Between Games...

With the team coming off last night’s friendly against Chivas de Guadalajara and heading into Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup 3rd Round matchup with Miami FC, today’s training session was fairly light. The guys started warming up at 11 a.m. and practice officially ended a little after Noon, although many of the guys stayed on the field to get some extra work in.

Below, Adrian Serioux looks on as Dominic Oduro works on some quick touches with Marco Ferruzzi…
Meanwhile, Chase Wileman lines up for a shot as Josh Lambo recovers from the previous one in a quick turn / finishing drill.
After taking knocks in last night’s game Arturo Alvarez (right quad) and Bobby Rhine (left foot) stayed inside today and are not expected to play against Miami FC tomorrow night. In addition, Pablo Ricchetti (right foot) and Marcelo Saragosa (right ankle) were out on the field today, but both worked off to the side with the training staff before heading in early. It looks like Pablo might also be out for tomorrow, while Marcelo’s status is questionable.

REMINDER: All-Star voting ends on Wednesday

A reminder that voting for the 2008 MLS All-Star game ends on Wednesday, July 2. Fans are able to cast up to 10 votes per day (click here to vote). The MLS All-Star First XI, which will consist of one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards, will be announced on July 10.

The First XI are determined by online fan balloting comprising 25 percent of the total vote, with MLS coaches and GMs (25 percent), media (25 percent) and players (25 percent) accounting for the remainder. On July 15, Steve Nicol and his staff will select five All-Stars who will join two Commissioner's selections to complete the MLS 18-man roster.

The 13th annual MLS All-Star game features the MLS stars taking on West Ham United of the English Premier League at BMO Field in Toronto, July 24 at 7 p.m. ET.

FCD 1, Guadalajara (Chivas) 2

UPDATE (post-game): FC Dallas surrendered two late goals to give Chivas de Guadalajara a 2-1 win in a friendly exhibition on Sunday night at Pizza Hut Park.

Juan Toja gave Dallas the lead in the 21st minute, knocking in a corner kick from Andre Rocha. FCD made nine changes in the second half, with only Dario Sala, Duilio Davino, and Blake Wagner playing the full 90 minutes.

Ricardinho and Brek Shea had the two best chances to stretch the lead. In the 75th minute, Ricardinho broke free on a one-on-one, but Chivas keeper Luis Michel did well to cut the angel and make the save. A minute later, Brek Shea’s header from eight yards out went just over the crossbar.

Chivas drew even in the 82nd minute, when Ramon Morales converted a penalty kick after Dallas defender Michael Dello-Russo tripped Antonio Salazar. Guadalajara took the lead four minutes later on a goal from Marco Fabian, who intercepted an errant pass from FCD’s Anthony Wallace and raced around Dario Sala before shooting in from 25 yards out.

SCORING SUMMARY:
DAL – Juan Toja (Andre Rocha) 21’
GUA – Ramon Morales (Penalty kick) 82’
GUA – Marco Fabian (unassisted) 86’

FC DALLAS (3-4-1-2): Dario Sala, Drew Moor (Aaron Pitchkolan 70), Duilio Davino, Blake Wagner, Adrian Serioux (Michael Dello-Russo 75), Marcelo Saragosa (Anthony Wallace 46), Andre Rocha (Bobby Rhine 61, Andrew Daniels 88), Arturo Alvarez (Brek Shea 46), Juan Toja (Chase Wileman 54), Abe Thompson (Eric Avila 68), Dominic Oduro (Ricardinho 59).

GUADALAJARA: 1-Luis Michel, 18-Xavier Baez, 4-Hector Reynoso, 17-Antonio Olvera, 6-Omar Esparza (21-Jorge Cardenas 78), 16-Edgar Solis (7-Julio Cesar Nava 46), 20-Edgar Mejia, 13-Sergio Avila (8-Marco Fabian 65) 11-Ramon Morales (3-Juan Ocampo 90), 9-Omar Arrellano (23-Antonio Salazar 65), 15-Jesus Padilla (2-Javier Ledesma 91+).
===================================================
The team is starting off with a 3-4-1-2 formation...there will be unlimited subs, so just about everyone is available. As we mentioned yesterday, Kenny is being rested, Pablo is out with an injured right foot, and Ray is up in Portland getting his belongings.

The starters:
-------------------Sala----------------------
-----Moor--------Davino----------Wagner---
-------------Serioux----Saragosa-----------
----Rocha--------------------------Alvarez---
----------------------Toja--------------------
------------Thompson-----Oduro---------

UEFA EURO 2008: Spain vs. Germany

ABC Sports has a doubleheader of soccer today, starting with the LA Galaxy at DC United game (11 am CT) and then followed by the UEFA EURO 2008 Final between Spain and Germany at 1:30 pm CT.

Give your thoughts on the tourney, a prediction, etc. in the comments...

I'll get it started: it's awesome that all the games have been available on TV (or online)...the games have been great (overall)...I'm picking Spain. (Grammar corrected for #2).

Training for Chivas

While 18 guys traveled to Houston on Wednesday, the rest of the guys took part in some intense conditioning drills on Thursday and Friday mornings. Today, the entire team was back together on the adidas Field - getting ready for Sunday night's game versus Chivas Guadalajara...

Schellas tells us that Pablo won't play, since he picked up a right foot injury at Houston...he also tells us it's likely they'll rest Kenny...Ray is finishing up with Portland tonight at Atlanta, so he'll be out as well...other than that, we're expecting all the players to be available...we'll talk with the Chivas coaches and the refs before the game to determine the number of subs allowed...

On Friday, we asked Schellas his thoughts on approaching the three games this week:

“That’s going to be a real task for us, because we want to see as many players as we can in competition, and obviously its good competition...But to give everybody playing time, we also realize we have to give other players rest. So the trick is to put a good, competitive team out on the field; play good, attractive soccer; try to get results; and give younger players an opportunity to give the veterans a break as well to give themselves another opportunity to be seen.”

Sala in Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game

Last night, Juan Toja and Adrian Serioux were invited by Envy Magazine to be celebrity judges for the Miss Envy 2008 Model Search held at House of Blues...there was no need to twist either of their arms in order to participate...

Tonight, Dario Sala will join other famous faces from Hollywood, the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, and more at the Seventh Annual Reebok Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game at the Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco. Kenny Cooper, Abe Thompson, and Aaron Pitchkolan will also be involved in some of the activities (not the game).

Dario joins other local athletes like Mike Modano, Brenden Morrow, Michael Irvin, Jason Terry and DeMarcus Ware, as well as TV and movie stars for the benefit game. Money raised will benefit the children’s charities of The Heroes Foundation YOUniversity Program and The Mike Modano Foundation.

The Homerun derby starts at 4 pm, and celebrity game at 6 pm. Click here for more info.

Guadalajara arrives...

California-born Chivas forward Jesus Padilla is interviewed by local ESPN Deportes radio's Jesus Padilla...
=====================================

Just as we were set to kickoff Thursday's game in Houston, Chivas Guadalajara arrived into DFW on a flight from Phoenix around 7:45 pm. Chivas began it's preseason tour on Wednesday, losing 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls in Arizona.

The team trained this morning on Field #5 at Pizza Hut Park. As expected, fans showed up to watch the training...what was not expected - the Chivas staff inviting the fans inside the gate to watch from up close...afterwards, all players and coaches posed for photos and signed autographs...they will train again at 10 am on Saturday.

CHIVAS ROSTER:
GOALKEEPERS: Luis Michel, Sergio Rodríguez
DEFENDERS: Javier Ledezma, Juan Ocampo, Héctor Reynoso, Mario de Luna, Antonio Olvera de los Santos
MIDFIELDERS: Omar Esparza, Julio César Nava, Marco Fabián de la Mora, Ramón Morales, Sergio Ávila, Édgar Iván Solís, Xavier Báez Gamiño, Alejandro Galván, Édgar Mejía, Jorge Adrián Cárdenas
FORWARDS: Alberto Medina Briseño, Javier Hernández Balcazar, Jesús Andrés Padilla, Antonio Salazar, Omar Arellano.
Mexico National team regulars Ramon Morales (left) and Hector Reynoso are among the most popular players here...

FCD 1, HOU 1

UPDATED: Down 1-0 at halftime, the team switched to a 3-5-2 and pulled together in the second half, with Kenny notching the equalizer off a pinpoint cross from Toja out on the left flank. FCD claims the regular season series based on away goals (FCD 4 - HOU 2), which means "El Capitan" will be back in Dallas next season!

Full recap, box score, highlights, etc. at fcdallas.com
=================================================
Here we go. It’s the third and final game of the 2008 regular season series between FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo, and “El Capitan” is up for grabs. While the two previous games ended in draws, Dallas can claim the series trophy for the first time with a win or even a tie (based on FCD’s 3-2 edge in away goals scored).

While we’re still about 10 minutes away from kickoff, the day has already gotten off to a good start for Dallas. The FCD Juniors and Houston Dynamo U-16 and U-18 teams squared off earlier today, marking the first-ever competition for the Juniors sides. The FCD U-16’s won their match 3-1, with scoring from Moises Hernandez, Chris Figueroa and Ruben Luna. The U-18 match ended in a 1-1 tie, with Gabriel Funes scoring on a free kick from about 25 yards out.

The current temperature is hovering around 80 degrees, and it has rained on and off a bit here today. Tonight's forecast indicates a 50% chance of thunderstorms. Yuck!

Schellas is sticking with the 4-4-2 formation that he introduced last weekend at New York, although there are a few changes in the lineup. Here’s how it looks…

------------------------ Sala -----------------------
Moor --- Pitchkolan --- Davino --- Serioux
---------------------- Ricchetti --------------------
----- Saragosa ---------------------- Toja ------
----------------------- Rocha ---------------------
--------------- Cooper ---- Alvarez -------------

Three FCD Players up for Sports Awards

Dario Sala, Pablo Ricchetti, and Juan Toja are nominees for the first ever "Tecate Premios Deportes" (Tecate Sports Awards), as announced by Univision today. Comprised of Hispanic athletes in ten different categories, the nominees were selected for their talent, character and perseverance, as well as their contributions to and impact on the Hispanic community.

The nominees were selected by a distinguished panel of current and former professional athletes and sports writers. The judging criteria for the awards included the athletes' statistical excellence, participation in a televised professional sport in the United States during 2007, cumulative impact on their team and in the sport, and their reputation as a role model for the Hispanic community.

The FCD players are up for the All-Star Team of the Year, nominated with two other players from Mexico's First Division in their respective positions: Dario's competition is Club America's Guillermo Ochoa and Atlante's Federico Villar...Pablo is up against Gerardo Torrado of Cruz Azul and Jaime Correa from Pachuca for Defensive Midfielder...and Toja is grouped with Chivas Guadalajara's Ramon Morales and Toluca's Antonio Naelson Zinha for best midfielder.

The awards will be presented during a celebrity-filled "red carpet" celebration at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, and will be broadcast on the Univision Network on Sunday, July 20th. Unfortunately, we just found out about this - and online voting apparently is closed. Congrats to all three for being nominated!

Other MLS players are also nominated. Click here for full release.

On to Houston...

The team left for Houston this afternoon, after another good workout this morning...yesterday, we caught up with Schellas and Drew Moor after training...UPDATED: The players that traveled are: Sala, Burse, Moor, Pitchkolan, Rhine, Serioux, Wagner, Davino, Alvarez, Ricchetti, Toja, McCarty, Oduro, Thompson, Rocha, Saragosa, Avila, and Cooper.

Open Cup update

Tonight, U.S. Soccer announced that the winner of the FC Dallas versus Miami game will advance to the Quarterfinal to face the winner of the 3rd Round match between the Charleston Battery (USL 1) and Houston Dynamo (MLS), which will be played on July 1 at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina.

If we get past Miami, we'll host either Charleston or Houston at Pizza Hut Park on Tuesday, July 8 (7:30 p.m. CT).

FCD to Host Miami FC in Open Cup

FCD will host Miami FC (United Soccer League's 1st Division) in the 3rd Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, July 1 at Pizza Hut Park (7:30 pm CT). Miami tonight defeated the Atlanta Silverbacks 1-0 in the second round to advance. Click here to learn more about Miami. You'll notice they are on a seven-game undefeated streak, and their roster includes many players with MLS experience.

Season ticket holders should use Bonus Game C for the game. If you don't have tickets, call the front office for more info - 888.FCD.GOAL.

Media stuff and more...

Today was busy, but we're not complaining...among the things that kept us busy were: Duilio taping a commercial for Univision...

Marcelo and his wife and son in a photo shoot for a local youth sports magazine...Kenny on the ESPN.com chat...setting up Juan for an ESPN Deportes interview...Schellas taping a phone interview with GolTV...plenty of email / phone exchanges with ESPN ahead of the Thursday game...a photo shoot with a local newspaper photographer at Brek and Lambo's apartment...our own video interviews to shoot (we'll post on Wednesday)...media at practice...and, well, more stuff that kept us busy...

Not much to share from practice today - media was asking about Cooper, about Ricardinho, about Houston, about formations, etc..we'll see what they report back, but we'll also post some of the comments here on Wednesday (couldn't get to them today).

One note to share is that Schellas wants Ray Burse to stay...Ray will join Portland on Friday for two upcoming game this weekend (at Carolina and at Atlanta), then come back to Dallas to remain with us moving forward...

Tonight we'll know who we play in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, July 1...Atlanta plays at Miami - if Miami wins, we host them...if Atlanta wins, we travel to Atlanta next Tuesday. Click here to track all Open Cup games...

Cooper Chat on ESPN.com

If you have questions for Kenny Cooper, here's your chance to try to ask them...Kenny will be chatting on espn.com today at 2 pm CT...Click here to send you questions or to follow along...

Returning...

The team was back out on the adidas Field this morning from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. after practicing inside the stadium all last week. For the record, the blog staff misses the stadium field sessions because of the wonderful shade that can be found on the stage. It’s a bit harder to escape the sun out on the adidas Field, but enough about us...

Adrian Serioux has rejoined the team after spending the past two weeks with the Canadian National Team for World Cup Qualifying. Canada advanced past St. Vincent and the Grenadines with a 4-1 win last Friday (7-1 aggregate).

Drew Moor and Brek Shea were absent this morning, as they’re flying back from Barbados with the U.S. National Team. The U.S. advanced 9-0 on aggregate after the 1-0 victory yesterday at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.

There are no new injuries to report today as everybody participated in full training.

UPDATED (3 p.m.): We forgot to mention earlier that goalkeeper Ray Burse was also here this morning and will remain with the team through Thursday night's game down in Houston.

Schellas on Sports Extra Tonight

The team returns from New York today and the players will have the rest of the day off, before before a quick turnaround to begin preparing for the game down in Houston this Thursday night. 

Before you hit the hay tonight, make sure to tune in to Sports Extra with Derek Castillo (NBC 5 at 10:30 p.m.), as Schellas Hyndman will be a guest on the show. 

FCD 0, NY Red Bulls 1

UPDATED (post-game) - Not the was Schellas wanted to start off...the results evens the all-time series with NY at 15-15-2, and interestingly, also evens the record at Giants Stadium to 8-8-1... Schellas becomes the 60th head / interim coach in MLS history - MLS coaches are now 27-22-11 in their first league games (doesn't count those who have filled in when head coaches are out with red card or other reasons)...

As always, recap, boxscore, highlights, quotes, etc at fcdallas.com.
-----------------------------
We're going with a flat back four tonight, and kind of diamond shape in the middle...something like this:
----------------------Sala---------------------
--Rhine----Pitchkolan--Davino----Wagner---
--------------------Ricchetti------------------
----------Rocha----------------Saragosa------
----------------------Toja---------------------
-------------Cooper----Oduro--------------

Brek joins Drew in Barbados

So now you know Brek didn't travel with us to New York. Instead, he had a 5:40 am flight from Dallas to Barbados, to join FCD teammate Drew Moor and the U.S. Men's National Team for the second-leg of the World Cup Qualifier.

For Brek, it's first-ever call up to the full Men's National Team...Last summer, he was on the U.S. U-17 team at the U-17 World Cup in Korea...In January, we drafted him with the #2 overall pick...then, in April he was called in to the U.S. U-20's for a tournament in Portugal...and, just last month, he joined the U.S. U-23's for the Toulon Tournament in France.

The U.S. vs. Barbados game in on Sunday at 2 pm CT, live on ESPN Classic and Galavision. You can follow along with the National team through their blog.

The travel party...

Not our regular travel day: The flight left on time...we arrived into Newark Airport 30 minutes early...all our bags made it...the bus was on time...and we have all the keys ready for our hotel rooms...we're sitting here at the Crowne Plaza waiting for our team meal - instead of the meal waiting for us...anyways, we'll take the good start to the trip.

The travel party consists of 19 players, four coaches, and the team staff: Dario Sala, Ray Burse, Bobby Rhine, Duilio Davino, Aaron Pitchkolan, Blake Wagner, Michael Dello-Russo, Andrew Daniels, Anthony Wallace, Eric Avila, Juan Toja, Pablo Ricchetti, Marcelo Saragosa, Andre Rocha, Dax McCarty, Arturo Alvarez, Dominic Oduro, Abe Thompson, Kenny Cooper...Schellas, John Ellinger, Marco, and Drew.

New York, New York

The team held its final practice this morning before flying to New York for Saturday night’s game against the Red Bulls.

Duilio Davino participated in full training today for the first time this week. Right before the end of the session, the training staff had Davino do some cutting and sprints to test his ankle further, which he completed with no apparent problems. Ray Burse was back out on the field again after his practice was cut short yesterday, when he took a knock to his left thumb.

The guys have boarded the bus and are off to the airport. Fans can watch the game at home live on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Espanol (6:30 p.m. CT), or join other FCD supporters at Lochrann’s, located across the street from Pizza Hut Park. Read all about how Dallas matches up against the Red Bulls here and check out the NY preview video clips below featuring Schellas Hyndman, Dax McCarty and Arturo Alvarez....

FCD vs. New York Preview

Schellas Hyndman, Dax McCarty and Arturo Alvarez (Spanish) talk about adjusting to change, the team's recent form, and taking on the New York Red Bulls this Saturday...

In the Stadium

The skies were dark with thunder and lightning in the distance early this morning. The practice was scheduled for 9 am, but the team decided to wait out the clouds...

We've not forgotten how fortunate we are to have our own facility, thinking back to the old days when the team had no place to wait out such weather. So, while some guys lounged around watching TV and adjusting to the earlier wake up calls, others worked out in the gym, some used the hot and cold tubs, and yet others used the time to sharpen up their ping pong game. The sun came out by 10:15 a.m., at which point the guys were more than ready to get on the field.

For the second consecutive day the team practiced on the Stadium Field, while the adidas Field is undergoing regular maintenance. One thing we noticed right away that was different from last week, was that there were four coaches out there, including John Ellinger. Another was the type of drills the team went through - as we're sure you've read by now, the staff is introducing the guys to possibility of playing with a 4-4-2 formation, which is different that they've played for most of the year.

We've got some uncertainty in the defense this week, at least with regard to the guys that have gotten the most minutes back there this year. Drew is with the U.S. team, and Adrian is with the Canadian team - so neither will be available. And, Duilio has not participated in full training this week after injuring his left ankle at around the 70th minute in the Chicago game. He played through it at the time, but it's been bothering him since.

On a positive, Dax was back out on the field this morning, working through drills with the full team after sitting out Wednesday's practice.

Ray Burse stayed with the team this week after coming in for the Chicago game. However, he had to leave practice early today after taking a knock on his sore left thumb (which he injured just prior to the NE game).
Drew worked with the keepers, making full use of having the stadium walls. In the drill shown above, he'd rip shots off the wall, allowing the keepers to work on quick reflexes by reacting to the direction the ball would take off the wall.

Practice is at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, with the team flying out to New York in the early afternoon for Saturday night's game against the Red Bulls.

More foosball...

Lots of fun was had last week at the foosball tourney...thanks to all those that attended...you may see yourself in the video below:

Moor going to Barbados

Drew Moor today was called to U.S. Men’s National Team for the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying game versus Barbados. He'll report to the team tonight in Miami, Florida, and is not expected to rejoin us until next Monday. The game at Barbados is on Sunday, June 22 at 2 p.m. CT (live on ESPN Classic and Galavision.)

Drew has made four appearances for the U.S. National team, including two this year, the most recent on February 6, 2008 in a 2-2 draw with Mexico in Houston.

The U.S. opened 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying on June 15 by opening the first leg of their Second Round two-game series against Barbados with an historic 8-0 victory at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The eight-goal win is the largest margin of victory ever in U.S. Men’s National Team history, and ties the record for the most goals scored by the U.S. in a match.

Schellas Hyndman Introduced

New FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman. PHOTO: Rick Yeatts / FC Dallas
==========================================

We had a great media turnout today for the press conference introducing Schellas Hyndman as head coach, and looking from up front it, looked like almost the entire team was in attendance as well.

Outlets represented: WFAA 8 / KFWD-52, CBS 11 / KTXA 21, NBC 5 / Telemundo, Univision / CW 33, and Fox 4; Associated Press, 3rdDegree, MLSnet (ENG and SPA), Star-Telegram, Dallas Morning News / Al Dia, Sportsticker, DallasSoccerNews, ESPN Deportes Radio, Pegasus News.

Click here for the official release. Click here to watch the press conference if you missed it.

FCD 2, DFW Tornado 0

With the introduction of the Open Cup schedule, and with a few changes to first team games, MLS teams have had a difficult time getting reserve games in - Dallas included (we've had four re-scheduled). So, the staff arranged a scrimmage against the DFW Tornados (PDL team), in order to get the guys some competition - that's not within themselves.

It took a bit of time but Chase Wileman finally opened the scoring in the 75th minute, working a nice combination with Ricardinho before slotting home a shot from near the goal on the right side.

Guest player Spencer Wadsworth made it 2-0 about a minute after replacing Abe Thompson in the 80th minute. Wadsworth, timing his run to the top of the six, met a curving cross from Bobby Rhine from the right side and slid it past the on-rushing keeper.

Josh Lambo played his first competitive minutes in goal since the injury back on March 30.

Here's how FCD lineup up today: Josh Lambo, Andrew Daniels, Aaron Pitchkolan, Michael Dello-Russo, Anthony Wallace, Dax McCarty (Chase Wileman), Eric Avila, Bobby Rhine, Brek Shea, Abe Thompson (Spencer Wadsworth), Ricardinho.

UPDATED (after first two comments): the game was played on the stadium field, while the adidas Field undergoes some regular maintenance. Marco and Drew coached the team, lining the guys up in a 4-4-2.

Schellas Hyndman Named FCD Head Coach

FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock announced today that Schellas Hyndman has been hired as the team’s head coach. Hyndman replaces Steve Morrow, who was relieved of his coaching duties on May 20.

Hitchcock will introduce Hyndman to the media at a press conference on Tuesday, June 17 at Pizza Hut Park at 11 a.m. CT. Hyndman joins FC Dallas after 31 seasons as a college head coach, the past 24 as the head coach of nearby Southern Methodist University (SMU).

FCD Jrs. to Play in SUM U-17 Cup

Soccer United Marketing today announced details of the second annual Youth Development soccer tournament, SUM U-17 Cup, which kicks off on Friday, July 4 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The tournament features 14 Major League Soccer sponsored U-17 Youth Development teams.

The champion will take home the coveted SUM U-17 Cup and earns the opportunity to participate in the 2009 Trofeo Quixote U-17 tournament in Madrid, Spain. The second place team will gain entry into the prestigious Super Group in the 2009 Dallas Cup youth tournament in Frisco, Texas. The losing semifinalists will participate in the Dallas Cup U-19 group.

This tournament is being hosted at no cost to all participants as Soccer United Marketing covers the costs of player travel, accommodations and other tournament-related expenses.

The preliminary SUM U-17 Cup schedule is as follows:
July 4 – Round Robin Matchday 1
July 5 – Round Robin Matchday 2
July 7 – Round Robin Matchday 3
July 8 – Semi Finals
July 10 – Final

Group A: D.C. United, Colorado (A), Houston, Chicago.
Group B: Kansas City, Toronto, Colorado (B), New England.
Group C: FC Dallas, Chivas USA, Columbus Crew.
Group D: Los Angeles, Real Salt Lake, New York.

Since Groups C and D have three teams, each team will play a team from the other group to round off group play. FCD was were drawn to play the LA Galaxy.

FCD 1, Chicago 0

UPDATED (postgame): FCD today extended it's home undefeated streak versus Chicago to 11 consecutive games (10-0-1)...the last time Chicago won in Dallas was last century - on July 4, 1999 at the Cotton Bowl.

Kenny Cooper has now played in four games against Chicago, and he's scored in all four...this was his third game-winning goals against the Fire.

Recap, boxscore, highlights, etc at fcdallas.com.

(2:15 pm) It's hot out here today, temps reaching past 100 degrees down on the field before kickoff. FCD lines up in a 3-1-4-2 today, with Pablo Ricchetti again in the role in front of the three defenders. Not that we get into formations much, just thought we'd point out how the team drew it up.

"How to Miss: 101"

Blake Wagner introduces this clip of him, Eric Avila and Brek Shea taking penalty kicks after practice today as "How To Miss: 101." But with Brek and Eric in goal, we're thinking we might need to change the title...

Previewing Chicago...

Ten-year FC Dallas veteran Bobby Rhine gives us a look at this Sunday's matchup against the Chicago Fire....


... and Duilio Davino addresses the media in Spanish about facing former Club America teammate Cuauhtehmoc Blanco for the first time in MLS play.

Breaking News - Ibrahim traded to Toronto

Today we completed a trade that sees Abdus Ibrahim go to Toronto FC in exchange for a conditional draft pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.

FC Dallas will acquire Toronto’s natural first round selection if: Ibrahim plays in 10 or more 2009 MLS regular season games, or, if he is sold or loaned, or traded to another MLS team before the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. If none of the condition above are met, Dallas will receive Toronto’s natural second round selection in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. In addition, Dallas will receive 50 percent of any transfer fee if Ibrahim is transferred from an MLS club to one overseas.

Most fans of the FCD blog know he's been away from the team for some time now on personal leave. Given his age and his expressed desire to be close to his family at this time, we felt this was best for him.

Zarco in the House

A surprise guest showed up to training today: former Dallas player Jorge ‘Zarco’ Rodriguez. The 1998 team MVP and three-time Dallas Defender of the Year (1998, 2000, 2001) chatted during practice with his former coach and current FC Dallas color commentator, Dave Dir. After practice, Zarco caught up with fellow El Salvadoran Arturo Alvarez inside the locker room.

Jorge Zambrano from Univision’s Contacto Deportivo also stopped by this morning to conduct interviews with several FCD players. Of course, he talked with Duilio Davino about facing Chicago’s Cuahtehmoc Blanco, his long-time teammate at Club America. Zambrano also spoke with Arturo Alvarez, Dario Sala, Pablo Ricchetti, Juan Toja and everyone’s favorite FCDTV guest reporter, Eric Avila. The interviews should run on Contacto either Friday or Saturday, so keep an eye out for that.

And after stepping off the training field, Kenny Cooper and Dominic Oduro took the time to visit with about 50 young attendees of the FC Dallas School of Excellence Soccer Training Camps.

U.S. Open Cup info...

U.S. Soccer has announced the third round possible pairings for the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Results from the second round of play on June 24 will determine the potential matchups and venues for the third round to take place on July 1.

FC Dallas will play the winner of the Second Round game between Miami FC and the Atlanta Silverbacks, both of the United Soccer League’s First Division, which will take place on June 24 at Tropical Park in Miami, Fla.

If Atlanta defeats Miami, FC Dallas will visit the Silverback for the Third Round game on July 1 at RE/MAX Stadium (Atlanta, Ga.). If Miami defeats Atlanta, then FC Dallas will host Miami at Pizza Hut Park on July 1.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation’s National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor long-time soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt. Click here for more.

Hitchcock - On the coaching process...

Dear FC Dallas Fans:

I wanted to take this time to inform you on where we are with the search for the next head coach of FC Dallas.

Over the past few weeks we’ve diligently reviewed over 50 potential candidates that we felt may be able to lead our team on the field. The process was at times difficult and time consuming. Some of the candidates we wanted to interview were employed by other teams and organizations, and so we first needed to request permission from their current employers before even approaching them.

At the same time, we also received a number of inquiries from others that were interested in interviewing for the position. Out of respect for those we interviewed and those we did not, we won’t mention names. However, we can tell you that both our league and team has attracted the interest and attention of many well-qualified candidates.

Once we narrowed our list of candidates, we invited a select few to interview. After talking to the finalists, we met to discuss who we felt was the right person to lead our team at this time.

We’ve now reached the final stages of the process, and expect to be able to make a formal announcement to present the new FC Dallas head coach early next week.

I also want to take this time to thank Marco Ferruzzi, Drew Keeshan, and the players, who have shown great commitment and professionalism throughout this process.

Once again, thanks for your support of FC Dallas.

Michael Hitchcock
General Manager
FC Dallas / Pizza Hut Park

Foosball Tourney on Thursday

If you've checked out the official site, you know about the Foosball Tourney on Thursday, June 12 at Sherlock's Baker St. Pub & Grill (8 pm CT). If you haven't checked the site, here's the scoop.

Fans are invited to take on FC Dallas players & fellow fans in a one-off elimination style foosball tournament. You can also partner up with a player for $10 with all proceeds benefiting the FC Dallas Foundation. There's no need to sign up, just join us at the bar.

Sherlock's Baker St. Pub & Grill is located at 9100 N. Central Expressway, Ste 141, Dallas, TX 75231, on the corner of Park Ln & Central Expressway.

Two Sessions

The team held two training sessions today: one in the morning which featured about half of the squad, and another in the afternoon with the whole team at the Michael Johnson Performance Center.

Joining the team this morning out on the adidas Field was 17-year-old Gabriel Funes (right), the winner of this year’s Sueno MLS competition and member of the FC Dallas Juniors program.

Dax McCarty participated in full training this morning for the first time since undergoing sports hernia surgery on May 15 in Germany.

Dario Sala also participated in full training in the net today. Both players are listed as questionable on this week’s injury report.

Adrian Serioux has joined the Canadian National Team in Florida to prepare for upcoming World Cup Qualifying, and will miss Sunday's contest against Chicago. Canada takes on St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the road on June 15 and at home on June 20.

Below, Ricardinho gets behind the camera after practice to chat with Dario...

FCD vs. CD Guadalajara (Chivas) - June 29

On Monday we finalized the summer friendly we mentioned last week - FC Dallas vs. Chivas (Guadalajara) will take place on Sunday, June 29 here at Pizza Hut Park (8 pm CT). It'll be a rematch of sorts, as we tied them 1-1 last July here at PHP.

Chivas has four games scheduled in the U.S. this year: In January, they defeated Colombia's Deportivo Cali 2-1 in Orlando...they'll play the New York Red Bulls in Arizona on June 25...and play Spain's Barcelona in Chicago on August 3.

FCD Season Ticket holders can use Bonus Game B for the game...tickets will be available starting June 11 through ticketmaster outlets or calling the office at 888.323.4625.

Practice Interrupted

Kenny and Drew showed up to the training field a little after 3:30 pm today but did not participate, having just flown in from New York. Not even 15 minutes later, the whole team was forced to run off the field, as this afternoon's practice was cut short about 45 minutes in by heavy rain and hail.

As the rest of the team was training with strong winds gusting and the storm just about to hit, we asked Drew what time the flight landed, knowing that he isn't too crazy about flying in the first place. He told us that it was shortly before 3 pm and then looked up toward the sky with a look that spelled R-E-L-I-E-F.

*Note - There's been a slight change in tomorrow's schedule, which was originally planned as a regular 10 a.m. practice. Instead, a small group of the guys will come in for training in the morning at 10 a.m., and will then meet up with the rest of the team at the Michael Johnson Performance Center at 1 p.m.

Drew and Kenny Join U.S. MNT today

As disappointing as the result was last night, we had a nice surprise as we were pulling in to our hotel following the game. Drew Moor and Kenny Cooper were called in by U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley to join the U.S. MNT in today in New Jersey.

The guys went with the FCD team to the airport here in Boston, but got out at the Continental terminal to catch their flight to Newark. They'll join the U.S. team today for a workout, before Bradley names the 18 man roster for tomorrow's game versus Argentina, which will be played at Giants Stadium in front of over 70,000 fans (6:30 pm kickoff, live on ESPN Classic and Galavision).

For Kenny, this marks his first call up since March 2007...Drew most recently represented the U.S. team in February 2008. It's the first time both good friends have been invited to join the team together.

To keep up on the U.S. team, visit their official blog.

FCD 1, NE 2

UPDATED: fcdallas.com has recap, boxscore, highlights, and more...

We're just a few minutes away from kickoff at Gillette Stadium. The weather is cloudy and a cool 61 degrees. Gillette's regular playing surface is FieldTurf, but Brazil and Venezuela are playing in a friendly immediately after our game, so the stadium has laid down grass for this one.

Dario did not travel, as he's still out with the right hip injury, which means Ray's in goal just like last week. Here's how the team will line up (3-4-1-2): Burse, Moor, Davino, Serioux, Rocha, Saragosa, Ricchetti, Rhine, Toja, Oduro, Cooper.

International game (s)...

Yesterday, we announced that Pizza Hut Park will host a SuperLiga 2008 match between current Mexican champion, Santos Laguna, and reigning CONCACAF Champions Cup winner, Pachuca FC (9:00 pm CT).

We've also been working on finalizing details for another game - FC Dallas vs. CD Guadalajara (Chivas), possibly in late June. We'll be back with details if / once finalized.

Back to normal...?

Since many of you are frequent visitors, you’ve probably read the numerous FC Dallas travel stories over the past year and half. Well, today was the first time this blog staffer got to experience it first hand. I’ve been on a couple of road trips with the team before and everything went smoothly, no problems whatsoever. I was almost beginning to think I was a good luck charm of some sort. Continue reading...

Well, today was different and it started when we left the stadium around 1:15 pm. Bumper to bumper traffic this afternoon made the bus trip from Pizza Hut Park to the airport about an hour and a half, which is twice as long as usual. That turned out to work a little in our favor, as we found out during the ride that our 3:25 pm flight was delayed to 5 pm. We got to the airport at about 2:45 pm, so we probably wouldn’t have missed the flight, but at least now we could take our time checking in all of the team’s bags and going through security.

After passing through security, everyone kills time differently. Some head to the gate, some wander from newsstands to gift shops, while others grab a bite to eat at the food court. Those of us who didn’t head straight to the gate, and therefore weren’t around to hear any announcements about the flight, were in for a surprise.

We found out a little after 4 pm that the flight was delayed again; this time pushing the flight back two hours to a 7 pm takeoff. This, of course, meant more time to kill. The good thing for us was that we were not sitting on a plane; as it turns out, the 12:30 flight to Boston had been sitting on the tarmac for over two hours at this point.

Since this blog staffer was in the group that wandered from newsstands to gift shops, I didn’t get a chance to eat earlier. Feeling this was a blessing in disguise, at around 4:45 I took the opportunity to grab a sit-down meal with another staffer. We took the advice of the nice man at the information desk who steered us away from the TGI Friday’s in terminal C, which was packed. He instead recommended the Friday’s in terminal ‘E’, assuring us that there would be no wait. The info man was right, as we sat down right away and started eating a little after 5 pm.

At 5:45 pm, we get a call from assistant team admin Daniel Granados, to let us know that he had informed the bus company in Boston that we were delayed. Then, assuming that we already knew, he mentions that the flight has been moved up to 6 pm - at which point we PANIC!

We immediately get the waitress to close out our check and run out of the restaurant to catch the tram back to terminal C. On the ride over, we get a call from head athletic trainer Joshua Watts asking us to hold the plane because he and the coaching staff are also on a tram from another terminal.

The two of us make it back first, informing the attendants that the other members of our group were on their way (we soon realize the rest of the team was onboard). As we hear "Final Boarding" calls for two staffers, we see them come around the corner from the tram. Everyone was back and on the plane, which I’m sure upset the numerous folks with standby tickets waiting for a chance to catch the flight to Boston. As we walked on the plane, the players had their fun telling us we were "fined."

The flight itself actually wasn’t that bad. We land in Boston at 10:50 pm ET and by 11:20 pm we’ve gathered all the bags and we’re on the bus heading to the team hotel. At midnight, we arrive at the Sheraton Braintree. Everyone grabs a quick snack in our reserved conference room and then we all head to our rooms for the night. After a long day of traveling, we’re finally here and now I’m too tired to continue typing. Good night.

Previewing New England

Drew Moor, Blake Wagner and Marcelo Saragosa (Spanish) talk about Friday night's game at New England...

FCD TV - The First 15...

Last week, the first 15 players to be selected for the FC Dallas Juniors teams were presented their FCD jerseys at an event held in the Verizon Wireless Club prior to the game versus Houston. They are the first of up to 44 players under the age of 18 that will make up the two teams, with the hope that one day they develop and progress straight to the professional team.

Meet the first members of the team in the video below (or click here for a high-res version that can be watched on a full screen)...Any player interested in trying out on June 14 can register by clicking here.

Injury Updates

The team was back in today for a full training session after having Monday off, and went for a little over an hour and half. Both Dario Sala and Dax McCarty are currently listed as 'questionable' heading into Friday's game at New England, and we caught up with each of them after practice to check on the status of their injuries. Keep reading...

Dario Sala participated in full training today after missing Sunday’s game in Colorado with a right hip injury. Both he and Josh Lambo started off the day working out with goalkeeper coach Drew Keeshan, and finished the practice by trading places in the net for a half field scrimmage.

Here's what Dario had to say about the hip injury....

“Yeah, this is the first time I’ve had any kind of injury since the beginning of the year. I’ve been really in shape and great about my body. Unfortunately the injury came with a bad landing when I was diving on the last goal of the game here against Houston. But I did the treatment and didn’t have much time to recover because we played Wednesday night and we had to play Sunday. But, because I did the treatment on Saturday and Sunday here, and I also went to the therapist two times, I feel so much better and don’t feel much tightness in my muscle. Hopefully for Friday it will be ok.”

Did you experience any limitations in training today?

“I still have limitations in my kicking and some movement. But for the most part, the diving, the standing up in goal, the running ahead and running backward was good because my muscles are perfect. We were confused about the symptoms because I felt tightness in my muscles because of my hip. I’m stretching and doing a little more now. I can kick the ball a little bit and everything is going in the right direction, I can feel that.

===============================================

Still feeling some soreness in his left groin, Dax McCarty continued to work with the training staff individually as he’s done since returning from sports hernia surgery in Germany. He experienced some pain about halfway through the session, at which point the trainers took him inside to do some core exercises. He has a doctor’s appointment scheduled for later this afternoon.

Here’s what Dax said about how the rehab is going…

"It’s actually been a pretty frustrating past two and a half weeks or so after the surgery. Right after the surgery, I came back and my groin was feeling good. The only thing that was really bothering me was obviously the wound where they made the incision; that was pretty sore."

"As the week went on, the wound got less and less sore and it felt good - everything was feeling good. I was doing some core exercises and starting to jog and everything was feeling good, and I was having no problems with tightness or anything. As we started to amp up the regimen of rehab, my groin started to get a little bit tighter and a little sore, so I’ve kind of been going back and forth between resting and it being too tight and sore, and other days it’ll feel great and I’ll be able to run and do all kinds of exercises."

"I was hoping to be ready for the Colorado game which was kind of being over ambitious, so now my next goal is to be ready for the New England game. As of right now it’s pretty sore and pretty tight so I’m not too sure on where we stand. I’m going to go see the doctor today and see what he says."

On watching from the sidelines…

“It’s tough for me. Obviously it’s a frustrating injury to have because I could definitely play through it. But at the same time I wouldn’t be 100%, so all the parties involved thought it was best for me to get surgery. It’s tough. I’m desperate to get back out on the field and play. This is what I live for and I’m pretty frustrated to have to watch the guys from the sidelines.”

“I would love to get back out there and help them in any way possible, especially now that we’ve dropped a few points lately. It’s pretty frustrating, but I think we’ve got a very good team, a confident team, and I think we’re heading in the right direction. Everybody in the locker room is very positive and I’m trying to stay positive with the injury and just get back out on the field as soon as I can to help the team out.”

Serioux with Canada

Adrian Serioux missed our game on Sunday, having just played almost the full 90 for Canada in the 3-2 loss to Brazil the day before in Seattle.

Originally, Adrian was set to rejoin FCD on Monday...however, he's been requested to stay with the Canadian team for Wednesday's game versus Panama, which will be played in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He'll join us in Boston on Thursday evening.

Cooper for Goal of the Week

Kenny's goal against Houston from last week is up for the MLS Goal of the Week...watch below, and / or click here to watch the other candidates and to vote.

More on Ray...

Even though Ray Burse has technically been away this season, his FCD teammates always make him feel like he's been here all along, noticed by the jokes and banter when they are around - and really, he's been with the team for half the games now, anyway...

Two weeks ago, he stopped by FCD practice while on a layover, crossing from Miami to Portland. The FCD TV crew caught up with Ray for a sit down interview. We were hoping to put the video up right away, however, the next day we had the coaching change...and then, we had the three quick games, so we didn't have a chance to put the video up...so, while it may be a bit dated, here's Ray talking about his experience to date...(Thanks to Mark Kostic at the Timbers for his help with the highlights).

FCD 1, Colorado 2

Because of the early afternoon start time of today's game, the team is currently on a plane heading back to Dallas tonight. We can tell you that the guys are ready to start the new week, turning their focus toward the next game -- at New England on Friday. 

Here's what Marco Ferruzzi said post-game:

"Playing three games in a matter of 10 days, and these guys have been putting a lot of effort into it. We're playing at altitude, but I thought we gave a great effort, and this is one that got away."

Thoughts on Ray Burse's play:

"He made some spectacular saves. He came from Montreal two days ago, flew out of Rochester, and had a game Friday night. So, you have to give him a lot of respect, he came up big today a couple times."

Check fcdallas.com for complete recap, boxscore, etc...

Frequent flyer Burse...

Here's the news of the day...Dario Sala did not make the trip (R hip)...Ray Burse, who helped Portland shutout Montreal 1-0 on Friday night, is here.

Halfway through Saturday's morning workout at Pizza Hut Park, it became obvious that Dario wouldn't be able to go. Our staff ran inside and made the call to the Timber, and then Ray - the team having just completed a seven hour bus ride from Montreal, Canada to Rochester, New York. (Portland plays the Rochester Rhinos on Sunday night).

Ray got some rest and was on an afternoon flight to Denver, arriving here last night.

Ray's been in goal in all 10 games for Portland this year, registering six shutouts and surrendering only six goals, leading a team that has yet to find its scoring form (7 goals scored) to a 4-2-4 record...He's also returned to be the backup in five FCD games - and Dallas has yet to lose when Ray has been available (2-0-3)...we hope that continues!

In the Rockies...

A few weeks ago we were on the west side of the Rocky Mountains, taking in the mountain views during our trip to Salt Lake City. Today, we're on the other side, in Denver, Colorado, awaiting this afternoon's game versus the Rapids. Kickoff is set for 2 pm CT (at 1 pm here), live on Telefutura and FSN-SW, with a viewing party at Lochrann's Pub & Grille across the street from Pizza Hut Park.

Back when the Rapids played at the Mile High Stadiums, MLS team's used to stay right on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver, giving all of us easy access to walk around the city to kill off time. Once the team moved out to Dick's Sporting Good Park last year, teams now stay near this stadium, at the Renaissance. It's a nice hotel, and though we don't have much to walk to, we do have such views from our hotel.