May 31 - Who's the new guy?

Dominic, from Ghana, welcomes Ibee, from Ethiopia, to his first training session with the team this morning...as Dom said, "another Africa-connection", noting that Chris Gbandi is away with the Liberian National Team this week.
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After a quite couple of days on the adidas training field, the team was back at work this morning. On Wednesday, they came in later in the afternoon for a film and weight session (and for a few, followed by the phone calls - see blog below).

This morning saw the first appearance of the team's 2007 second-round SuperDraft - Abdusalam Ibrahim. He'll be with the team for the next week, before leaving a some family committments in his hometown of Minnesota on June 6, followed by a trip to Atlanta with the U.S. U-17 team, and then a trip to South Korea with the team in the middle of June. Check back in a bit for a QnA with Ibee, as he's often called.

May 31 - Working Upstairs

On Wednesday, Arturo, Ramon, Kenny, Abe, Clarence, Wags, Drew and Bobby had been selected to do what many of the upstairs office crew does on a regular basis - that is, make calls. The players were given a call sheet of season ticket holders that had not yet renewed their tickets for this season. Given that fans can get even a 5-game pack starting at $80, and the buzz we're hearing about coming to watch David Beckham play in late July, the guys felt they may have an easy time gaining back the support of some fans.

As they learned, it was not as easy as they thought.

For two hours, the players called plan holders - identifying themselves and often times getting into fun conversations with some fans who couldn't believe the players were actually calling, asking and thanking them for their previous support. When a fan was interested in renewing, the players passed the phone on to account reps who processed the orders.

It was fun watching the guys get a fan to come back - with high-fives and fist pumps in the air for every order. However, it wasn't always the case. Many people were not home, and guys like Abe and Ramon were left leaving message, after message, after message. Even so, they seemed to have fun, and also, gained a new appreciation for the work the 'upstairs' crew does on a daily basis.

May 29 - Soccer Golf and more

The guys were given Monday off, and had a light session today. The bulk of the morning practice was a game of Soccer Golf.

We had a lot of rain here last night, and so there were some natural hazzards that were created on the edges of the field. The staff set up a '9-hole' course, with the guys having to advance a ball to the 'hole' in the least amount of kicks. Clarence Goodson claimed to be the winner, and since we didn't keep score, we'll take his word for it.

Couple other notes: Dominic did not leave to join the Ghana team as expected. The Ghana Federation had request his release, which FC Dallas of course granted. However, they did not follow up with Dominic as to when to leave, or other details of the itinerary. With this uncertainty, Dominic chose to stay with FC Dallas and will be available for selection on Sunday.

Also, Roberto did have surgery to remove the damaged portion of the meniscus last week in Argentina. However, we've since learned that there was additional damage to the knee. As soon as our doctors have a chance to talk to the doctors that performed the surgery, we'll be able to bring you a better update. The logistics have been a little tougher to overcome - with the language barrier and doctors schedules complicating matters at times.

May 27 - FCD Reserves 5, Chivas USA Reserves 3

After the disappointing result last night, the team bounced back this morning with the Reserves (2-2-0, 6 pts) defeating the Chivas USA Reserves 5-3 on goals from David Wagenfuhr (2), Dominic Oduro (2), and Scott Jones. Arturo and Dominic each hit the post in the second half, and Ray came up with a couple good saves - as did Chivas USA's Preston Burpo.

Goals:
DAL - Wagenfuhr (Oduro) 4
CHV - Taylor (unassisted) 9
CHV - Merlin (Taylor, Solorzano) 24
DAL - Scott Jones (Alvarez) 32
DAL - Wagenfuhr (unassisted) 58
DAL - Oduro (unassisted) 61
CHV - Hamilton (Solórzano) 75
DAL - Oduro (Alvarez) 80

FC Dallas lineup (4-3-3): Ray Burse, Blake Wagner (Ricky Lewis 48), Anthony Wallace, Aaron Pitchkolan, Michael Dello-Russo (Ever Alvarado 83); David Wagenfuhr, Marcelo Saragosa, Bobby Rhine; Arturo Alvarez, Dominic Oduro (Chase Wileman 82), Scott Jones (Sandy Gbandi 70).

My 26 - FCD 0, Chivas USA 2

Ouch...had a chance to jump NY and NE tonight on points, but couldn't get it done. Not sure what it is with Chivas, but after starting the series undefeated through the first five games (4-0-1), Chivas has gone 3-0-1 over Dallas in the last four meetings, including tonight's 2-0 loss.

As usual, you can get the boxscore, recap, highlights, and quotes on www.fcdallas.net. Below are some additional notes.

• The loss stopped the team’s three-game winning streak. FC Dallas is now 5-4-1, 16 points on the season, and still in first place in the Western Conference. Second-place Colorado is now at 15 points after defeating the LA Galaxy 1-0 tonight.
• The loss was also just the second on the road for Dallas, bringing the team’s road record to 3-2-1. It was the first loss to a Western Conference opponent this season, bringing the FCD’s record versus the West to 3-1-1.
• Dallas now has a 1-3-2 record versus Chivas USA in their last six encounters. The team’s meet again on July 4th at Pizza Hut Park.
• This season, FCD is 0-4-0 when surrendering the first goal of the game, and 5-0-1 when scoring first. Out of ten games played, Dallas has surrendered more than one goal in only three games, including tonight’s.
• It was the fourth time this season the team has been held scoreless. In 2006, FCD played 13 games before being shutout for the first time in the 14th game.
• FC Dallas has now played 17 regular season games since preventing the opponent from scoring, tying D.C. United for the longest such current streak, while establishing a new team record for most consecutive games in between shutouts.
• Forward Carlos Ruiz did not play as he was serving a one-game suspension for accumulating five yellow cards. Chris Gbandi once again wore the captain’s armband, the third time this year he’s done so.
• Gbandi and Ruiz will not be available for the team’s next game while they join their respective national teams. Gbandi will join Liberia for an African Nation’s Cup qualifier versus Cameroon on June 2. Ruiz will join Guatemala for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which begins on June 6.
• Steve Morrow’s side tonight faced its third opponent being coached by another first-year head coach (Chivas USA’s Preki). FCD is now 2-1-0 this season against teams coached by other first-year head coaches.
• After starting the season with three home and three road games, Dallas is in the middle of playing 7 of 9 games on the road. So far, FCD is 3-1-0 during this stretch.
• FC Dallas will travel again next week, visiting the Houston Dynamo on Sunday, June 3 at 4 pm CT, in a game shown live nationally on TeleFutura.
• The FC Dallas Reserves (1-2-0, 3 pts) will face the Chivas USA Reserves (2-1-2, 8 pts.) on Sunday, May 27 at 10 am PT on University Field # 1 at the Home Depot Center.
• Steve Morrow on the game: “We had a lot of the ball middle of the field, a lot of possession, and didn’t quite do enough in the last third of the field. It’s disappointing…I don’t think we looked into the front enough, and I don’t think the front players showed for the ball enough. I think we had a lot of possession in the middle third, and gave it away a lot as well in the middle third. I think we needed more options into the front from the front players.”

Morrow "a decent start"

FC Dallas Head Coach Steve Morrow...

It’s been a while since I last posted (v long blog warning!) …man, our schedule has been crammed so far – and, to be honest, with some of the things I read out there about the team (misinformation, uninformed opinion, rumours etc), I’m tempted to write more often! More of that in a moment.

Thought it would be a good time to give a quick recap of games played so far – the positives and the disappointments. As of writing, we are nine games played – and top of the Western Conference, 4 pts clear. It’s early days, it’s a decent start and it should have been better!

Here’s my brief summary with a comment on each game:

RSL away – difficult game (artificial turf!) – Team fought to the end and earned a deserved tie.

LA away – big win (psychologically) and first ever at HDC against LA – possessed ball well at times in 1st half and defended well in 2nd.

NYRB – moving on!... no - take that on the chin, could make ton of excuses but won’t – didn’t play, bad goals.

Colorado, home – good reaction and well deserved, comfortable victory and Ramon came up big!

NYRB, NE, home - two 1-0 defeats at home, tough to take! NY playing 4-5-1 made it difficult for us but didn’t think we passed the ball well enough. NE – we dominated the game and possession, but were not dangerous enough in last third. Both games I thought could have gone either way.

Then we had the break, which I think came at a good time and gave us a chance to get some players back healthy and available - most notably Dario, Pablo, Alex and Marcelo.

KC and Fire away – two excellent away victories and a lot of character and courage shown after two narrow home losses. In those two games, I felt we were beginning to show a little bit more cohesion and understanding within the team offensively and defensively.

RSL, home – third game in 8 days – and the ‘will to win’ needed to be high against a team fighting hard and revitalized under a new coach. First 45 was a good team display, 2nd 45 at times we let the level drop. Two goal-of-the week contenders from Arturo and Chris gave us a deserved three points! Sorry Chris – my vote went to Arty!
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There have been a few ‘issues’ out there recently, concerning the team, which I’m more than happy to comment on. I am a person who reads things and believes that ‘knowledge is power’. I think it’s important to listen to what the fans have to say – I believe I’m smart enough to know what is logical and what I can dismiss! I can also take criticism because I will always have a strong belief in what I’m doing.

One thing that continually surprises me is how opinion and belief in some players and the team varies and fluctuates from game to game! I guess it’s understandable due to the fact we have quite a few ‘new parts’ including myself – and the people out there are still getting to know me and the team and what we are trying to achieve.

I think a few eyebrows were raised last Sunday against RSL when I rotated some players into the line-up. We have a long season and I wouldn’t hesitate to ‘rotate’ players again throughout the season, if I think it’s appropriate. I want us to have strength of depth and competition for spots. We are going to need everyone on the roster to contribute.

At times, players will need a rest - whether they like it or not! – and I believe it’s going to be important to keep everyone hungry and competitive. What will never change is the objective of winning the game!

There have also been too many headlines surrounding Carlos recently. Like I said all along, I have not been trying to trade Carlos - some of the trade rumours I read about were laughable! Fish made a small mistake a few weeks ago when he failed to make a simple call to excuse his absence from practice. Apart from that, his behaviour has been exemplary. Carlos is a great player and person whom I have enormous respect for. He is also a goal scorer and when goal scorers are not scoring as many as they would like, they get frustrated.

I have been asked many times if players are tradeable – ALL players in the world are, at the right price! Quite simply, if a situation ever presents itself where I think we can make our team better, I will consider it – as all good coaches would!

We are about a third of the way into the season…we have made a decent start and put ourselves in a good position. A lot has pleased me, a lot we need to work on. As I have told the players this week – I want to develop a mentality in this team where we will continue to improve little by little, every week, each month – and try to be at our best when it matters most.

Thanks for your support… Go Hoops.

El Maestro? Pick a caption...

A few weeks back we posted a couple photos of Fish and Shaka that kind of stood out - one of Carlos getting kicked in the face and one of Shaka and Matt Reis jumping for the ball...we're thinking of making this something of a regular piece, provided we come across some interesting photos to post.

Above is a photo from today's practice that we found interesting. The guys are watching Pablo Ricchetti (on the right)...give your thoughts...pick a caption...who knows, it may become a nickname for Pablo that sticks...

May 24 - Good Practice and Serioux

The guys were back out today - going through some offense / defense drills which saw different points of attention, whether it was on the attack with three/four players, or defending with two, three players. The team will have a short training on Friday morning, and leave the stadium (after lunch) at 12:15 for the airport. We've been permitted to give the traveling roster - everyone that is healthy is going! The Reserve Team will play the Chivas USA Reserves on Sunday morning.

One site that we're expecting to see more of in the coming weeks is Adrian Serioux. Those that follow the blog know that Adrian has slowly made his way to the training field - though not running or anything with much impact. He's on pace to finish running in the pool this week, and possibly begin his outdoor running sessions next week. Even so, it didn't stop him from sending in some crosses today. Click here to read more on his progress.

Follow Up to Champions League Game

Thanks to all those that attended the Champion's League Viewing Party at Victory Plaza on Wednesday. Nice crowd - estimated over 700 people. For those that couldn't attend, we've included some photos to give an idea of the size of the screens and the crowd.

AC Milan or Liverpool?

Above from left to right: Hunt Sports Group President John Wagner, FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock, Liverpool co-owner George Gillett Jr. (also majority owner of the NHL's Montreal Canadians), Hunt Sports Group Vice-President Dan Hunt, Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks (also owner of the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers), and HSG's B.R. Johnson a few weeks ago at Pizza Hut Park.
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FC Dallas was off today...they'll be back on Wed for a 10 am training session. Afterwards, the guys will be on their way to a TV somewhere - as many other soccer fans will be - to watch the UEFA Champion's League Final between Italy's AC Milan and England's Liverpool.

Interesting note that relates FCD to one of the team's - midfielder Marcelo Saragosa and AC Milan's Kaka are best friends. The two met when they were 13-years old on the Sao Paolo youth system in Brazil. Since Marcelo's parent's lived far from Sao Paolo, Kaka and his family took Marcelo in, having Marcelo stay at their house for good parts of the next three years. And with that, Kaka became like a brother, and his parents became second-parents to Marcelo.

They both played together, advancing to the Junior team, one step below the first-team. They were even on the same U-20 Dallas Cup team back in 2001. Marcelo, as a defensive midfielder, advanced to the first team first...not too long afterwards, Kaka was also called in for a game. In his second game, he scored two goals - and, he never looked back.

The two remain in touch on a regular basis. They were each the best man at each others weddings. Their families are still very close. And the two regularly talk on the phone, through email, and IM. The photo on the right is from 2006, when Kaka went to Los Angeles to visit Marcelo when he was with the Galaxy. (Kaka is on the left).

When talking to Marcelo, he is so excited and happy for his friend. We'll let you guess who Marcelo wants to win the game...tell us your pick on the comments.

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We at FC Dallas have joined with the Dallas Stars to present the viewing party down at Victory Plaza in downtown, outside at the America Airlines Center. The game will be shown on a huge, 1,000 sq. foot screen...Victory Tavern, located on the Plaza, is offering free food to the first 200 people that show up...there will also be drink specials (at least specially priced compared to arena / stadium prices)...and, since the WFAA's TV studio are right on the corner, it will be a good opportunity to show media what kind of support there is for soccer in the area. Hope to see many of you there.

Gbandi for Goal of the Week

If you haven't voted yet, both Arturo and Chris' goals are up for the MLS Sierra Mist Goal of the Week. Chris is winning and voting ends on Wednesday morning...the weekly winners will be included on the year-end ballot for Goal of the Year...what are your thoughts on the goals?

National Team Call-Ups

We've seen a lot of players getting minutes this year, and a lot of players have been close. So far, 19 different players have started games, and players like Ray Burse, Anthony Wallace, Blake Wagner, and Michael Dello-Russo have also been activated and available on game days.

Next week, the team is expected to lose at least four players to National Team duty. We're expecting them all to be with the team and available through Saturday's game at Chivas USA.

Liberia has called in Chris Gbandi for a pair of games in June.
Guatemala has called in Carlos Ruiz for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The U.S. U-20 team has called in Anthony Wallace for a camp that is expected to begin in the last days of May.
The Ghana U-23 team has called in Dominic Oduro for a game against Nigeria. This is the first time Dominic has been called in by any his country's national teams.

May 21 - FCD Reserves 1, RSL Reserves 0

Scott Jones' scored the lone goal in the second half to give the FCD Reserves their first win of the year. We'll have a recap on the team site shortly.

FCD Starting Lineup (4-4-2):
-------------Ray Burse-------------
--Bobby----Wallace--Pitch----Blake--
---Sandi---Marcelo--Ramon--Wagenfuhr--
--------Jones------Abe-----

May 20 - FCD 2, RSL 1

Three games in eight days - three 2-1 wins...we'll be homers for a sec; two great goals by Arturo and Chris Gbandi! We're not really sure what Chris' celebration meant, and he wouldn't talk about it afterwards, only laughing and telling us he'll let us all know once he scores his fifth. For those that didn't see it, he ran towards the cameras and waved his hand in front of his face...Click here for the recap and box score, plus more quotes, stories, and highlights.

Some more notes below:

• This evening’s win was the Dallas’ third in a row – all three coming over the last eight days – and all three by a 2-1 margin; also 5/12 at KC and 5/17 at Chicago.
• The win brings the FCD’s record to 5-3-1, 16 points, giving Dallas a four point lead over Colorado in the Western Conference. The five wins tie New England for most in the League. Dallas also recorded its fifth win of last season on May 20, 2006 - in a 4-0 win over New England.
• Defender Chris Gbandi scored his first goal of the season, which was his third career goal and first career game-winning goal. It was also his first goal since July 2, 2005 in a 2-2 tie with San Jose. That was the last goal scored by a Dallas player at the team’s previous home stadium, the Cotton Bowl.
• Arturo Alvarez, making his first start since April 15 against NY, scored his first goal of the season. The 26th minute goal snapped a 206 minute scoreless-streak at home for Dallas. Prior to this goal, the last goal FCD scored at home was by Dominic Oduro, in stoppage-time of the 3-1 win over Colorado on April 22. FCD had been shutout in its last two home games after that goal.
• FC Dallas is now 5-0-1 when scoring the first goal of the game this season.
• Dallas has had seven different players score the team’s 13 goals this year.
• Steve Morrow’s team has now faced two other first-year coaches in KC Curt Onalfo and RSL’s Jason Kreis; Dallas won both meetings.
• Team captain Carlos Ruiz returned to starting lineup after missing the 5/17 win at Chicago with a tight hamstring and entering as a sub in the 2-1 win at KC on 5/12.
• Ruiz received his 5th yellow card of the season, meaning he’ll be suspended for the team’s next regular season game on May 26 at Chivas USA.
• Kenny Cooper, Abe Thompson, and Ramon Nunez, who each started the past two games, were rested and did not start, though all three entered as subs. For Cooper, it ended a streak of 25 consecutive regular season starts: the last 17 of 2006 and first eight this season.
• Cooper and Nunez had been two of five players that started each of the first eight games in 2007 until today. Juan Toja, Drew Moor, and Clarence Goodson are now the only three players to start each of the team’s nine games.
• Oduro received his first start of the year today.
• RSL’s Freddy Adu scored his first goal as a member of Real. It was the first regular season penalty kick taken by an FCD opponent at Pizza Hut Park since Chivas USA’s Hector Cuadros scored in the 19th minute of a 5-2 FCD win on May 22, 2005. UPDATE: thanks to anonymous for correcting us that it was not at PHP, it should have read at home. However, this morning we were informed by the Elias Sports Bureau, that this date was also incorrect. The last time an opponent scored a PK as visitors to Dallas was on August 16, 2003 - Kansas City's Preki scored his 26th minute PK against Dallas' D.J. Countess, though Dallas won 3-2 - and that game was played at Dragon Stadium in Southlake.
• Dario Sala and Pablo Ricchetti made their 2007 home debuts today. For Pablo, it was his first-ever regular season game at PHP; for Sala, it was his first home regular season game since Sept. 13, 2006 – a 1-0 loss to Chivas USA.
• FC Dallas has now played 16 regular season games since its last shutout, tying D.C. United for the longest such current streak.
• The FC Dallas Reserves will face the RSL Reserves on Monday, May 21 at 10 am on the adidas Field at Pizza Hut Park.

Steve Morrow on the game: “I thought it worked well in the first half (lineup change and different formation). It’s a long season, we all know that. We’ve had a tough stretch; we’ve played more games than any other team in the league. It’s been another three games in a week and two games in four days and I wanted to be able to freshen things up; give it that bit of life and that bit of energy by making a few changes and getting some fresh legs out there.

And again, we’re a very deep team, very deep roster and we’re going to need everyone throughout the season. I think it’s important that, as much as possible, to try and keep everyone fit and sharp. I looked at Salt Lake and what they had to offer and playing Carlos up top and Dominic on one side of him and Arturo on the other side, I thought it worked very, very well in the first half and we were able to create a lot of chances."

Click here for more quotes...

Also, we're not sure if they check out the blog, but we'd like to welcome Cowboys players Roy Williams and Martin Grammatica as new FCD fans - both were in attendance again today. We've seen Roy a couple times now at PHP and Martin has been at the last three games - even calling a few guys after watching some of our road games.

May 18 - No stopping

Sun Potter, a guest player who's played in both Reserve Team games, is marked by Blake Wagner during Friday's practice.
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The guys that played last night had a recovery session, fairly light day of jogging and stretching...Carlos, Marcelo, and Arturo worked on one side of the field with Oscar after the rest of the guys went inside for more stretching...when the three finished, Carlos took some additional time to stretch with his former teammate / now coach while watching the mini-game. Steve said he'll see how Fish responds on Saturday's session before deciding his status for Sunday.

The guys that didn't travel were joined by Pitch, Blake and Shaka for a more intense session, which finished with short-sided games and pushing themselves in front of the coaching staff. Ever Alvarado, Chase Wileman, Ricky Lewis, and Sun Potter all joined the team today. They'll be available to play for the Reserve Team as guest for the game against Real Salt Lake Reserves which will be played on the adidas field on Monday at 10 a.m.

The guys will be back on the training field at 10 am on Saturday for one final session before the RSL game on Sunday at 6 p.m.

May 17 - FCD 2, Chicago 1

The team earned their fourth win tonight, moving the team into first place in the Western Conference (at least for the time being)...Check www.fcdallas.net for a recap, box-score, and more. Here are some notes, and Steve's post-game comments.

• Tonight’s win was the team’s fourth of the season, third on the road, and second in-a-row. FCD is now 4-3-1 (13 points) and moves into first place in the Western Conference, ahead of Colorado which has 11 points. The team is 3-1-1 on the road this season. Dallas is also 4-0-1 when scoring first.
• Kenny Cooper took and scored the team’s second penalty kick of the year. Carlos Ruiz had previously scored on a penalty kick in the 2-1 win at LA on April 12. FCD was the only team in the league to not attempt a single penalty kick during the 2006 season.
• The team used the same starting XI as in the last game, a 2-1 win at KC on May 12. It was the first time this season that the team used the same starting XI in back-to-back games.
• Cooper and Juan Toja have now scored in each of the last two games…Abe Thompson has contributed an assist in both games…it was Toja’s second-straight game-winning goal.
• Cooper has now scored in all three games he’s played in versus Chicago over the past two seasons. In 2006, he scored the game-winner in a 3-2 win at home on 4/1 and another game-winner in the 3-2 win at Chicago on 7/15.
• FCD is now 13-0-2 when Kenny Cooper scores a goal over his two season’s in the League.
• Carlos Ruiz did not dress today after experiencing a tight left hamstring. The team traveled with 19 players to Chicago and Aaron Pitchkolan took Ruiz’s place on the 18-man day of game roster earlier in the day. Chris Gbandi wore the captain's armband for the second-consecutive game.
• Tonight was the first time this season that FCD wore the grey-and-white ‘hooped’ jersey.
• The win versus Chicago gives Dallas the early advantage in winning the Brimstone Cup, the trophy started by the fans of both teams that is awarded to the team that win’s the season series. A tie or win by FCD in the teams’ next and final meeting on Sept. 20 at Pizza Hut Park would ensure the Cup remains in Dallas for the sixth consecutive year. Should Chicago win, FCD would keep the Cup unless the team’s meet in the Open Cup and/or Playoffs and Chicago wins.
• FCD’s returns home for its next game on Sunday, May 20 versus Real Salt Lake (6:00 p.m. CT). The teams tied 2-2 in the season-opener on April 7 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

Brimstone Cup - FCD v Chicago

If you're on this blog and an FC Dallas fans, you know that the photo on the right has more or less been a member of the team for the past five seasons.

For those not familiar, here's a short review (you can get a lot more on this trophy on www.brimstonecup.com)

In 2001, the team’s fans joined to start the inaugural Brimstone Cup, which is handed to fans of the team that wins the season series. That year, the teams tied the season series with each team going 2-2. The fans decided that goal-differential should not decide the winner of the cup, and instead left the winner to be determined by the playoff series or a U.S. Open Cup meeting. The team’s met in the 2001 playoffs, which the Fire won, in turn keeping the first-ever Brimstone Cup.

However, Dallas has gone on to hold the Cup ever since. Dallas won the series in 2002 (2-0), and the teams tied the series in 2003 - Cup rules stipulate that if a team does not straight out win the series, the current holders retain the Cup.

Dallas has won the last three season-series: 2004 – FCD won 2-0; in 2005, the teams split the series but the Hoops won the U.S. Open Cup Semifinal matchup to keep the Cup. In 2006, FCD won both games in the series by a 3-2 score, and still retain the Cup.

Vote for the MLS All-Star Starters

Voting began today for the MLS All-Star starters on MLSnet.com. There are 12 FC Dallas players eligible for selection...fans can vote up 10 times per day.

May 15 - Lacrosse at PHP

No, that's not FC Dallas on the field...it's Texas A&M vs BYU playing Lacrosse...the complex has been taking over by more than 20 schools that are playing the championships here this week.
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Not much time off when you have three games in a week, and practices become more draining under high-80's and sun. Still, the guys were back out today for their last intense session before leaving on Wednesday for Chicago. They'll be back out at 10 am and leave for Chicago at 4 pm.

Also at the park this week is the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Championship. You can read more about the event here...the finals are on Saturday inside the stadium. For complete details including the schedule and results, visit the MCLA site.

May 13 - FCD Reserves 2, KC Reserves 4

The FC Dallas Reserves were down 3-0 at the half, but got two quick ones back in the second from Dominic and Carlos. Despite keeping the field tilted on the KC end for most the second half, they could not put in the tying goal. With FCD pushing forward, KC was able to get one back with about 15 to go and won today's Reserve Division game 4-2.

FCD's Lineup: Ray Burse, David Wagenfuhr, Blake Wagner, Aaron Pitchkolan, Bobby Rhine, Anthony Wallace, Scott Jones (Chase Wileman), Sandy Gbandi Jr. (Sun Potter), Arturo Alvarez, Dominic Oduro, Carlos Ruiz.

May 12 - FCD 2, KC 1

We'll start with thanking the large group of FCD fans that made the trip to Kansas City on Saturday. The guys were real appreciative and after the game kept talking about how cool it was to have the fans in the stands tonight - great job!

So, after a couple of disappointing losses, the team takes a break and then goes on the road to get the win, defeating the Kansas City Wizards 2-1. Below are some notes on the game, followed by video interviews with Steve and Dario:

• Tonight's win was the team’s third on the season, and second on the road (Apr. 12, 2-1 win at LA). FCD’s record is now 3-3-1, 10 points.
• The win was the team’s first regulation-time win as visitors in Kansas City since a 1-0 on Sept. 19, 1998. Dallas had also technically won a year later, on Sept. 18, 1999 – however that was under the previously used “shoot-out”, which occurred after the teams finished 90 minutes tied 1-1.
• Tonight was the first time that FCD’s first-year head coach Steve Morrow faced another first-year head coach in KC’s Curt Onalfo.
• Dario Sala made his first regular season appearance of the year, recording a team season-high nine saves. It was also his first regular season game since playing 90 in a 3-2 loss at RSL on Sept. 16, 2006 – a span of 238 days. Sala missed the last four games of 2006 with a calf injury, though he did play in both playoff games last year. However, he was suspended by MLS for the first six games of 2007 after his involvement in an altercation with Colorado players in the team’s final playoff game last October.
• Kenny Cooper scored his third goal of the season tonight. His 19th minute goal ended KC’s shutout streak at 304 minutes. The team is now 12-0-2 when Cooper scores over his two seasons in MLS.
• Defender Drew Moor is now the lone FCD player to have played every minute of all seven games this year.
• Midfielder Juan Toja’s goal was his first in MLS....midfielder Pablo Ricchetti made his MLS debut in this game.
• Defender Chris Gbandi was the team captain today, replacing Carlos Ruiz who did not start due to a coach’s decision..forward Abe Thompson made his first start of the year and also registered his first assist of the year.
• Midfielder Marcelo Saragosa made his first appearance since sustaining a sprained right MCL on April 12 at LA. Defender Alex Yi also returned to the lineup after sitting out the April 29th game versus NE with a calf injury.
• Carlos Ruiz did not receive a yellow card today, and needs to play in two more games without a caution in order to have one of his four yellow cards removed. Under MLS rules, a player will receive a one game suspension upon accumulating five yellow cards, but can have one removed if he plays three games without a caution after receiving his fourth.
• The 21 fouls committed by FD Dallas were one more than the previous season high of 20, which happened in the 2-1 win at LA on April 12.
• The FC Dallas Reserves will face the KC Reserves on Sunday at 10 a.m. FCD’s Reserve team is 0-1-0 so far this season, losing to the NYRB Reserves 4-1 on April 15.
• FCD’s plays the Chicago Fire on Thursday, May 17 at Toyota Park, in a game shown live nationally on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. CT. It will be the team’s third appearance on ESPN2’s Primetime Thursday of the year.

May 12 - USA vs Canada at PHP

On the right, Lindsay Tarpley shows off the U.S. women's special edition pink jersey...

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U.S. WOMEN READY FOR CANADA MATCH LIVE ON FOX SOCCER CHANNEL: The U.S. Women’s National Team trained on the velvet smooth pitch of Pizza Hut Park on Friday, May 11, in its final training before facing Canada on Saturday, May 12, at 6:30 p.m. CT / 7:30 p.m. ET (tickets). Fox Soccer Channel will broadcast the game live and go on the air at 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET with a 30-minute pre-game show. The U.S. team trained for only an hour in the searing Texas heat, as the attacking players did some finishing while the defenders worked on clearing. All 18 U.S. players are healthy and ready for selection in what will be the 39th meeting between the USA and Canada, tying a record for most games for an opponent against the USA.

Quick Hits:
• Greg Ryan got his first-ever home win over Canada on June 26, 2005, a 2-0 victory in Virginia Beach, Va.

• Cat Whitehill leads the USA in minutes played this year with 683. Lori Chalupny has played 641, followed by two defenders, Heather Mitts at 630 and Stephanie Lopez at 615. Several U.S. veterans, including Kristine Lilly and Abby Wambach, did not go to the Four Nations Tournament in January

• The USA has five players with 100 or more caps on the roster

For more notes, please visit ussoccer.com.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster:

GOALKEEPERS (2): 24-Nicole Barnhart (Gilbertsville, Pa.), 18-Hope Solo (Richland, Wash.);

DEFENDERS (6): 22-Marian Dalmy (Lakewood, Colo.), 14-Stephanie Lopez (Elk Grove, Calif.), 15-Kate Markgraf (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), 2-Heather Mitts (Cincinnati, Ohio), 3-Christie Rampone (Point Pleasant, N.J.), 4-Cat Whitehill (Birmingham, Ala.);

MIDFIELDERS (5): 7-Shannon Boxx (Redondo Beach, Calif.), 17-Lori Chalupny (St. Louis, Mo.), 11-Carli Lloyd (Delran, N.J.), 12-Leslie Osborne (Brookfield, Wis.), 10-Aly Wagner (San Jose, Calif.);

FORWARDS (5): 6-Natasha Kai (Kahuku, Hawaii), 13-Kristine Lilly (Wilton, Conn.), 9-Heather O’Reilly (East Brunswick, N.J.), 5-Lindsay Tarpley (Kalamazoo, Mich.), 20-Abby Wambach (Rochester, N.Y.).

Canada Women’s National Team Roster:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Erin McLeod (Calgary, AB), Taryn Swiatek (Calgary, BC);

DEFENDERS (5): Martina Franko (Squamish, BC), Randee Hermus (Langley, BC), Kristina Kiss (Ottawa, ON), Sophie Schmidt (Abbotsford, BC), Caroline Vanderpool (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC);

MIDFIELDERS (6): Candace Chapman (Langley, BC), Diana Matheson (Oakville, ON), Andrea Neil (Vancouver, BC), Katie Thorlakson (Langley, BC), Brittany Timko (Coquitlam, BC), Amy Walsh (St. Bruno, QC).

FORWARDS (5): Amber Allen (Pitt Meadows, BC), Kara Lang (Oakville, ON), Jodi-Ann Robinson (Richmond, BC), Christine Sinclair (Burnaby, BC), Rhiann Wilkinson (Baie D’Urfe, QC).

May 10 - Pablo Added to Roster

Later on Thursday afternoon, the team filed a roster move with the League office that will officially add Pablo Ricchetti to the roster. In order for Pablo to take a role on the 18-man Senior Roster, Aaron Pitchkolan was transferred from the Senior to the Developmental Roster, taking the place of rookie forward Tommy Krizanovic who was released.

The FC Dallas roster as of Thursday, May 10 is as follows:

Senior Roster: Arturo Alvarez, Kenny Cooper, Chris Gbandi, Clarence Goodson, Shaka Hislop, Roberto Mina, Drew Moor, Ramon Nunez, Bobby Rhine, Pablo Ricchetti, Carlos Ruiz, Dario Sala, Marcelo Saragosa, Adrian Serioux, Abe Thompson, Juan Toja, David Wagenfuhr, Alex Yi.

Developmental Roster: Ray Burse, Andrew Daniels, Michael Dello-Russo, Sandy Gbandi Jr., Abdus Ibrahim, Scott Jones, Dax McCarty, Dominic Oduro, Aaron Pitchkolan, Anthony Wallace, Blake Wagner (Abdus Ibrahim is will not be eligible to play in regular season games this year as he completes his commitments with the U.S. U-17 National Team, which last week qualified for the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup.)

Senior Internationals (4 of 4): Ricchetti, Ruiz, Serioux, Saragosa.
Youth Internationals (3 of 3): Mina, Oduro, Toja.

May 10 - Morrow YouTube Interview

The guys had a shorter session today, finishing in a little over an hour. Following practice, Steve met with the media under the overhang of the north box office.

We captured the session on video, though as you'll see below, it's not in the best light quality - so we apologize in advance....even so, Steve touches on a variety of topics that we figured fans would like to at least hear, even if it's dark.

It's about 8:30 minutes long, so we'll provide a few minute marks for those that would like to get to different segments quicker:

:08 - on Kansas City
:46 - on Pablo Ricchetti, including fitness, roster move, and a knock he took at practice.
2:00 - on the other previously injured players
2:19 - on Carlos Ruiz, including if he'll start, Ruiz's absense, his thoughts on being captain and on the field play
3:55 - on the goalkeeper decision, including Sala becoming eligible, his fitness, the incident that lead to the suspension, the competion between Sala and Shaka, Shaka's contract status.
6:58 - thoughts on the MLS players salaries being made public, on making 35 pounds a week as an aprentice at Arsenal.
8:05 - is Beckham's salary justified.

UPDATE: We accidently deleted the interview when doing maintenance on the team's YouTube page (meant to hit edit instead of delete!)...since we're on a very slow connection, we'll point you to Buzz's 3rd Degree site which has a good portion of the interview already transcribed...if we get the chance to upload it again we'll do so.

May 10 - Roberto's Surgery

We wanted to give you an update on how Roberto's knee surgery went today...but, we can't. The thing is, he didn't have his surgery.

Roberto previously had a similar surgery on his right meniscus - also removing a damaged portion. That surgery was conducted while he was with Huracan in Argentina....And, since Roberto has not had any problems with that knee since that surgery, his agents would like the forward to go back to the same doctor due to the physician's familiarity with Roberto.

We'll be back to update this when we know more, such as - if he's going, when he would go, or if he'll have his surgery here. Either, all parties want this to happen as soon as possible in order for the rehab process to begin - as soon as possible.

May 8 - Roberto's Surgery is on Thursday

Roberto watched training from behind the goal today....he's scheduled to have surgery on his left medial meniscus on Thursday. We'll explain the best we can...

Last July, Roberto had surgery to repair the torn portion of the meniscus in the same knee. As many that follow the team know, it took him longer than anticipated to return. Part of that has to do with the level of pain and discomfort of the player, both while rehabbing and afterwards, the severity of the surgery, and the level of fitness of the player after sitting out for an extended period of time. Roberto did make it back by the playoffs, and was available for the Colorado series, though he did not play.

This spring, Roberto had a very positive preseason, experiencing little to no pain in the knee. Since it had been a long time that he really had tested the knee, we anticipated it