Wednesday). CAP won 3-0, defeating a Parana-side which is currently playing in the Copa Libertadores.

The relaxing day for the players ended at 4 p.m. when the bus left to return to Curitiba. By 4:25, 26 of the 28 players were asleep. It had been a great two days of fun and sun, and the guys knew that beginning Monday, they would be going all-out on the field again. So, better to get as much rest as possible to be 110 percent on Monday.

Sidebar 2:

• The players saw another familiar face when they got back to the CAP center. Shaka Hislop arrived late on Saturday night from Miami. With Shaka's arrival, there are now 29 players here at the CAP Training Center.

Update from Curitiba

Here's some quick notes leading into the weekend (followed by comments from Morrow on the first week, and a few photos from Thursday's game at Malucelli )

• On Friday morning Ramon Nunez received his permission from the U.S. government to be able to leave the U.S. and be able to re-enter. So, on Friday night, he boarded an American Airlines flight that will have him in Brazil on Saturday morning. Ramon is under a different type of visa, which requires applications, interviews, and ultimately permission from the government in order to travel - he is however, under the 'mercy' of when and if the government looks at and decides to deny or approve him.
• Shaka Hislop was in Miami, Florida today getting his U.S. residency papers, making him a green card holder and no longer counting as a Senior International. Shaka also be arriving in Brazil on Saturday.
• Andrew Daniels will also join the team on Saturday after returning to Brown University this week to wrap up school details.
• Couple of corrections: Chris' brother informed us that the correct spelling of his name is with a Y, not I = Sandy...also learned that Argentine-trialist Pablo Ricchetti is spelled with two C's...finally, when we announced the roster traveling to Brazil, we failed to mention that former FCD defender Justin Moore was offered a developmental contract by the team. He declined since he decided to join the Atlanta Silverbacks of the USL - in other words, he was not 'technically' released as the release appeared to read. Should another MLS team be interested in his services, FCD would have to either waive their rights to him or could also trade them. We want to wish Justin all the best in his future, and thank him for his services to FCD over the past year.
• Clarifying the international player status. Dario Sala (Argentina), Sandy Gbandi (Liberia), and Tommy Krizanovic (Croatia) are all perminant U.S. residents (have green card) and Chris Gbandi has dual citizenship (Liberia and USA) - therefore neither of these players count as international players. Marcelo Saragosa (Brazil), Dominic Oduro (Ghana), Roberto Mina (Ecuador), Juan Carlos Toja (Colombia), Adrian Serioux (Canada), Carlos Ruiz (Guatemala), and Ramon Nunez (Honduras) are neither residents or citizens of the U.S., therefor they each count as international players until their status changes. Shaka Hislop (Trinidad) received his U.S. residency today, so he will no longer count as an international player. FCD has four Senior International (any age) and three Youth International (under 24) slots. Teams may trade and acquire additional Youth International slots, but not Senior ones.
• The head coach of Paranaense's first team is Oswaldo Alvarez "Vadão"- who was Marcelo Saragosa's coach when he was at San Paolo.
• As international as the FCD roster is, only four players have ever played a game in Brazil - Marcelo Saragosa (while at Sao Paolo), Dario Sala (with three other pro teams), Abe Thompson (with his regional club), and Blake Wagner (with the U.S. U-17's).
• Assistant coach Oscar Pareja also played in Brazil. On Dec. 20, 1995, Pareja's 32nd minute goal gave Colombia a 1-0 lead over Brazil in a game played in Manaus, Brazil. Brazil, lead by Cafu, Ze Roberto, and Rivaldo, came back to score three unanswered goals for the win.
• The team will travel to Florianapolis on Saturday for a weekend trip. Since arriving on Tuesday, the players have pretty much only seen the great training center, which as we've mentioned, is a closed-in and secured private complex. It's been a hard few days of training and games, so we're thinking the guys will enjoy two days off in a beach town.

Sidebar: We thought fans may find this interesting...Malucelli's field was situated on a hill, overlooking a popular park near downtown Curitiba. Below you can see three different views that surrounded the playing surface, which was very well maintained. The city's high-rise housing buildings served as the north-backdrop...a cut-in hill with seats placed over the carved-out grass steps served as the stands on the east...and mounds of dirt and construction materials for a new set of stands that are being built stood between the highway below and the field on the west.

Mar. 2 - FCD 1 vs. CAP B 1

FC Dallas tied Atletico Paranaense's B team today 1-1 on field #3 at the CAP Training Center.

In the 18th minute, Roberto Mina steps up to take a free kick from outside the area on the left side. The keeper dived to his left to save the shot, and Drew Moor kepted the ball from going out on the endline. Drew lifts the ball over a defender to the far side, and Carlos Ruiz is there to calmly hit the ball past the keeper for the 1-0 lead.

Despite keeping possession and moving forward, the next goal did not come. Instead, in the 62nd minute, CAP had a player come across the box and he snuck a shot between two defenders to the far side net to the game.

Dario Sala was a late scratch. He experienced pain in his right calf during warmups and could not go. He was replaced by Ray Burse.

FCD's lineup: Ray Burse, Blake Wagner (David Wagenfuhr 55), Clarence Goodson (Aaron Pitchkolan 75), Drew Moor (Chris Gbandi 75), Alex Yi (Michael Dello-Russo 75), Pablo Richetti (Anthony Wallace 46), Richard Mulrooney (Juan Carlos Toja 55), Arturo Alvarez (Sandy Gbandi), Kenny Cooper (Scott Jones 60), Roberto Mina (Bobby Rhine 30, Dominic Oduro 55), Carlos Ruiz (Abe Thompson 55).

Mar. 1 - FCD 2, Malucelli 1

Just got back to the CAP complex following the first game in Brazil. FCD wins 2-1 on goals by Bobby Rhine and Kenny Cooper.

We'll be a little more in-depth on the web release in a few hours, but here's the basics.

Starting lineup:

Ray Burse, David Wagenfuhr, Chris Gbandi, Aaron Pitchkolan, Michael Dello-Russo, Juan Carlos Toja, Pablo Richetti, Bobby Rhine, Roberto Mina, Dominic Oduro, Abe Thompson.

Almost everyone else played, with the exception of Dario Sala, Richard Mulrooney, and Carlos Ruiz.

Next game on Friday versus CAP B Team here at the CAP Training grounds.

3rd minute: Abe Thompson wins a freekick outside the box on the left side. Mina takes the shot which is saved by the keeper, but bounces out and Rhine is there to knocked in a rebound.

45th: Malucelli takes a quick restart from near midfield, sending a player open down the right. He sends a cross in that is headed to the far net to tie the game.

62nd: Kenny Cooper, who had entered the game only minutes before, takes a ball into the box and is brought down. He steps up to take the PK, hitting a rocket that is saved by the keeper. However, the ball had enough power that it bounced back out and Cooper was able to get a foot back on it to knock it in.

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Here's something new we're trying - video on YouTube...it's not quite FCD TV, but if this works ok we should at least be able to provide some small clips from practice/games and interviews while in Brazil...our first attempt is the two goals from Thursday's game versus Mulacelli (we missed the MAL goal).

FC Dallas: The Fans’ Team…

FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock

For those of you that don’t know (or who I haven’t had the pleasure of spending time with at FC Dallas home games, tailgate parties, FC Dallas events, etc); I’m a fan…

You see, before I started working for MLS as a front office executive (entry level ticket sales, to be exact); I was a fan of Major League Soccer and attended every D.C. United game during the first season of MLS. I couldn’t get enough information, updates, stats, highlights… I loved everything MLS and constantly needed my “MLS Fix.”

The reason I share this with you is that now that I have my Dream Job of running a Major League Soccer team as the General Manager. I have an opportunity to realize my vision to run a fan friendly team and “do” some new and innovative programs that I would have loved as a hard core fan of an MLS team, in turn, becoming “The Fan’s Team”.

As a General Manager who’s a die hard MLS Fan, I always evaluate decisions we’re making from two perspectives: (1) As the leader of FC Dallas who has an obligation to my ownership group, our Front Office, our Players, MLS and our fans to make the best decisions I can make to run the best business operation and team for everyone listed above, and (2) from a Fan’s Perspective… having been a hard core fan before I started working in MLS. I have a good idea of what fan’s want so I always consider this 2nd perspective in every decision we make.

All this said, we’re heading in a new strategic direction and it all surrounds the basic premise “to turn customers into fans and then to better connect with our fans who will become hard core supporters and ambassadors for FC Dallas.” The FCD Experience Plan & Strategy (as it’s called) has a ton of detail and programs but here’s a Cliff Notes’ Version. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

We see our Strategic Plan as 5 top line initiatives:

(1) Provide unique content and behind the scenes access to our fans through fcdallas.net, FCD TV and the new FC Dallas Blog. As a fan, this is something that would interest me… to see what is going on with the team and front office from an insiders perspective. We have made the commitment to provide daily (or multiple times per day) updates about the team and organization on our Blog. In most cases, we will be providing information and news that you won’t be able to find anywhere else except on the FC Dallas Blog. So barring any unforeseen technical difficulties, we’ll have constant updates for you, making it easier to get your FCD Fix.

(2) Provide a great Game Day Experience – From the second you pull onto the Pizza Hut Park complex, we want you to have a great experience that we’re calling the “PHP Experience”. From FREE Parking to better service from our staff (improved part time labor who will be called Team PHP) to better products and service (merchandise and concessions) to an even better in stadium atmosphere. We’ve just hired a full time Recruitment Specialist [we have a job fair on Saturday at PHP if you’re interested in joining Team PHP] whose job is to fill our “talent pool (part time labor)” with great people who have a can do attitude that want to be a part of something magical. It’s stealing a page out of Disney’s Playbook.

The Game Day Experience is only as good as our “Team” on and off the field. And a big part of the team off the field is our Game Day Staff. We’re working with Sodexho (our concession partner) on better food and service. The service will be a part of our “talent pool” hired by our Recruitment Specialist. We’re working with some of the Top Restaurants in the metroplex to try to get them in our stadium (including Starbucks); in turn, improving the quality of the food. Sodexho has made the commitment to FCD/PHP and our fans to take it to the next level.

Also, we’ve started our own Merchandise Company that will provide better products (more team gear, event specific gear, etc). So starting with March 11th, our former merchandise partner is out and FCD Gear & More is running the merchandise operations. At the Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup, you will be able to buy commemorative Pioneer Cup shirts and hats. Finally, the in stadium experience will continue to improve… we’ve just installed a state of the art LED video board that runs the entire west fascia of the Suite Building (below the suite level) that will enhance the “atmosphere” for all fans.

Give us a little time, we won’t be at full speed on March 11th but, by Opening Day on April 22nd, we’ll be cranking at 100%. And I know you will enjoy the improved experience.

(3) Plan Holder Benefits – Our # of Season Seat Holders is growing over last years' and we plan to exceed the expectations of our loyal plan holders so we can continue to grow this base every year. We will introduce some innovative customer service programs, initiatives and improved benefits for 2007 and beyond. More details will be announced throughout the season.

(4) FCD Hoops Nation – We want to be the most popular MLS Team in the World. Easier said than done, especially with someone named David Beckham going to LA Galaxy. But the vision hasn’t changed, if we accomplish initiatives 1-3, then we should continue to grow our Global Supporters Club. We currently have approximately 1,000 Members from 32 States and 10 Foreign Countries. We want to create an FCD Community that extends beyond the metroplex. The Game of Soccer is getting bigger and the World is getting smaller, we want to have fans in all states and 50+ countries who become ambassadors for FC Dallas.

(5) Advertising and Marketing Campaign – You, our fans, are going to have a chance to develop and be a part of the FC Dallas Advertising and Marketing Campaign for the 2007 season. More details to be announced soon. But this is your team and we want you to have a chance to participate in our marketing campaign.

So from one fan to another, I want you to know that we appreciate your support and your constructive feedback. Without your support, we wouldn’t be here. Know that we have talented FCD/PHP staffs who share your passion for MLS, FC Dallas and realizing the potential for this franchise.

Our Goals are simple:
A. Win Championships for our Fans.
B. Build the FC Dallas fan base.
C. Make the community where we live, work and play; a better place to live, work and play.

And when we accomplish these goals, we’ll run the most successful franchise in Major League Soccer. Look forward to seeing you at Pizza Hut Park for the Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup on Sunday, March 11th 5pm. If you can’t make it; tune into Fox Soccer Channel for the LIVE International TV Broadcast.


Sincerely,
Hitch

Feb. 28 - Two sessions; Survivor Brazil begins

Fish and Wags hang from the crossbar during Survivor Brazil on Wednesday. The Old Guys beat the Young Guys in the first challenge of the spring.

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We apologize for the technical difficulties that prevented us from posting on Wednesday. Here's a brief recap, with photos.

Morning starts out with an 8 a.m. breakfast in the cafeteria, then a short meeting is organized by the coaches, as this is the first time they have the big group all together since arriving.

The morning practice begins at around 9:30 on field three, which sits up on a slight hill to the left as you walk out of the main living quarters. Its a different type of grass, looks real green, but feels rough and thick. The standard keep-away gets the guys warmed up, followed by some laps.

The first drills today are individual ball possession - three players to a cone, spread open in a square; four flags are placed in the center. The players dribble the ball to the flag, turn, and pass back to their teammate. There are many variations of this drill; players had to pass the ball through, go around the right or left flag, and meet the ball before continuing their run to the opposite side...and so on..

Next came offense /defense drills. It began with two defenders in front of each goal, and three offensive players moving forward trying to score. Then, a defensive midfielder was added to the defense, and an additional offensive player to the offense. And again, more players were added to each side to keep the challenges balanced.

Practice wraps up with the Survivor Brazil - Crossbar Challenge.

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Juan Carlos Toja flew in from Buenos Aires on a 4 a.m. flight, which landed in Curitiba at 6 a.m. He took a taxi to the CAP Training Center, and had his room key waiting for him. He did not train in the morning, but after passing his physical, he was ready to go with the group in the afternoon.

Most of the players had a chance to meet Toja - or at least recognize - at lunch. He was wearing his provided team gear, but it was his long hair that we think caught the eye of many - and then confirmed when a playful comparison joke to fellow Colombian and assistant coach Oscar Pareja was overheard.

He quickly made the effort to integrate himself, sitting with Bobby Rhine and company - the table mixing Spanish, English, and sign language in order to communicate.

Sidebar #1:

• Before the second session, we get word that the team we're scheduled to play on Thursday - Joinville - has changed their minds about playing. It was supposed to be a 7:30 kickoff at their stadium, which is about a 1.5-2 hour bus ride from here. The CAP officials quickly began making calls, and by the time they inform us of Joinville's decision, they already have a back-up option. The message is passed on to Steve Morrow, that J. Malucelli - a local Serie C team currently fifth in the Parana State Championship (tied with CAP), can be our opponent. They are in Curitiba, about a 15-20 bus ride away, and since they have a game on Sunday in the state championship, were looking to have a competitive game as preparation. After taking all things into consideration, Morrow accepts to play them on Thursday. This actually may work out better for FCD. We were scheduled to take the full team to Joinville, leaving at noon, and then waiting at a Joinville hotel until kickoff. We would have returned around midnight, and we have a game against CAP's B team on Friday (another schedule change). As it is, the team will train lightly on Thursday morning, then head to the Malucelli training grounds for the 3:30 p.m. game.

A few hours later, he met more teammates out on the field. The 4:30 practice was on field # 6 - out and to the right when walking out of the living quarters. This is the same field they trained on on Tuesday, softer grass, though to some it felt a little long. (Disclaimer - these fields are very well kept. They have different types of grass and different lengths, causing the players to adapt and make the field insignificant. To put in perspective, they even have a sand field here).

The team is divided into two for an hour-long scrimmage. Abe Thompson connects in the second 25 with the only goal, taking a ball from the right and beating Dario Sala to the left post after cutting across the top of the box.

It's hot during this practice - and the sun is pretty strong. Guys are soaked in sweat.

The game ends, and it appears the guys are doing their cool-down laps. Not so.

The coaches set up two large boxed areas on one side of the field with flags. Fitness runs will finish off the day. Three-four players stood at each flag, and when the whistle blew, they had to run horizontally to another flag, around it, then diagonally to another flag until they completed the cycle. Morrow kept the clock and counted down the final five seconds of the 24 second clock, in which everyone had to finish. Each player did numerous sets of these, and kept encouraging each other to push to the end as the runs became more difficult as the legs became more weary.

The final whistle blows - water for everyone. Done.

Wrong...

The team is called to the center circle - meaning, everyone had to lineup around the circle. For the next 15-20 minutes, the guys did core / stomach exercises. First they sat up with feet off the ground, taking a ball from the teammate on the left and passing it to the person on the right - holding the position for 2 minutes. Next, lie on your stomach, keeping arms and knees up. Again, a few balls were spread around and the players had to take from one and pass on to another.

The exercise was tough, and the guys watched out for each other - making sure no one was cheating. A lighter moment happened when Morrow looked over and told Ruiz to lift his knees off the ground - with Carlos' response - "they are, its just that the grass is long."

Some guys take small breaks as their legs and stomachs couldn't go the distance...

A few more sets take place -and finally the workout ends.

Next comes word that the second Survivor Challenge is going to take place...to which Dario Sala, always quick with his jokes, says:

"We just survived those exercises, what else do we need to survive."

Check fcdallas.net for the Survivor Brazil updates.

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Fish and Dario joke around following the afternoon session...below, notice the CAP flag that flies high between all the fields at the complex...Toja and Bobby chat during the afternoon cool-downs