April 29 - FCD 0, NE 1

The team heads into the two-week break having lost the last two games....that's two weeks to get some bodies healthy, get some more eligible, and have a deeper team to push each other...Click here for the recap and boxscore and check the the site for some additional thoughts / comments...Next Game: May 12 at Kansas City.

Some notes from the game, followed by Steve's post-game comments (about 5 minutes, FYI - we do plan on having a better-looking backdrop in the coming weeks)...

• Today’s loss was the second consecutive home loss for FC Dallas. The last time the team lost two-in-a-row at home was in 2005, also at Pizza Hut Park: a 2-0 loss to San Jose (Sept. 3) and a 2-1 loss to DC (Sept. 10).
• New England has now won 11 of the last 15 meetings between the two teams. FCD’s all-time record against the Revs when playing in Dallas is now 4-10-1.
• Carlos Ruiz received his fourth yellow card of the season today. Under MLS rules, a player will receive a one game suspension upon accumulating five yellow cards. If Ruiz plays his next three games without receiving a yellow card, he will have one of the four cards removed from his record.
• FC Dallas is now is 1-2-0 at home in 2007, having been shut out in the last two games at home. In 16 home games in 2006, FC Dallas lost only three times and was shutout out only twice….the last time Dallas was shut out in two consecutive home games prior to this week was on June 10 and 17, 2004; a 0-0 tie versus COL and a 1-0 loss to KC respectively.
• Alex Yi missed today’s game with a left calf injury. Also out of action today due to injury were Marcelo Saragosa (right knee), Adrian Serioux (right knee), Roberto Mina (left knee), and David Wagenfuhr (concussion).
• Goalkeeper Dario Sala served the last of his six-game suspension today…midfielder Pablo Ricchetti will be eligible to play in the team next game on May 12 after receiving his work visa this week.
• Four of the seven available subs for FC Dallas had never played a regular season game – Burse, Dello-Russo, Wagner, and Wallace.
• The average age of the 10 field players that finished today’s game was 22.4 years old. At 27, Chris Gbandi was the oldest field player to finish the game. The others: Alvarez (21), Cooper (22), Goodson (24), McCarty 19), Moor (23), Nunez (21), Oduro (21), Toja (21), Thompson (25).
• Steve Morrow on the game: “Same as the other day, disappointed – another one nil defeat at home. Very disappointed. I think we dominated the game for 90 minutes. We tired badly in the second half; I think we just completely ran out of steam. At a time when we needed to push the game in the last 30 minutes we just didn’t have the legs to do it. I think we definitely suffered from playing two games in 3-4 days and just didn’t have the energy to push it how we wanted to at the end. But like I said, especially in the first half, I think we completely controlled the game, and to go down one nil at halftime when they really only had one chance on goal was completely deflating for the boys.”

April 29 - Game Day, preparing the field

It's Sunday, April 29, and today FC Dallas hosts the New England Revolution here at Pizza Hut Park (2 pm CT, live on Telefutura)...as you see from the photos, there's already been plenty of action in the past 12 hours...

The photo below is from the northwest corner of PHP - at around 9 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 28...we here at the blog have not received the final attendance from the concert yet, but as you see from this photo is was pretty full....
Below, a little higher up but from the same corner, at around 3 a.m....
And once more, at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday...
Director of Grounds Tom Jones (below) led a staff that worked through the night. The over 16,000 pieces of TerraFlor started being raised at 3 am, beginning from the south end as chairs continued to be lifted on the north...all the pieces were lifted and off the field by 7:20 am...Brad and Alan simultaneously mow the field this morning, while the field boards were being put in place...boards and cut - completed by 10 a.m....Miles, Alan, Brad and Matt start painting the field at around 10 a.m...with the sun as strong as it is right now, we're expecting the lines to dry by around noon...

April 28 - Parrotheads All Over

The Parrotheads started tailgating early - we're talking on Friday afternoon...by the time the team got here this morning for the final training session before tomorrow's game, the lots were already quite full with RVs...People seem to be enjoying themselves...we've seen a lot of parrots, some real, most fake...Tiki Bars are set up, both on the ground and on vehicles...there's definitely no shortage of colors...people even brought their own transportation to cruise around the lots meeting people, and as you see below, they are creative with the wheels...we'll be back out taking more photos to post throughout the day - and we'll try to get you and idea of what the lots look like filled with RVs...we'll also bring you a photo of the temporary beach that one group has set up...

April 27 - From soccer to concert...

Within minutes of the game ending last night, the staff at Pizza Hut Park was already on concert mode...by 11 pm, the skids with pieces of Terraflor had already been placed on the track in the north end...at 5 am, the crews began placing the floor down - covering the entire field...

For those that don't know, we're attempting to do something we have not done before...that is, play a soccer game (like we did last night)...then, convert the soccer stadium to a concert venue - on Sat, April 28, Pizza Hut Park will welcome 27-28,000 fans for a Jimmy Buffett concert - which begins less than 48 hours from the end of last night's game...but that's not it...

As soon as the concert ends, the PHP staff will again be at it...changing the concert venue back over to a soccer stadium - FC Dallas plays the New England Revolution at 2 pm on Sun, April 29...from the time the concert is expected to end (around 11 pm), until the time the teams are supposed to take the field for warm-ups, we'll have around 13 hours to....get the fans off the floor, un-clip the nearly 11,000 chairs, get the sound stage lifted, pick up all the chairs, clean up the trash, remove the temporary concession stands from the floor, remove barricades...that's just for the floor. (below, Director of Business Dev. Nick leads by example...we had to include this picture since we're not sure he knows we took it)

Off the floor, the stage set-up needs to be removed, the stands need cleaned, as do the restrooms, suite area, concourse; re-stock concession stands, remove trailers and buses, parking lots, we can go on, and on, and on...the things is, we feel we're ready for it. For being a relatively small staff - we feel we have a crew that is up for this challenge...it really does take everyone to pull this off. Our ops department, grounds crew, maintenance, housekeeping, business ops, sales reps, ticket ops, video boards, security - they've all had a hand in this so far, and will continue to assist throughout the weekend...and we're not doing this alone, we'll be bringing in temporary labor as well. (Above, some staffers that regularly interact with FCD fans are numbering the floor seats; clockwise from top left - Ali, Meg, Ian, Jose, and Susie...to the right, Gil clips the chairs together)We're expecting (and hoping) to have the entire floor cleared by 8 a.m. on Sunday...then, the ground shifts from "Terraflor" to natural surface...they'll aerate the field, mow it, and line it...and also, place the field boards, the goals, the benches, tables, camera stands (its a national TV game on Telefutura).

Fans started arriving today at 4 pm - and RVs are already parked in a number of spots...the PHP staff has also set up a make-shift beach as you can see above...we're thinking FCD's Saturday morning training session will have the largest attendance ever - as most of these RVs are parked the blue lot along the adidas practice field.

A few notes on the concerts and the venue:

• More than 16,000 pieces of “Terraflor”, a state-of-the art turf protection system, have been laid down on the Pizza Hut Park stadium playing surface - covering the entire field. Each 29.5 square inch interlocking pieces of Terraflor are manufactured in the United Kingdom and utilized at most sports/concert venues throughout the United States. The Hunt Sports Group owns and rents a total of 128,000 square feet of Terraflor, more than any other venue in the country.
• Crews began laying the 'floor' at 5 am this morning, moving from the north end to the south...by 10 am, as the floor was now being placed towards the south, the chairs started being placed - also moving from north to south...the entire process was over by 3 pm.
• Then, our staff went out to number the floor seats, and at the same time, the chairs had to be tied together....there are nearly 11,000 chairs on the 'floor'.
• Pizza Hut Park hosted five major concerts in 2006 that drew a combined 109,857 fans to the stadium.
• According to POLLSTAR, the concert industry's leading trade publication, in 2006 PHP ranked:
  --- 8th in the United States in attendance for outdoor stadiums and festival sites.
  --- 4th among stadiums in the country, behind: Giants Stadium in New Jersey, Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass, and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in California.
  --- And 23rd among all stadiums and festival sites around the world; which included among other stadiums: River Plate Stadium (Argentina), Telstra Stadium (Australia), Moruobi Stadium (Brazil), Azteca Stadium (Mexico), Tokyo Dome (Japan), Stadio San Siro (Italy), Olympia Stadium (Germany), Amsterdam Arena (Netherlands), Croke Park (Ireland), King Baudouin Stadium (Belgium), and Estadio Nacional (Chile).
• Three acts who’s tours finished in the Top 15 Tours of 2006 passed through Pizza Hut Park; Kenny Chesney (5th), Rascal Flatts (8th), and RBD (14th).
• The largest-ever attendance for a concert at Pizza Hut Park was 28,242 for EdgeFest 16 two weeks ago...Prior to that show, the largest ever was 27,337 for Kenny Chesney on July 22, 2006.
• Other concerts scheduled for this summer (so far): Kenny Chesney, the Bluegrass Festival, and Clay Aiken.

April 26 - FCD 0, NYRB 1

Well, not the way the team was expecting after the positive performance against Colorado last Sunday.

Head Coach Steve Morrow offers his post-game comments below...

Pablo's Visa is Approved

Earlier today we received word that Pablo Ricchetti's P-1 visa has been approved...the documents are being overnighted to PHP and should be here on Friday. Pablo will fly to Argentina on Friday night...We've scheduled an appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires for Monday, April 30....that's where he'll take his papers and get his visa affixed to his passport...this process can take up to 48 hours - so he'll likely have his passport back on Wed, May 2...at that point, he can fly back to Dallas. Right now, we're not sure what day he's flying back, especially since FCD does not play next weekend. However, we do anticipate that he'll be eligible to play in the May 12 at Kansas City...

Ramon to Chat on ESPN.com

Today, Carlos was the guest on Univision.com's MLS Chat of the week...When the chat finished, we were informed that it set an MLS player chat record of 300 questions in about 20 minutes...Fish did not have to answer all the questions.

On Thursday, Ramon Nunez will be on the ESPN.com chat at 1 pm CT. Click here to submit questions or to follow along...

Shaka's House

Under dryer conditions this morning, most of the guys went through the last training session before tomorrow's game versus NY...we say most because Shaka did not participate with the rest of the team today. Instead, he came in a bit later in the afternoon to work with goalkeeper coach Jeff Cassar.

Here's why: a 60-foot tree fell on the Hislop house last night during the storms that hit the area. Luckily for all, the kids were out of their room when the tree came through the roof. Other than still a bit shaken up, every appears to be OK. The family stayed at their neighbors last night and is now looking for temporary housing until they can move back into their house - though with the damage, it may not be some time. Click here for the Storm Blog on WFAA.com.

April 24 - Mina update

Many may recall that forward Roberto Mina had surgery to repair a torn left MCL in July 2006. He did return by the end of the year and made the 18-man roster for the playoff games last fall, though he did not play.

On March 31, Roberto played the final 28 minutes in the final preseason game against Atletico Paranaense. The following Monday, he went out to train as normal, though halfway through training he felt pain in his knee. The staff took him off the field, and had an MRI on his knee. The injury was treated as a sprained MCL, giving him some time to recover before testing him on the field again. Well, after a couple of weeks, he still had pain when jogging and cutting last week when he was back out on the field.

The staff set him up for another MRI yesterday... we're expecting the results back today...

UPDATE: We received Roberto's MRI results back today....and, the MRI is inconclusive, meaning it does not show further damage to the meniscus in his knee, though it still shows a tear to the MCL as it did on the first MRI...so, instead of performing what is considered exploratory surgery, the decision for the time being is to continue treating Roberto's injury as a sprained MCL (a tear in the MCL is a sprain)...with the team having two weeks off following Sunday's game versus New England, the staff will have a little more time to evaluate how Roberto's knee responds.

Couple other updates from today's practice: Carlos worked inside on the bike and weights today instead of on the field. He's nursing a slight left hamstring strain but is expected to train fully with the team on Wednesday...Shaka also sat out since he was feeling ill...Alex worked out with the trainers on his left calf...David Wagenfuhr is participating in non-contact drills...Adrian walked laps around the training field following some rehab work inside... Marcelo was also inside for a good part but then went out to the field to continue his rehab...Sandy was back to training with the team after recovering from a shoulder injury.

April 22 - FCD 3, COL 1

What a way to start off the home portion of the 2007 season, a sell out crowd and a 3-1 win over Colorado.

Click here for boxscore and / or here for the recap of today's game. If the links don't work, go to http://www.fcdallas.net.

Here are some additional tidbits from today's game:

• With the win, FC Dallas improves its record in 2007 to 2-1-1 (7 points), which places the team in sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.
• Today was the team’s 2007 home-opener, coming after three consecutive road games to begin the season. With today’s win, Dallas improves its all-time home opener record to 7-3-2. Prior to this year, Dallas had been the only team to open each of the first 11 seasons at home.
• Ramon Nunez scored his first two goals of the 2007 season today. It was the second time in his career that he’s scored twice in one game. The only other time he scored twice in a game was on July 29, 2006, in a 4-1 win over Colorado at Pizza Hut Park.
• In 2006, Nunez scored three of his six goals against Colorado. He has now scored five goals in the last three meetings between FC Dallas and Colorado. Ramon spent the past week in Honduras obtaining his U.S. residency, returning to Dallas on Friday evening and training with the team for the first time on Saturday.
• FCD is now 9-0-2 versus Colorado in regular season home games over the past 11 games. The last time Colorado won a regular season game in Dallas was on May 5, 2001. Since then, Dallas has won four times at the Cotton Bowl, twice at Dragon Stadium, and registered a 3-0-1 record against the Rapids at Pizza Hut Park.
• The three goals for FCD in one game were the most since the 4-1 win over Colorado last July. Since that game, the team had played 15 regular season games before today’s 3-1 win.
• Dominic Oduro scored his first goal of the season today. It was his second career goal, the first one coming on July 8, 2006 in a 2-1 win over NY at PHP.
• Dax McCarty recorded his first career assist on Ramon’s first goal today.
• Ramon joins teammates Carlos Ruiz and Kenny Cooper with two goals apiece this year. FCD is the only team in the League to have three multi-goal scorers at this point in the season.
• Dallas also increased its record for the month of April to 10-2-5 since the 2004 season.
• Today's attendance was 20,500. It was the team’s second consecutive regular season sell-out, having also filled the house in the last regular season game in 2006.
• Steve Morrow on the game: “I’m very pleased with the victory; I think it was well deserved. We finished strong and I thought we played very well for the first 35 minutes or so. We dominated the game and gave up a very sloppy goal at a bad time when Colorado weren’t even in the game. It might have been a hand ball but we could have dealt with it better defensively, cleared up the danger and got it out of there. Whether or not it was a hand ball is open to debate but we could have dealt with it better. I think that gave them a little bit of impetus, encouragement they didn’t need, and they started to get back in the game towards the end of the first half. I think the second half was a little bit sloppy from us. I think we could have done better possessing the ball. That’s how the game goes sometimes, and we took our chances in the end.”

April 21 - Family Day at Training

Sloan Cassar, Jeff daughter, and Ajay, Marcus' son, enjoy a day at work with dad - as did Savage, Carlos' dog.
------------------------------------------------------

The guys were in by 10 am today for the last session before the home-opener - training for two hours on an sunny and 75 degrees day.

Today, a couple of new faces were part of the morning . Draft pick Chase Wileman was here, as was a new guest player - Rafael Rodriguez, a 22-year old defender from partner-club Tigres UANL (below) who arrived from Monterrey on Friday afternoon. He joined Tigres when he was 16, and moved up to the first team this year, however he has yet to make his first-team debut. Also making an appearance today for the first time was Savage - Fish's dog.

Fish bought Savage in Hungary seven years ago, when he traveled there for a game with team at the time, PAS Ioannina of the Greek First Division. At the time, Carlos' daughter Andrea had begun crawling. So when Carlos saw the dog, not only did he like him, but he also realized it could be a great learning tool for Andrea to get up and walk - she would have to get up in order to play with and chase Savage. It worked. Since then, Savage has lived in Hungary, Greece, Guatemala, Los Angeles, and of course now Dallas - with Carlos.

Savage was free to roam the locker room, the hall ways, and out on the adidas field. However, once the guys started warming up, Carlos put him on the leash which was affixed to the fence. Team equipment manager Marcus Owens brought out a pop-up tent, and a bowl of water, and for a good stretch, Savage watched practice nice and comfortably in the shade. When Carlos finished practice, Savage was unhooked and seemed to enjoy the field.
Also making an appearance today were a couple of kids - Sloan, Jeff Cassar's daugher, and Ajay, Marcus' son.

So, let's get back to practice. Following the traditional warm ups, a large keep-away game was formed in the midfielder circle. Three guys are in the middle trying to intercept the passes from the guys on the perimeter. The outside guys one-touch the ball around, making sure it does not go outside the circle, trying to reach 20 without getting it picked off. If you reach 20, the guys in the center stay in...if picked off, the player who messed up had to go in the center with his pre-selected other two teammates. We won't name names, but some guys seemed to spend a lot of time in the middle.

Afterwards, three short courses with four flags spaced 10 feet apart were set up parallel to each other. The group was divided into three teams of eight - and then each team had to have four guys on either end of the course. A few different sets of agility drills were conducted - such as a guy carrying a ball on a sprint around a flag, and throwing / kicking the ball to his teammate on the other end. Whichever team had everyone go through first won (they didn't really win anything, but like we've said before, these guys like to compete, and such drills no longer become drills when you're trying to win.)

Following that session, Steve and Oscar put the guys through some formation play on the big field. From what we saw at practice, tomorrow's formation will be something like this: a few defenders backed up by a keeper and some guys playing from the middle to the top.

During this time, Wags, Roberto, Adrian, and Sandy were on the sidelines working out with trainers Josh and Robbie.

The session ended with a short-sided 7v7 game involving some players that are not expected to start on Sunday, with the rest of the guys watching from the sidelines.

April 20 - Two Days Away

Here we are on Friday afternoon, two days before the season opener - finally. The guys are getting ready, the field looks awesome, the stadium is ready, and the fans have been ready for this for some time. The guys trained out on the adidas field this morning, and are looking to get on the field on Saturday for a final session.

The guys have been out and about the area promoting the team and the opener all week...Chris, Kenny, Blake, and Clarence went to local schools to talk to kids this morning...Drew and Alex will be at other schools this afternoon (Arturo and Ray visited a school each on Thursday)... Chris, Sandy, Scott, and Tommy were out at soccer clinic on Thursday evening... this morning, Dax and Bobby were downtown at Victory Park, where they were the lead guests on Good Morning Texas (WFAA Channel 8)...a bunch more appearances are scheduled for next week, both at schools and soccer clinics throughout the area.

BTW - Ramon received his paperwork U.S. Residency paperwork yesterday in Honduras and is on his way back to Dallas right now.

Here's some photos of Dax and Bobby this morning downtown...the bottom photo is the guys with actor Stephen Baldwin, who followed them on the show to promote his new movie:

EdgeFest Follow Up

------------------------------------------------------

While the team was playing in freezing rain in New York last Sunday, the rest of the office staff was here in Frisco - busy with the EdgeFest 16 Concert. And what a show it was...

A Pizza Hut Park stadium record-crowd of 28,242 fans came out on a sunny 72 degree day to watch 27 performing acts entertain on three different stages...the main stage inside and two temporary stages outside on the blue lot.

As a stadium, we take a great deal of pride in providing the best possible service and attention to our fans, partners (such as The Edge and AEG Live), as well as to the guest - in this case, all the bands. We want them to leave here feeling like it was the best place to perform - and this can happen by when the crowds are lively and tuned in. So this year, we purposely planned the concert on a day we knew would be close to perfect (last year, people were baking in the sun and 90 + weather).

Parking, concession stands, ATM machines, access ways, security, signage, facilities, ushers, cleaning crews, maintenance, video board operators - there's so much that goes into an event like this - and from all accounts, everyone was happy and both fans and artists had a great time...Click here for the post-concert review from Dallas Morning News'...below you see Hitch with members of Blue October (Hitch is the tall one in the middle)....

We try to take advantage of any event that comes through our complex to make as many people fans of FC Dallas as we can. For concerts, FCD and PHP General Manager Michael Hitckcock gives band members an FC Dallas jersey or other gear when he welcomes them - to the home of FC Dallas! This year, we even opened one of our fields for some bands to go kick the ball around - members of MUSE and A.F.I. took advantage of it and were out there 'warming up' with the soccer balls. They loved the fields!

Early in the day, Hitch started giving our the jersey to some bands, and soon, we had other bands seeking Hitch out to get their own Hoops jersey. The fun continued all the way till the headlining act - The Killers. Hitch gave drummer Ronnie Vannucci a jersey, and he proceeded to show it off by wearing it on stage during The Killers set (left)...Hitch giving jerseys to My Chemical Romance...

April 17 - Marcelo's Out 4-6 Weeks

On Monday we received the results on Marcelo's MRI - he'll be out 4-6 weeks with a sprained right MCL...Marcelo was injured in the 25th minute of last week's 2-1 win over LA at the Home Depot Center....here's the other player injury updates.

April 17 - Back in Town

Ahh the joys of travel - it seems like there's always a story. On Monday morning, the guys had to meet in the hotel lobby at 7:15 am, at which time we were to leave for the 10 mile trip to Newark Airport for the 9:55 flight...sounds kind of early, right. Well, with the amount of rain that fell the day before, and kept on coming throughout the night, and into the morning, we were anticipating some traffic delays - and we were correct.

The bus that was to drive the group to the airport in the morning couldn't make it to the hotel because all the flooding in the area had closed some of the streets...when the bus finally did arrive at about 8:50, we knew we'd be cutting it close to be able to get everyone checked in on time...it was pouring and there were three buses parked under the carport at the hotel, so our bus couldn't turn around in the covered area in order for us to load the luggage...the guys grabbed the equipment bags, ran out to the parking lot where the bus was trying to turn around, and filled the loaded the bus within minutes - it was a team effort of guys running back and forth in the rain until all the bags were loaded on.

On our way to the airport, we saw the flooding had closes a road right near our hotel, and then on the highway we had to go over a ramp as water had built up on an underpass that made it impassible.

As we were driving, we called the airline to explain our situation, hoping to delay the flight. We're told it couldn't happen. The way our trips have gone recently we were expecting the worse - we'd been told on the phone that we had missed the check-in time, and that the next available flight was at 7 pm.

Still, the guys were quiet and confident that it would all work out - when we did arrive at the airport at about 9:20, we went straight to a supervisor and again explained the situation...the supervisor was understanding, made some calls, and within minutes, all of the airline tickets had been printed as well as tags for the 40 or so bags (of which most were heavy, filled with wet gear)...they delayed the flight in order for our entire group to check in and board.

In seen from movies, the guys are running to security, and then once out of security, hearing the announcements of "last call to board"...we all made it, some laughing as we entered the plane and grateful that we didn't have to stay at the airport all day. The guys get comfortable in the plane, with some already nodding off as the safety announcements began. Moments later, an announcement on the PA says something along the lines of..."we have some mechanical issues we have to deal...we'll be returning to the gate."

The reply was as expected - laughter. Of course it couldn't have been this easy!

A little while later, we were in the air. We arrived only about an hour late, with the bus pulling into Pizza Hut Park at around 3 pm - a safe and dry end to the trip.

The team is off on Tuesday, and is scheduled to train at 10 am on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

NOTE: Upon arrival on Monday, we learned the results of Marcelo's MRI...he has a sprained right MCL, which will have him out of action for 4-6 weeks.

April 15 - FCD 0, New York 3

It's been a few hours since the games ended, and most of the guys seemed to have thawed out by now... it's crazy how the rain just won't stop...so with the late arriving cross-country flight, the short turn-around, the weather, the injuries, NY's home-opener, etc., the guys have plenty to blame today's loss on- however, no one is making excuses; we lost the game / NY won the game, what ever way it's phrased, it was not the performance the team expects of themselves...and to make things a little bit worse, our Reserve Team followed up the first game by losing 4-1 later in the evening...

Player updates:
David Wagenfuhr had a cat-scan at Hackensack Hospital during the second-half of the game - he was diagnosed with a concussion. He was in good spirits at the team hotel, watching the Colorado vs. Chicago game with the rest of the team at night...Clarence Goodson joined NY keeper Ronald Waterreus in having hypothermia symptoms - both were replaced at about the same time... we should have an update on Marcelo's knee injury tomorrow...he had an MRI last Friday and we're expecting the results to come in on Monday...Ramon left for Houston tonight following the game. In the morning, he'll be on his way to Tegucigalpa, Honduras...we have his appointment set up for Thursday morning at the U.S. Embassy - at that point, he should receive his approval to become a U.S. Resident (green card holder) and then be ready to return to Dallas on Friday morning...Andrew Daniels said goodbye to the team again - he'll rejoin the team once he's done with school at Brown in May...

Reserve Team Lineup: Dario Sala (Ray Burse 46), Blake Wagner, Michael Dello-Russo, Andrew Daniels, Ricky Lewis, Aaron Pitchkolan, Anthony Wallace, Tommy Krizanovic (Chase Wileman 80), Dominic Oduro, Scott Jones (Sun Potter 80), Abe Thompson.

The team is 'expected' to fly out from Newark at 9:55 am - and with the Monday morning traffic and the expected airport delays, we're leaving the hotel at 7 am...the training schedule will be set on Monday.

April 14 - FCD trains at Giants Stadium

Let's see, we last left of this story on Friday afternoon, at about 2:45 pm PT as the team was boarding the flight that was scheduled to take everyone from LAX to Newark...It's one thing is to board, but another for the plane to move...especially on Friday, the 13th of April...

As we get comfortable, the pilot informs the passengers that three things to happen before the plane could move: 1.) Needed another member of the flight crew; 2.) Had to have a confirmed 'wheels up' from Newark, as they were having some long delays; and 3.) there were some mechanical things that needed to get 'checked off'..."we should have this all confirmed shortly, we appreciate your patience."

About an hour and a half later, we're told we need to switch planes, so everyone needs to get off..."there should be a plane at gate 40 that will be replacing this one, we apologize for...."...so everyone gets off the plane - the guys stretch their legs and go looking for food, at this point there is no time table for departure ... within 20 minutes, we're told that the ETA is now 5:30...the guys come back, we board, and the wheels are up at 6:30 (which is actually 9:30 on the east coast). No one really complains, there's enough guys on the trip keeping everything light, and besides, no matter when we left, a good number of the player were planning on sleeping...the delay just made everyone that much more tired.

The plane lands at Newark at 2:05 am...after picking up the equipment and boarding the bus, we arrive at the Crown Plaza Secaucus at 3 am...a snack had been arranged, which all the guys took advantage of - sandwiches, cookies, fruits, drinks...everyone was in their rooms by 3:30...

Saturday (the rest of the day) - Andrew Daniels met the guys for lunch at 11:30, and the bus left for Giants Stadium at 1:15...the rest of the team left Dallas in the morning and landed at Newark at noon (we have our first Reserve Game following the first team on Sunday)...the first group was in the middle of warm ups when the second group slowly start coming out of the Giants Stadium ramp onto the field...joining the 17 players that made the trip from LA are Blake Wagner, Michael Dello-Russo, Dario Sala, Anthony Wallace, Tommy Krizanovic, and Scott Jones, as well as guest players Ricky Lewis, Sun Potter, and 2007 Supplemental Draft pick Chase Wileman...the latter three (and Dario) are available to play in the Reserve Game only...

Training lasts a little over an hour...afterwards, the coaches and a few players head into NYC, where some proceed to spend two hours in the adidas store...dinner is served at 8 pm at the hotel, and then a bunch of the guys stayed at the hotel restaurant to watch the Houston v Chivas game...below is a 3:30 minute clip of today's training, along with comments from Steve...

April 13 - Volleyball and Cross-country travel...

Following the game last night, as Marcelo sat in the back of the locker room holding ice on his knee and still in pain, all the guys made their way to him - with hi-fives and "keep your head up" was a common line, in both Spanish and English...on Friday morning, a buffet-style breakfast was ready by 8:15 am, and most of the guys were already down by 8:30, Marcelo among the early ones as he had to catch a flight back to Dallas...while we bring him to the airport, the rest of the team began preparing for the morning recovery session - heading to Redondo Beach...Steve and Oscar led them on a run, followed by a cold plunge into the ocean...it's about 75 degrees here, and sunny - and the guys are hearing the stories of what it's like in NY today, and what it could be like over the weekend...with that, the shirts remained off and a volleyball game commenced:

Team 1: Dominic, Ray, Arturo, Pitch, Abe, Drew, Clarence, and Josh (head trainer)
Team 2: Shaka, Wags, Bobby, Dax, Carlos, Kenny, Juan, and Marcus (equipment manager)

Chris, Ramon and Alex were on the sidelines serving as the crowd / announcers / referees (or hecklers as some of the guys called them).

We could make some comments on the level of play, but we wont'...we will let you know that there were some funny moments..

While Shaka seemed to easily control one side of the front line (for the most part), his teammate Rhine needed some assistance on the other side - Bobby kept trying to pile sand up in his area, so, you know, he could, um, jump higher. Shaka often offered to assist when Bobby need to hit one over, pulling down the net at times when the ball was on Bobby's side...Marcus at times seemed to be the guy who knew how to pass the best, though the guys got a kick out of watching him 'run' backwards to save a few chances...Juan's overhand serve - well, we think the laughs he heard were what caused him to serve the next few underhand...Arturo's dive (s)...Abe's 'passing' backwards and to the sides...Dominic or Shaka's muscle-man poses after a 'spike'...Carlos hiding in the back row - behind Dax to keep from hitting his famed shots off the side of his arms...5-8 Josh having the highest jump on the court...some joggers would run by, one asking "where are you guys from?"...to which almost in unison, the guys on the court answered, "Dallas"...next question, "What are you guys doing here"...again, together, "playing volleyball"...it took a few seconds to re-group after laughing at the answer...we could go on but we think you get the point - it was a fun way to end the LA leg of the trip, and we're about to board on our way to Newark...Team 2 won the best of three series...we expect to land at 11:15, and train tomorrow when the rest of the team arrives.

Hitchcock - "Looking for Ad Director of the Day"

FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock

Looking for FC DALLAS ADVERTISING DIRECTOR OF THE DAY: In search of creative, articulate, savvy, knowledgeable FC Dallas fan who can assist FC Dallas in developing an innovative Advertising campaign that will connect with current FC Dallas fans and help bring out more soccer fans to Pizza Hut Park for FC Dallas games.

In my blog post, FC Dallas: The Fans Team on March 1st, I referenced that our ultimate goal for FC Dallas is to become the fans team. We plan to accomplish that goal by providing behind the scenes access to our players, unique FCD content and a great game day experience plus some innovative fan initiatives including bullet point (5) from that blog.

(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.

Well, here are the details:

What makes a great advertising campaign? If you look at some of the most successful ad campaigns, they have one thing in common: “A true understanding of the customer to the extent that the ad makes a true connection with that same customer or prospective customer.”

We’re excited to announce our 2007 Advertising Campaign which takes this basic principal to the next level. We’re not going to do focus groups or market research telemarketing calls to help us create our campaign; instead, we’re going to allow our fans to be the creative team that develops a campaign that will hopefully connect with fans, customers and prospective customers. And help us fill the Park for FC Dallas home games.

The Campaign revolves around the concept of FC Dallas Soccer: Experience it! We take a lot of pride in the FC Dallas Soccer experience and no one knows what that experience means to fans (and customers) than you, our loyal fan. So you’ll have a chance to become FC Dallas Advertising Director of the Day for our 2007 Home Games. We want you to tell us what is the FC Dallas Soccer Experience as it relates to each game - whether it’s a promotion such as Fireworks on the Fourth of July or the opponent, etc. Tell us and in turn, if you’re selected with the best concept, we’ll use that slogan as our creative for the marketing of that game.

Examples:

4/22 Game… FC Dallas Soccer: Experience Opening Day (although we know that there would have been some other creative slogans for the game vs. Colorado we decided that sports fans can connect with the excitement and importance of Opening Day regardless of the sport plus we want fans to know that we’re starting our season. Plus we play Colorado later in the season and can get more creative thenJ)

4/26 Game… FC Dallas Soccer: Experience Frisco (this game is Frisco Community Night where we’re rallying the local community to sell out the stadium.) Most of our marketing will be targeted towards Frisco and promoting this city that we proudly call home.

4/29 FC Dallas vs. New England Revolution (where looking for the creative tag for this game that we’ll use for our marketing including Dallas Morning News ads, in-stadium promo on 4/26, internet, etc.). Tell us how we should pitch this game... describe the experience that will help rally soccer fans/ players/ coaches/ etc. to come out to Pizza Hut Park.

And going forward for all of our home games, let us know what you, our fans, think will be an effective creative tag that will best describe the experience for our fans, customers and prospective customers.

If your creative is selected for the game’s ad campaign, you’ll win FC Dallas Advertising Director of the Day for that game which includes the following prize (plus you’ll see your creative in our campaign for that game.)

FC Dallas Marketing Director of the Day Prize Package:
4 Midfield Club West tickets for that game
4 Verizon Wireless Club access passes for that game
4 VWC Buffet dinners & drinks at that game
1 Platinum parking pass for that game
1 Framed ad with the winning slogan

Click on this link and enter your “creative slogan” for our next home game, beginning with the game on April 29 versus New England. Check back after each game is selected to enter a slogan for the following game. Enter as many times as you’d like. Please note that we have creative deadlines to meet so we can produce postcards, ads, posters, TV spots, radio spots, etc. in time.

Thanks as always for your support, and thanks in advance for your input into our 2007 FC Dallas Advertising campaign. Help us describe to fans “what is the FC Dallas experience.” With your input, we know that we can fill Pizza Hut Park and provide the best home field advantage in Major League Soccer.

Sincerely,

Hitch

General Manager
FC Dallas and Pizza Hut Park

April 12 - FCD v LA

Steve and the coaching staff challenged the guys tonight, and they responded with the first win against the Galaxy in California since 2000. They also ended another streak - finally taking a penalty kick...The team was going to do their recovery session at one of the fields at the Home Depot Center on Friday morning, but they are instead going to the beach...they'll get their run in and use the cool ocean water to help in the muscle recovery, before flying out to NY in the afternoon. Below are some notes on Thursday's game (and you can go to www.fcdallas.net for a recap and for more reactions...

Other Notes:

• With the win, Dallas breaks a streak of eight consecutive regular season losses to the Galaxy at the Home Depot Center. Dallas had also lost to LA at the HDC in the 2005 U.S. Open Cup.
• Prior to tonight, the last time Dallas won in California against the Galaxy was on Sept. 6, 2000, a 1-0 win at the Rose Bowl from a goal by Jorge Rodriguez. From that game, only Bobby Rhine (FCD) and Cobi Jones (LA) are still playing with their respective teams today. Both Rhine and Jones played 90 minutes in that game, as did current FCD assistant coach Oscar Pareja.
• Dallas is now 9-1-5 in games played during the month of April since the 2004 season.
• Carlos Ruiz’s penalty kick goal was the first penalty kick attempt in a regular season game for Dallas since Sept. 24 2005. FCD was the only team in MLS to not attempt a single penalty kick in 2006.
• FCD is now 11-0-2 in games when Kenny Cooper scores a goal over his two regular seasons in MLS (and 12-0-2 if you include the Open Cup win over Charleston last August, in which Kenny scored three goals).
• Today marked the sixth time over the last two seasons that both Ruiz and Cooper have scored in the same game – which is the most among any MLS teammates in that span. FCD is 5-0-1 when the duo score in the same game (corrected at 2 pm CT; thanks to Anonymous for the correction)
• The goal for Ruiz, who is in his sixth MLS season, was his 91st combined regular season (76) and playoff goal (15). Only five players have scored more combined goals in MLS history, and only four have scored at least 100 combined.
• In addition, Ruiz has now scored 15 career goals during the month of April since entering the League in 2002 (23 games) – only Jason Kreis (19 goals in 43 April games) and Jaime Moreno (17 goals in 37 April games) have scored more in the in April games...
• Of his 76 regular season goals, 16 have come from the penalty spot. Only Moreno (29) and Preki (23) have scored more from the spot in MLS history.
• And finally, the goal for Ruiz was his third against his former team – but his first at the Home Depot Center against LA. Ruiz was traded by LA to Dallas in March 2005.
• Second-year midfielder Dax McCarty made his first career MLS start tonight, playing the full 90 minutes.
• Tonight’s game was the debut of ESPN2 Primetime Thursdays – with the win, Dallas is now 4-1-1 on ESPN2 / ABC over the past two season. Cooper has scored in three of those games.
• A few changes were made to the lineup tonight compared to the season opener. Drew Moor moved from center back to right back, with Alex Yi replacing Bobby Rhine and taking over the center back role. Also, Dax McCarty started in place of Arturo Alvarez, as the team started with a 4-3-1-2 formation.
• Midfielder Marcelo Saragosa left tonight’s game in the 29th minute with an injury to his right MCL. He will return to Dallas on Friday to be further evaluated.
• FCD continues its road trip by traveling cross-country to New York on Friday afternoon, expecting to arrive at Newark International Airport at 11:30 pm. The rest of the FC Dallas teams will fly from DFW to Newark on Saturday, and the full team has tentatively scheduled a practice for 1:30 pm ET at Giants Stadium. FCD will face the NY Red Bulls on Sunday, April 15 at 3 pm ET (live on Telefutura), followed by the team’s first Reserve Division game of the year.
• Steve Morrow on the game: “We’re delighted with the performance tonight. It’s our first win at the Home Depot Center (against LA) and that’s a big, big positive for us. I think it’s great for the team mentally to be able to overcome that hurdle. We spoke about it before the game and I threw out the challenge to the players that we hadn’t won here and I wanted to go out and enjoy that challenge – and they did. I’m very pleased with the result but I think there’s more to come from this team. We defended very well tonight but I think going forward we can possess the ball a lot better and cause teams even more problems.”

April 12 - ESPN2 Primetime Thursday

The team is in LA, having arrived on Wednesday afternoon after training at Pizza Hut Park in the morning. Lunch was served at the stadium and then the 18 players and staff boarded the bus en route to DFW...Chris Gbandi's on this trip, and his presence is noticed before the bus pulls out of the parking lot...between his singing, jokes, and sarcasm, the guys are laughing all the way to the airport...the flight was supposed to be at 3:20 pm out of Gate C8....at about 2:45, we hear the announcement of the gate change - not bad, it was now C2. So, as one can imaging, at about 3:50, we start boarding.

We arrive at LAX at 5:20 local time (we're two hours behind Dallas time, so in Dallas it would have been 7:20)...it's an hour later than programmed, and most of the guys are pretty hungry by now...We get the bags, call the bus that waits outside the terminal, and we're on our way to the Hilton Torrance hotel...we call ahead to make sure our keys are ready at the front desk - they are, and Steve passes them out...guys usually know who they are rooming with, but not always, especially if there's a change to the traveling party.

The guys had 10 minutes to put their stuff down and meet back in the lobby - this time, not a coach's call but the PR guy. See, this is the first ESPN2 Primetime Thursday broadcast of the year, and we've been going back and forth with many of their producers, directors, talents, etc. scheduling out interviews and providing some background on the team and players. So, earlier in the week, we had confirmed to ESPN2 that the guys would be available for short intros and interviews once we arrived.

The Player Intros (apologies to ESPN2 if you didn't want us to mention the following) - similar to Monday night football, it appears the starting 11 for each team will be introducing themselves. ESPN had reserved a banquet room at the hotel and were set up when we arrived. Inside the room, which was facing the hotel pool, they had a green screen set up as the background, a chair placed about 10 feet in front, with a hanging boom microphone, angled lights, a silver board to keep the light even - and of course a camera / man who worked closely with his sound guy controlling the audio. The producer was there also, he would ask the questions...The windows were covered with black drapes to keep light (or people) out.

Initially, they wanted the starting 11. However, since one never knows if a probable starter would have something happen between the day before and the start of the game which would cause him not to start, we all wanted to make sure ESPN was prepared for all the players - so all 18 taped intros.

The guys come in, knowing full well that the first guys down would be the first guys out - and on their way to food! Alex, Dave, Chris, Clarence, Dominic, Abe, Dax, Drew were the first to show up. They each get their red and white jersey...

Wags goes first. He sits down in the chair, facing the camera and gets miked - they ask him for a sound check, he gives says "check" - um, one word was not enough to see if the audio levels were correct. A little laughter at him being the guinea pig, since after all, not many of the guys had these type of sit downs before...Wags counts to ten as instructed and the audio checks out - let's roll...

"David Wagenfuhr, defender, Colorado Springs, Colorado." ...and again, and another...we're not sure the guys knew, but the three takes were because the camera zoomed in closer each time, and the final one was a real up close, close-up.

Next, face the wall on your right, and on three, turn your head towards the camera...also a few times...these are serious looks, or as serious as some of the guys can look.

One by one the guys do this - interesting to all was the sensitivity of the mikes...if someone was walking outside the room making the slightest of noise, we'd have to do a take over...everyone in the room had to be silent, not texting if your keys made noise...

ESPN2 had requested sit down interviews with Shaka, Carlos, Bobby, and Kenny...these four were the last to do their intros - and then proceed to interviews. Bobby went first - the veteran of the team who can speak on where the team has been, where it is now, and where he sees it going...

While Kenny was waiting for Bobby to finish, Shaka had come back in (he was here earlier, but since he had to wait for the others to do their intros, he went to the lobby to call home)...and a minute later Fish enters...we leave it to the three to decide which one is interviewed next...Fish say, "Shaka, you should go first since you are the oldest"...camera guys, producer, and the other two laugh...

Shaka talks about his World Cup experience, and representing his country...he's passionate about the campaign he help start ten years ago "Show Racism the Red Card"...he talks about the peaks and lows of 2006, and where he sees this team now...

Two guys left, and I think we know who would be next - the oldest guy between the two.

Carlos sits down - he's more and more comfortable doing interviews in English now - even so, we re-assure him that there is a lot of tape and that we'll do re-takes if he wants to. Sometimes, when you're speaking in a second language, you're still thinking in your first - and by doing so, you know what you want to say, but also know that your translated thoughts are not sounding right or coming across as you intend. It can be frustrating, but we (including the ESPN guys) thought he was fine. Fish is asked about his feeling for Guatemala, about Kenny, about the new direction of the team, about the chemistry of the team...

Kenny finishes - some similar questions he's had before...coming from Man. U...the difference...his family's soccer history...how the team is looking and how to get over last year's ending...They ask about Carlos...and what he has on his IPod right now...Kenny is the kid among these four - but is a composed veteran in front of the camera...

we're done at about 8 pm...we'll see the team again for a team snack at noon on Thursday...if you're in the Dallas area, we hope you can make it to The Londoner in Addision for the Official Away Game Viewing party...The broadcast starts at 9 CT, but kickoff is at 9:30...this was a change to the original schedule, since ESPN2 is now doing a 30 minute pregame... Dave O'Brien and Eric Wynalda will be in the booth, with Allen Hopkins on the sidelines...

Did You Know...
PRIMETIME: FCD posted a 3-1-1 record on ESPN2 / ABC in 2006 - giving national TV audiences a few dramatic finishes…

Apr 1 – PHP – season opener on ABC vs Chicago; FCD twice came back from deficits to earn the win - with local product Kenny Cooper scoring the winning goal in the 70th min of the 3-2 victory…

Apr. 23 – PHP – ESPN2 vs KC: The Wizards tied the game at 1-1 in the 92nd minute, but second-half sub Aaron Pitchkolan scored from the top of the box in the 94th to give FCD the 2-1 win…

May 13 – PHP – ESPN2 vs Houston: A Dallas own-goal in the 81st minute gave Houston the 1-1 tie…

July 15 – Toyota Park – ESPN2 vs. Chicago: Bobby Rhine ties the game for FCD at 2-2 in the 77th and Cooper’s 80th minute goal gave Dallas the 3-2 win versus Chicago.

Aug 12 – Robertson Stadium – taped delayed on ESPN2 vs Houston; the Dynamo hold on for the 1-0 win.

April 10 - Easter Egg Hunt

The full team was back on the field today training - going through a two hour session. As you see below, Steve was experimenting with players in different positions today. Following training, as they often do, some players had been scheduled for an appearance - the FC Dallas Foundation Easter Egg Hunt at Pizza Hut Park.

Many people don't realize how involved the guys are in the community. They make appearance almost on a daily basis, regularly appearing at soccer association functions, conducting clinics at partnering youth teams, visiting hospitals, at charity functions and community events like "Lift up America", visiting businesses....Over the next couple of weeks, they'll make over 20 visits to area schools. We often talk about how the guys prepare for competition, but from time to time we want to give them the credit due for how well they represent FC Dallas out in the community.

Back to today's event. The FC Dallas Foundation began last year with a mission: to serve the DFW Metroplex through the creation and support of programs, events and organizations that benefit the overall good of our community, and positively advance the lives of disadvantaged youth through the sport of soccer.

One of the ways the foundation can achieve its goals is through the Kicks for Kids Program - which is set up for businesses and individuals that want to and can contribute either game tickets or other benefits for kids - provided to a local youth organization through the Foundation. Through this program, not only do many under-priviledged kids get a opportunity to attend FC Dallas games for free, but we can also provide these kids with fun events like today's Easter Egg Hunt, or a mid-summer ice cream social, or the end of year holiday party.

Today, we 'hid' over 10,000 colorful eggs all over the stadium field, each egg filled with a toy. There were some eggs that were silver or gold, which had special prizes in them. Nearly 300 kids came in, many from local youth organizations suchs as Dallas SCORES - first playing on the inflatables, then running and collecting eggs, and then counting their collection together over snacks and drinks.

Pablo signs, but...

Pablo Ricchetti has signed a contract with the team (last Thursday)...though there are a few more steps necessary before he's eligible to play in an official MLS game.

A SHORT VERSION OF HOW THE PROCESS MOVES FORWARD: Since Thursday and Friday were holidays in many places (thus, days off), the process to acquire his player pass (International Transfer Certificate) from the Argentine federation will begin today. This is a 'card' which is held by the governing federation in the country that a player plays in. So his pass will now go from the Argentine Futbol Association to the U.S. Soccer Federation, where he will be registered while playing in a league here in the United States.

In addition, since his contract is signed, he can now apply for his work visa. Non-U.S. citizens or non-residents must have permission from the U.S. government to work in the U.S. - and, since players are here 'working', they require a special work visa in order to 'work / play'. Pablo can now apply for his visa, which could take anywhere up to 15 business days to be approved. Once the visa is approved, he'll need to go to a U.S. Embassy outside of the U.S. to be interviewed and have his visa affixed to his passport. At that point, he's eligible to come 'work' in the US and be eligible to play....but....

The team will also need to create a roster space for him. Since Pablo is above 25 years old (he's 30), he can not join the Developmental Roster - so a Senior Roster spot will have be opened up...

The team will also have to open up a Senior International slot (SI) to fit Pablo in. Each team has four SI slots - FCD's are occupied by Marcelo, Adrian, Carlos, and one of the young international players (Toja, Nunez, Oduro, Mina). The other three young guys occupy the three available Youth International slots (YI - for players under 25 years old).

See, teams may have more or less then three YI slots. Dallas has three - so one of the younger guys can take up an open SI slot if available. YI slots can be traded and acquired permanently or for a specified time frame - so FCD could seek to acquire a YI slot from another team, thus having four YI spaces - one for each of the four young international players. That would free up the fourth SI slot for Pablo to take....but...

That may not be necessary. Ramon Nunez has received the necessary documents that will allow him to interview for his U.S. residency (green card). Ramon will be traveling to Honduras next Monday, April 16 for an appointment with the U.S. Embassy there. If everything goes smooth, Ramon will join Dario, Shaka, Tommy, and Sandy as U.S. residents (Chris Gbandi is a dual-citizen of the U.S. and Liberia) - thus not occupying an international slot. So, Toja, Mina, and Oduro would take up the three YI slots, and Pablo will join Ruiz, Marcelo, and Adrian as the four SIs.

Got that?

April 9 - Scrimmage vs. Tulsa

Abe Thompson re-directs a McCarty freekick to tie the game right before the half today. The picture snapped a split second too soon, and the ball can be seen (under the keepers' right arm) heading in...(believe us)
==================================

Having returned to Dallas on Sunday afternoon from Salt Lake, the guys were back at Pizza Hut Park this morning for a scheduled scrimmage against Tulsa University. This game had originally been scheduled for March 30 - however, when the Haiti national team confirmed they were coming to play the U.S. U-20 that week, they also agreed to play the FCD reserves. Well, as it turns out, the Haiti team left after the game on Wed. March 28 - so we were left without a scrimmage.

Anyway, back to this game:

Final - FCD 4, Tulsa 2; goals by McCarty, Thompson (2), and Oduro.

Starting lineup:

-------------------Dario---------------

Dello-Russo----Yi ----Wagner----C. Gbandi

--------Pitchkolan------Wallace--------

S. Gbandi------McCarty-------Oduro

-------------Thompson-----------

Tulsa was on the board quickly, taking a 1-0 lead after only two minutes. They beat an offsides trap near midfield, sending in two players alone at Sala. Dario came out to the top of the box to cut off one shot, but the player made a simple pass to his right where the other player simple passed the ball into the goal.

The lead stood for only a few minutes. Dax McCarty stepped up to take a free kick a few yards to past the right edge of the arc at the top of the box. Dax curled the ball over the far side of the wall, placing the ball into the left side net to even the score.

A scary moment happened at about the 25th minute, when Sandy Gbandi went down with an injury to the area around his left shoulder. He was replaced by Tommy Krizanovic. Sandy will be evaluated this afternoon and we should have an update on his injury later this evening.

About ten minutes after entering, Tommy received a through ball from Abe Thompson that sent him alone on a quick one-on-one with the Tulsa keeper. The keeper did well to cut off the angle, forcing Tommy's shot wide left. On the restart, Tulsa took the ball down the left side and caught Sala off his line, enough to chip in a shot to reclaim the lead.

However, FCD once again evened the score, this time just before the halftime break. Chris Gbandi was fouled 10 yards outside the top of the box on the left side. McCarty once again stepped up to take the kick, lifting a cross that Abe Thompson re-directed with the outside of his foot from seven yards out to make the score 2-2.

FCD put the game away early in the second half, with Oduro and Thompson netting one a piece. In the 50th minute, Dominic dribbled the ball towards the top of the box and hit a right-footed shot that deflected off a Tulsa defender past the keeper's reach and into the net. Ten minutes later, Anthony Wallace took a free kick from the edge of the endline just past the right side of the area that Thompson was able to head in for the last goal of the game.

Many players changed positions for the second half. Chris Gbandi was replaced by Scott Jones, Dax McCarty by assistant coach Oscar Pareja, and Alex Yi by assistant coach Marco Ferruzzi - which moved Blake out to left back, Pitchkolan to center mid along with Dell0-Russo, with Ferruzzi playing right back. Oscar played in the center with Wallace, alonside Jones and Krizanovic. A guest player - Sun Potter - filled in on the right with Dominic and Abe splitting time up top. Potter recently finished his eligibility with Midwestern State University, and had been set to play for Virginia Beach (USL) before the team was disbanded last week.

FC DALLAS : Dario Sala (Ray Burse 46), C. Gbandi (Scott Jones 46), Blake Wagner, Alex Yi (Marco Ferruzzi 55), Michael Dello-Russo, Aaron Pitchkolan, Dax McCarty (Oscar Pareja 56), Anthony Wallace, Sandy Gbandi Jr. (Tommy Krizanovic 27), Dominic Oduro (Sun Potter 56), Abe Thompson

FCD 2, RSL 2 - Fish and Kenny score

Not the prettiest of games, but FCD is going back to Texas after pulling out a draw at Real Salt Lake this afternoon to open the season - and it was done in dramatic fashion (or crushing fashion for RSL fans)...Clarence Goodson sent in a long ball to the center of the box that looked to deflect off a RSL defender, then again off Carlos Ruiz and into the net - in the 94th minute (the referee had added 4 minutes of stoppage time)...Kenny opened the scoring in the 19th minute: Shaka took a goal kick that bounced once to Ruiz, who did well to trap with his back to the goal and find Kenny running inside the box on the right side. Kenny hit a low shot to the far side for his first goal of the year...you can read more on the game and get the boxscores and stats on www.fcdallas.net (should be posted soon).

Below are some tidbits on the game:

• This was the first time in team history that Dallas began a season with a road game. Prior to this year, FCD was the only MLS team to have begun each of the first 11 years with a home game.
• With the tie, Dallas’ record on opening day is now 6-3-3…and 3-4-5 on the first road game of the year.
• The tie extended another streak that began in 2006….FCD is now 10-0-2 in games when Kenny Cooper scores a goal over his two seasons in MLS.
• Ruiz and Cooper, who led the team with 13 and 11 goals each respectively in 2006, have now scored in the same game on five occasions over the past two seasons. In 2006, they were one of three pairs of teammates to each score at least ten goals, though the only pair to do so in four games.
• The goal for Ruiz was his 90th combined regular season (75) and playoff goal (15). Only four players have scored more combined goals in MLS history.
• Today’s tie in injury time brought back memories of the first time Dallas played here last season. On July 22, 2006 Abe Thompson also scored in the 93rd minute to give FCD the 1-0 win here at Rice-Eccles.
• Of today’s FCD starters, Ruiz, Alvarez, Nunez, Rhine and Goodson were the only ones that also started last year’s season opener versus Chicago.

FCD head coach Steve Morrow: “Before the game we felt ready, felt prepared mentally and physically; felt confident. But we were just never able to get into any rhythm with our passing. We’re a team that likes to pass the ball around. I think we were fighting against the surface for the whole game today and never able to play how we wanted. But I thought we fought right to the end and got what we deserved. If we would have lost that game I thought it would have been unjust. We deserved to get a point and credit to the boys for fighting to the end."

FC Dallas captain Carlos Ruiz: “I think we had a good attitude today, we never let our arms down and kept fighting for the 94 minutes. But we are also realistic and know we didn’t play good. We know we didn’t hold on to the ball adequately up top, left spaces in the middle, and on defense they scored when they got there. So we all share the blame. It was good to get a tie as visitors, but I don’t think we played as good as we can.”

REMINDER - FCD Fan League

When we posted the FCD Fan League info on Wednesday evening, we weren't expecting the response we've received...as it is, the league has 90 teams...tell your friends they have till 1:30 CT to sign up - can we hit 100?

April 7 - Opening Day

The team trained at Pizza Hut Park on Friday morning and were their way to DFW by 11:30 am. After arriving in Salt Lake City at 3:30 pm local time, the guys chilled out, had dinner, and were in early. They've been focused all week heading into Saturday's opener - and tonight was no different - continuing to get mentally prepared for the game...On Saturday, they'll have breakfast, a team lunch, and head to the stadium at 2:30 pm...Kickoff is set for 4 pm local time, which is 5 pm in Dallas...

We've had some early positive responses to the viewing party location at The Londoner in Addison...and while the Londoner does have a private party scheduled in the afternoon, they'll be opening the doors at 4:30 for FCD fans to start filling in.

This year, FCD will be wearing a circle patch on their right sleave with the initials "LH" - in memory of late-owner Lamar Hunt. We received word from MLS on Thursday that they would be overnighting a Lamar Hunt patch for the team to use, which apparently the entire league will wear. However, since we'd already packed our gear for this trip, we'll be keeping the current patch that we've used starting with the Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup game versus Columbus (also, we have not seen or received the League version yet).

HERE'S A FEW "DID YOU KNOW" NOTES ABOUT THE GAME / TEAM (some of which you may hear again during the broadcast)

• this is the first time in team history that Dallas is beginning a season on the road...we were the only team in MLS to begin each of the first 11 seasons with a home game - going 6-3-2 in season / home openers.
• Dallas has posted a combined 3-4-4 record in the first road game of each season - going 2-0-4 over the past six road openers.
• Dallas has clinched a playoff berth in each of the past two seasons by defeating RSL late in the year (both games at PHP)...On Sept. 18, 2005, Roberto Mina scored twice to help FCD defeat RSL 2-1 and clinch a berth...then, on Sept 23, 2006, FCD once again beat RSL 2-1 behind goals from Kenny and Fish to become the first team in the West to enter the playoffs.
• FCD was 10-0-1 when Kenny Cooper scored a goal in 2006 (actually, 11-0-1 if you count the Open Cup win over Charleston when Kenny scored three)...
• veteran Bobby Rhine, who is entering his 9th season, has started only three season openers (he's played in 5)
• Abe Thompson's first goal of the 2006 season was against RSL - it was also the 500th goal in team history. On July 22, 2006, Abe's 93rd minute goal gave FCD the 1-0 victory at Rice-Eccles.
• Arturo Alvarez scored the team's first and last regular season goals in 2006.
• of the 29 players on the roster, 19 were selected in an MLS Draft (16 SuperDraft and 3 Supplemental Draft picks)

Couple things we'll be tracking this year...

Will FCD take a penalty kick? Did you know that out of the 902 fouls called between FCD and our opponents last year, only one occurred inside the penalty box - and that was a handball at Colorado on April 14 - which technically counts as a foul...Dallas became the second team in MLS history to go an entire season without taking a penalty kick (the last was KC in 2000)...the last time a Dallas player lined up to take a penalty in a regular season game was on Sept. 24, 2005 when Ramon put one past Pat Onstad at San Jose.

Fish's quest for 100 goals (combining regular season and playoffs)...did you know that there are only four players in MLS history to hit the 100 goal mark...(* = active)

*Jaime Moreno (11 seasons) = 105 reg season, 12 playoff = 117 total goals
*Jason Kreis (11 seasons) = 108 reg season, 4 playoff = 112 total goals
*Ante Razov (11 seasons) = 98 reg season, 11 playoff = 109 total goals
Roy Lassiter (7 seasons) = 88 reg season, 13 playoff = 101 total goals
*Jeff Cunnigham (9 season) = 90 reg season, 4 playoff = 94 total goals
Raul Diaz Arce (6 seasons) = 82 reg season, 8 playoff = 90 total goals
*Carlos Ruiz (5 seasons) = 74 reg season, 15 playoff = 89 total goals
Preki (10 seasons) = 79 reg season, 10 playoff = 89 total goals

Away Game Viewing Party - The Londoner

We've finalized a partnership with a soccer-friendly establishment - The Londoner in Addison - so that FCD fans in the Metroplex can gather to watch FCD's road games throughout this season...the fun begins this weekend with the season opener: FCD at Real Salt Lak on Sat. April 7 at 5 pm CT, live on FSN SW.

The Londoner in Addison

14930 Midway Rd. Addison, TX 75001.

(972) 458-2444
click here for the website

From the Dallas Tollway, go west on Beltline and turn south on Beltway Road...it is located one block down on the left.

Wear your FC Dallas gear and come support your team!

April 5 - Traveling Roster

The guys had a late start to training today - though planned.

Prior to heading out to the practice field, the team put on their red and white uniforms and headed down to the stadium field...the coaches and team staff went down dressed in blue polo's and dark slacks...and the ownership / management staff in suits with red ties....today was team picture day.

After squinting through 15-20 minutes worth of shots, the team headed out to the fields at about noon.

Following practice, Steve told the group which 18 players would travel to Salt Lake for the season opener on Saturday (5 pm CT live on FSN SW):

GK: Shaka Hislop, Ray Burse
Defenders: Clarence Goodson, Drew Moor, Bobby Rhine, David Wagenfuhr, Blake Wagner, Alex Yi
Midfielders: Marcelo Saragosa, Dax McCarty, Aaron Pitchkolan, Juan Toja, Arturo Alvarez, Ramon Nunez.
Forwards: Dominic Oduro, Carlos Ruiz, Kenny Cooper, Abe Thompson.

FCD Fan League - Fantasy League Soccer

We've created our own League for the "2007 MLS Fantasy Challenge," the official fantasy game of Major League Soccer (powered by Fox Soccer Channel and STATS).

IF YOU DON'T HAVE A LOGIN NAME...

1st - Click here to sign up....

2nd - Under League Home, type in and join our league: FCD Fan League

3rd - you should be set...just create your team and keep up...

if you want to review the rules - click here.

IF YOU HAVE A LOGIN NAME...

you can still join our league - FCD Fan League

Here's some basics from the MLS Press Release:

Fans who register for the free fantasy contest have the opportunity to win more than 400 MLS prizes, including two all-expense paid trips for two - one to the 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game in Denver and one to MLS Cup 2007 on Nov. 18 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Prizes include autographed All-Star jerseys and balls, official MLS memorabilia, and several other exclusive MLS items.

Major League Soccer's Fantasy Challenge is a free weekly online fantasy game that allows soccer fans the opportunity to manage their own soccer team using real-life statistical results. Using a salary budget of 100,000,000 MLS dollars, team owners select 11-player squads, and can follow their team's weekly progress throughout the season. The better players perform on the MLS playing field, the more fantasy points they earn for their team.

AND...besides the prizes you could win from MLS, the winner of the FCD Fan League will win: an Ultimate Fan Pack - including autographed jersey of your favorite FC Dallas player, a team autographed ball, four (4) VIP tickets to a home playoff game, an FCD visor, an FCD t-shirt...and, dinner at Randy's Steakhouse in Frisco, Texas for you, a guest, your favorite FCD player and GM Michael Hitchcock.

April 3 - FCD Player Notes

When we checked out with the team on Monday afternoon following training, we were sure they said that Tuesday would be an off-day...it turns out it wasn't. Still, a couple guys had made some previous arrangements and weren't here for today's training: Dario had some personal stuff to take care of here in town; and Ray was in Columbus, where he flew to on Monday to take care of his own things, and also watch his Buckeyes compete in the NCAA Final with some friends (no need to comment on the result)...

We're only a few days away from the season opener - on Saturday at Real Salt Lake - and today we learned of some unfortunate news on the injury front... Roberto Mina - played the final 27 minutes against Atletico Paranaense...came in and began training on Monday...however, halfway through the training, he complained about pain in his left knee - so he was taken off the field. He had an MRI later in the day, and the results came back today that he has a sprained left MCL...as one can imagine, he's questionable/doubtful for this weekend....

Couple other updates...Chris Gbandi will resume training with the team on Wednesday - he's been out with a left ankle sprain...so will Alex Yi, who has had a slight left hamstring pull for the past week...also, Dominic Oduro had some tightness in his right hamstring following the CAP game - he'll test it out with the full team on Wednesday as well.

With Dallas Cup in town, there are teams milling around the complex all day it seems. Today, just as FCD practice ended, a van carrying the Orlando FC boys team was driving by the north gate, just north of the FCD training field. Dallas players Toja and Nunez had just crossed the driveway on their way to the locker room, and Fish was a few steps behind. As he started crossing, the van came to a stop...a young player jumped out of the back, and stopped Carlos, asking to take his photo...within seconds, the rest of the team starting jumping out of the van, telling each other "that's the Dallas forward who played for Guatemala"...what started as one photo quickly grew to a team photo, with none of the Orlando players wanting to take the photo since they all wanted to be in the photo...the adult driver came out to see what the noise was about, and of course became the photographer.

April 3 - Catching Up On Last Week

We'll try to briefly recap anything missed last week - as busy as a week as we've had at Pizza Hut Park already this year...

* U.S. U-20 team beat Haiti's full team 2-1 on Wednesday...later that night, the full U.S. team tied Guatemala 0-0, also at Pizza Hut Park.

* On Thursday, we hosted the FC Dallas Kickoff Luncheon - organized by the FC Dallas Foundation - which succesfully sold out weeks in advance. U.S. head coach Bob Bradley was the guest speaker (we'll have photos posted soon)...

* Atletico Paranaense also arrived on Thursday, with the execs making it in for the Luncheon, and then the team coming to train later that evening....

* The second-leg of the USA-Brazil Challenge was played on Saturday - with CAP winning the game 1-0 and taking the series by a 4-1 aggregate...following the game, we hosted a Brazilian-Style Carnaval on the stage...

* Sunday - both CAP and FCD players came in early to conduct a joint clinic - which against was sold out in advance...

* The same day, the prestigious Dr Pepper Dallas Cup XXVIII began at the complex - with teams from Costa Rica, Canada, Bermuda, Brazil, England, Germany, Mexico, Spain, South Africa, The Netherlands, Republic of Ireland, Japan and El Salvador competing against the very best of U.S. Youth Soccer...The Super Group (U-19) featured Madrid (Spain) vs. Solar SC (USA) and Chelsea FC (England) vs. Chivas (Mexico) playing at the stadium...

* On Monday, the FC Dallas U-19 team defeated the New York Red Bulls U-19 side 2-0...as far as we know, that was the first time since MLS announced the Youth Initiative that two MLS team's youth sides face off against each other.

* The games will go on through next Sunday...on Wednesday, the stadium field will host more Super Group action: Tigres (Mexico] vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany) at 6 pm and then Sao Paulo (Brazil) vs. Shamrock Rovers FC (Ireland) at 8 pm.

April 1 - FCD and CAP Clinic

A fun 'Brazilan-style carnaval' finished off a festive night at Pizza Hut Park yesterday - with music, colors, and dancing on the stage lasting to midnight. CAP won the game 1-0, thus taking the USA-Brazil Challenge trophy back to Curitiba. Even so, Dallas head coach was pleased with the performance of the team.

The CAP players took their trophy to the west stands, celebrating and singing with the big group of Brazilian fans that came out for support.

On Sunday, both FCD and CAP players came out to Pizza Hut Park to conduct a clinic - on the adidas field (FCD training field). The two hour session was organized by the FC Dallas School of Excellence.....below you see FCD's and former Ohio State star Ray Burse next to CAP's goal-scorer Ricardinho - who was sporting an Ohio State cap...