Cooper Heading to U.S. MNT Camp

To get us started again, the U.S. Soccer Federation today announced that FCD's Kenny Cooper is part of the 25-man roster for the annual January camp which runs from Jan. 4-25. The group will prepare for the USA's first match of 2009, a friendly against Sweden on Jan. 24 at The Home Depot Center.

Also, FC Dallas Juniors U-18 defender London Woodberry has become the fourth FCD Youth player called in to a U.S. Youth National Team camp, joining Alex Molano and Jose Perez (U-17s) and Josh Hernandez (U-20s). London is part of a 72-player mega camp that ends this weekend, also at the Home Depot Center.

Happy Holidays

The FCD Blog staff is taking a little break. We hope you have a safe and Happy Holiday Season...we'll be back at some point next week.

Eric Avila on the Generation adidas Trip...

Eric Avila was one of four FCD players who recently traveled to England with a squad of Generation adidas players to play friendlies against the Chelsea, Reading and West Ham United reserve teams. The results weren’t in their favor, but that’s not exactly what the trip was about. We caught up with Eric, who was more than happy to share his experiences below…

“I left San Diego for LAX on the 5th of December and that’s where I met up with some of the Generation adidas squad, like Tony Beltran, Alex Nimo and Chis Seitz from Real Salt Lake, and Amaechi Igwe from New England. We went from LAX straight to England where the rest of the team was waiting for us. The team stayed at the hotel called The Millennium, which was right beside Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s stadium. Continue reading...

Wally (Anthony Wallace), Bruno (Guarda) and (Josh) Lambo, were already in England by the time I got there, and having them around was great because of our experience playing with each other, which makes it that much easier in the games. As for the rest of the guys, I knew most of the squad already from playing with most of them on the national team, so I felt fine and comfortable going into the trip.

Chelsea, Reading and West Ham are some of the best clubs in the world and I wanted to use this opportunity to compare myself with the players that I was going against and try to see myself with their teams. It was a big evaluation, basically picturing what I would need to do to reach their level.

It was the little things that they were really good at, like keeping the ball and making sure they don’t lose it, and finding the little space in between players. These are the types of things that I want to develop in my game.

There were a few specific moments on the field that stood out to me. I’ll always remember my missed chance to tie the game up against Reading, when I went past two guys and volleyed a shot that the keeper barely saved with his toes. And against Chelsea, I was playing in the midfield against Mineiro, which I didn’t know at first but I ended up doing well against him. I’ll also remember looking up in the stands and seeing Frank Lampard watching our game. How cool is that?

We also had a lot of free time which was really cool. Before this trip, I had never attended a Champions League or EPL game. Going to the Chelsea vs. CRF Cluj and Liverpool vs. Hull City games opened my eyes to whole different side of the game… the way the fans care about their team so much and the way the whole stadium cheers together.

I loved every bit of the games that we watched in London. We also had a chance to watch Chelsea practice, which was cool because we were so close to the players and just watching them practice and the way the go about things over there was amazing to me.

One of my favorite moments off the field came after our game against the Chelsea Reserves. After changing in the locker room we went to eat at the club’s dining hall inside the stadium. All of the chairs and tables were taken except for one, so we went over there to sit down and I realized that I was sitting next to Mineiro and (Florent) Malouda. It was me, Bruno, Amaechi, Bakary Soumare (Chicago) and Rob Valentino (New England), all just talking about the game and random stuff. It was pretty cool.

Overall, it was an experience that I will never forget. Although it was way too cold for me (being from San Diego and playing in Dallas…..haha!), I loved the trip and wish I could have stayed over there a little longer.

Right now I’m back in San Diego just enjoying some time with my family and friends over the holidays before heading back to work and getting everything started. I’ll be going to Brazil in January to train with Atletico Paranaense, where I will be training twice a day, and then I’ll come back to Dallas for the start of preseason. So basically I’m going to be busy right after New Year’s but I think it will be good because I’ll be able to work on my game and prepare for the upcoming MLS season.

Before I finish, I just wanted to say Happy Holidays and thanks to all of the fans for your support in 2008. I can't wait to see you again in 2009!”

--Eric Avila

Drew Keeshan Goes to England

FCD's goalkeeper coach Drew Keeshan went on a few scouting trips this year to evaluate players. He traveled to Curitiba, Brazil a few months ago to look at a few CAP players, and spent the past month traveling around the U.S. looking at college players: in Tampa, Florida (Big East teams), Akron, Ohio (Akron Univ. vs. Ohio State), and New York City (Indiana vs. St. Johns).

Today, Drew is going to England, where he'll spend the next couple of weeks shadowing the goalkeeper coaches for English Premier League clubs Everton, Hull City, and Aston Villa. Drew will be attending 3-4 practice sessions with each of the EPL clubs, where he'll also have a chance to meet and talk to former MLS goalkeepers Brad Freidel, Brad Guzan, and Tim Howard.

Drew leaves tonight and is scheduled to return on Dec. 30.

FCD Juniors Update: Winter Break

U-18 D/M London Woodberry (Photo: Jimmy Vanegas/FC Dallas)
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The FCD Juniors teams finished the first part of their first season in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy over the weekend, each extending undefeated streaks against Houston area teams.

On Saturday, the FCD U-16s tied Texas SC 1-1 on a goal from Moises Hernandes, while the FCD U-18s defeated their counterparts 5-0 on goals from Bradley Baladez, Noel Luna, Jesse Gamino, and two from London Woodberry.

On Sunday, the U-16s defeated Texas Rush 4-1 with goals by Chris Figueroa, two from Scott Sprick, and one directly off a corner kick by Moises Hernandez. The U-18s won 3-1, with two goals from Enrique Sanchez and another from London.

Going into the winter break, the U-16s are undefeated through the first 14 games and the U-18 team is riding an 11-game undefeated streak.

Some more notes:

• The FCD Juniors U-16 and U-18 teams have played a combined 28 games and only lost twice.
• The U-16s are 9-0-2 (29 points) in the Texas Division and 11-0-3 overall. They have outscored their opponents 42-10 overall.
• The U-18 team is 5-2-4 (19 points) within the Division, and 6-2-6 overall. They have outscored their opponents 31-20 overall.
• With three games remaining in Division play, the U-16s have already qualified for the 32-Academy Playoffs next June, since they are guaranteed to finish in the top three of the Division.
• U-16s midfielder Jose Perez became the third FCD youth player called in to a U.S. Soccer Youth team when he joined the U.S. U-17 team for a camp in Florida from Dec. 12-15.

Click here for the full release and more notes...

Maryland wins NCAA College Cup

Maryland today defeated North Carolina 1-0 to win the 2008 NCAA Men's College Cup here at Pizza Hut Park. Graham Zusi's second half goal stood to give the Terrapins their second national championship in past four years.

Watching from the stands were a couple of FC Dallas players (and a former one) who played at the participating schools before turning pro: Dax McCarty and Jamie Watson (UNC) and Michael Dello-Russo, who captained Maryland's '05 Championship, and former FCD forward Abe Thompson.

NCAA College Cup - Semifinals

In today's first College Cup Semifinal game, North Carolina's Brian Shriver scored early on Wake Forest and the Tar Heels held on for a dramatic 1-0 upset of the number one seed and reigning NCAA champs. In the second game, Maryland dominated play and possession throughout, but needed a great 25-yard free kick by Graham Zusi in the second overtime to claim the win.

The College Cup: UNC vs. Maryland on Sunday, December 14 at 12 pm CT here at Pizza Hut Park.

College Cup Preparations

The NCAA College Cup begins on Friday here at Pizza Hut Park, and the teams and stadium today were in full preparation mode.

Each of the final four teams - Wake Forest, Maryland, North Carolina, and St. John's - were at the stadium today, training one last time, holding press conferences, doing one-on-one interviews with ESPN for the broadcast, and then walking through the stadium field.

Similar to InterLiga and other events we've hosted with four teams here at once, each team gets one locker room, right across from FCD's. We've converted the FCD locker room into the press conference room for the next four days. The suite lounge (above the Verizon Wireless Club) was the setting for the one-on-one interviews for the broadcast.

While all the above was going on, our Pizza Hut Park field crew was putting the final touches on the playing field, including painting the logo and putting up the field boards.

The first semifinal pits Wake Forest vs. North Carolina at 4:30 p.m. If that game does not go to overtime / penalty kicks, the Maryland vs. St. John's game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the Pizza Hut Park box office, starting at $35 for both Friday and Sunday's games combined, or $20 for either day.

From listening the players and coaches of each team, it sounds like they are all ready to go tomorrow. So is the Park.

Schellas meets the media...

Schellas has been quite busy since arriving from his South America scouting trip. Even so, today he sat down with a few members of the local media that had requested interviews with him. We took advantage of having the locker room set up for the NCAA press conference, and Schellas answered questions for about 45 minutes before the college pressers began.

Some questions we heard asked: how did the trip go; did you find any players; what positions are you looking for; is Kenny Cooper returning; what about Pablo Ricchetti, Duilio Davino, etc; are there any other players you've identified; what about a designated player; your thoughts on this player or that player; have any teams inquired about FCD players; have you inquired about other MLS players; the SuperDraft; college player (at College Cup); and many more.

We're thinking some of these answers may be included in the media's recap of the interview, so be on the look out in the coming days - in print and internet, and in Spanish and English.

Some FCD notes...

** Schellas and John Ellinger returned to Dallas this morning after spending the past 10 days in South America scouting players. The four coaches will meet with Hitch on Wednesday morning to review the trips.

** The locker room these days is pretty quiet. The one regular is Brek Shea, who has been rehabbing his knee. We're glad to report that his second surgery went well last week. In fact, since he had the previously injured portion of his meniscus cleaned out, he's now on target to be ready for the start of preseason training next month.

** As we were leaving, a few other players walking in. Drew Moor, Jamie Watson, Spencer Wadsworth, Chase Wileman, and Ray Burse came in to work out. Ray actually flies to St. Louis twice a week for a goalkeeper camp he's running not too far from there.

** Anthony Wallace, Bruno Guarda, and Eriv Avila all started for the MLS Generation adidas side in the opening game of the England tour, losing 1-0 to the Reading FC Reserves. Goalkeeper Josh Lambo played the second half.

** On Wednesday, the NCAA Final Four teams arrive into town. Michael Dello-Russo (Maryland) and Jamie Watson (North Carolina) told us today that they'll be here for the games. Dax McCarty, who played one year at UNC and whose younger brother Dustin is now midfielder for the Tarheels, told us on Saturday that he's also going to try to get back here (he lives in Florida during the off-season).

** Moor (Indiana), Dello-Russo, and Avila each won the College Cup when they were at their respective schools, and Aaron Pitchkolan was a member of the Tampa Div. II National Championship team before he transfered to West Virginia. The guys talked to Steve Hunt about what that experience was like.

** And finally, we'd like to congratulate Bobby Rhine and his wife Bevin, who gave birth to son Miller Benjamin Rhine earlier today.

Sala - Representing MLS and FC Dallas

On Dec. 6, 2008, FC Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala won a goalie-wars competition in Mexico, defating some of the top keepers from the Mexican First Division. He talks about his experience below:

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To start off, I was proud to represent MLS in Mexican territory, and happy again because I represented FC Dallas, a team that they know fairly well in Leon. Because we played in SuperLiga last year, they knew a lot about our team. They really knew a lot about us, which really caught my attention and surprised me. They know about Kenny Cooper, who they said was a “giant goal-scorer.’

Many people there told me they had watched some games, and said, “this year you guys beat Cuau (Chicago’s Cuauhtemoc Blanco) every time.” And of course they were right, because we beat them at home and in Chicago. The Mexican fans pay lot of attention to Blanco. They seem to really like him, so they knew that he had lost twice to us this past season.

So, about the tournament. I didn’t know what the event was going to be like; I thought it would be more like an exhibition. But then, when I saw the first game, with the intensity that they were playing, I knew in the first minutes that this was going to be a serious competition. At that point I started getting myself ready mentally. Keep reading...

It was difficult to start off, because they matched me up in the first round with Chivas’ starting goalkeeper, Hugo Hernandez. And so, thinking that this keeper was active, and I’d been off for a few weeks, and that he’s like 12 years younger than me, I thought it may be an easy game for him.

And then I started gaining confidence, because it seemed like I had all the fans against me at the beginning. Up until the semifinal I think they were still against me. But then, in eliminating their local hero, Edar Patiño, some fans came to my side, so in the final I think it could have been 50-50 with the fans.

When a player plays in this league, whenever he goes anywhere, he never wants to be underappreciated. A few years back, when someone would say that they play in MLS, others would look down on the player and insultingly say, “ah, he plays in MLS.”

And now, its like, “hey, that guy plays in MLS”, with a positive tone. Others now see our league as more prestigious. And so, at whatever moment, whether it’s SuperLiga, or another international tournament, or a friendly game, or this type of event that I participated in, we as players want to make sure that we leave that respect high.

It was a great experience, and at least I think I left MLS and FC Dallas in high regards, which is what I was most comforted with.

Today I’m leaving for Argentina, to spend a few days with family. I’m returning on December 15, because I continue my clinics with a Winter Soccer Camp on Dec. 20-21. It’s open to all kids, and a great opportunity for the kids to receive instruction from me and some of my FC Dallas teammates. A few of my sponsors will also be giving out prizes to the camps best performers.

Then I continue getting ready for the season, which for me starts before the team formally gets together in late January. I’ll be expecting to get ready for a good season, to try to help the team reach the playoffs, and to have the best season we’ve had at FC Dallas. That’s my wish for 2009, to be able to bring a trophy to the case at Pizza Hut Park, so I hope we can make it come true.

Have a safe and happy holiday season,

Dario

Dario Sala Wins Goalkeeper Challenge

On November 27, Dario Sala received a call from a representative from Rinat, a goalkeeper glove company, inviting him to participate in a goalie-wars competition called Keeper Kombat in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, which Rinat sponsors. Not knowing too much about it, Dario accepted the invite.

Last Friday, he was flown down to Mexico, and on Saturday, he defeated four Mexican First Division goalkeepers to win the competition before a crowd of 3,000 fans at the Enrique Fernandez Martinez Sports Complex in Leon.

While the event has seven categories in various ages for amateurs, the showcase event was the 12 professional goalkeepers, which included 11 from Mexico and Sala from Major League Soccer.

The competition consisted of single-elimination contests between two goalkeepers who guarded goals facing each other 24 meters apart, defending and attempting to score on the opponent. Each game lasted four minutes in total (two, 2-minute halves), and the keepers could score by throwing the ball, on volleys, on a set piece off the ground, or by drop kick. The goalkeeper with the most goals advanced to the next round.

Sala first encountered Chivas Guadalajara first-team keeper Hugo Hernandez, defeating him 7-5. Next, he defeated San Luis’ Rafael Alamo 11-4. In the semis, Sala came back to tie hometown keeper Eder Patiño (Leon) 9-9 with the last shot of the second period, then won in sudden-death by saving Patiño’s shot and scoring on a throw. The final matched Sala against the defending champion, Necaxa’s Omar ‘Gato’ Ortiz, where the FCD keeper won 9-7.

The other professional goalkeepers that participated were: Moises Muñoz (Morelia), Miguel Fraga (Morelia), Oscar Duatt (Puebla), Antonio Perez (Leon), Omar Osorno (Colima), Saul Sanchez (Colima), and Sergio Rodriguez (Chivas).

Come back later for Dario's personal description of the event.

Winter Showcase Update

The FCD Juniors finished their first winter showcase by going undefeated. The U-16s today tied the Santa Cruz Breakers 1-1 (Ruben Luna scored his 20th), to finish 2-0-1; while the U-18s won their game against Santa Cruz 2-1 with goals from Jesse Gamino and London Woodberry, to finish 1-0-2.

NCAA College Cup Final Four

The final four for the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's College Cup is set following today's Quarterfinal games.

In the early games, Maryland defeated Creighton 1-0 and North Carolina beat Northwestern 1-0. In the afternoon games, Wake Forest defeated South Florida 5-0, and St. John's scored two goals against Indiana in the final 10 minutes to send the game to overtime, then scored on PK four minutes in to win 3-2.

The Semifinals are next Friday, Dec. 12 at Pizza Hut Park: #1 Wake Forest (23-1-1) vs. #13 North Carolina (14-7-1) and #3 St. John's (19-2-3) vs. #2 Maryland (21-3). The games will start at 4:30 and 7 pm CT. The NCAA will set which game is first (not determined at this time). 

The Final is set for Sunday, Dec. 14 at noon. Adult tickets for both sessions start at $35. Predictions...

Juniors - Winter Showcase

The U-16's extended their undefeated streak again today, with a 4-0 win over the San Diego Nomads at the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase. The goal scorers: Darin Kruzich, Jose Perez, and two more from Ruben Luna. In league play, the U-16s are 8-0-1, and now 2-0 at the Showcase. Ruben is up to 19 goals in his 10 games with the U-16s. 

The U-18s continue to improve, posting a record of 3-2-4 within the Division, and drawing their first two games at the Winter Showcase. On Friday, the tied the reigning Academy U-18 champs Baltimore Bays (2-2), and today they tied the Nomads 3-3 with goals from Jesse Gamino, London Woodberry, and Cody Adams.

Hitchcock - Off-Season Plans...

In the past week, I shared our analysis of the team, business and youth system. In this blog, I'd like to share some of the off-season plans for FCD.

Team: We feel we have a good foundation of players to build on. And even though we'll make changes to the 08 team, and some we expect to be key additions, we're not planning to make wholesale changes.

As some may have noticed, MLS announced changes to the roster size for 2009, bringing the rosters down from 28 players to 24. We currently have five Generation adidas players, and there’s a chance we could add more since we have two first-round picks in the MLS SuperDraft next month. I bring this up because of the 24 roster spots, four are Developmental. Since we have five GA’s, we’ll have one grandfathered in, meaning he won’t count against the Senior Roster salary cap. (We’ll explain the roster rules and our draft selections with more details in another blog post).

Our coaching staff has done a great job scouting college players, and we've already identified at least four very good players that we may have a chance to get with our draft picks.

In talking with the coaches, we’ve identified three areas of focus for the off-season. The primary area is bringing in a #10-type player, one that can attack from the middle or further up the field. Keep reading...


We also want to strengthen our back line - looking for a strong, athletic center back. As I'm sure you've read/heard, we've released Duilio Davino from his contract, which opens a roster spot and significant cap space.


The third area of focus is the left side of midfield. We're exploring a number of options in the U.S. and internationally. We have a number of targets for all three positions, and the next month should be interesting.

Business: Priority #1 is to increase our Season Seat base. We're receiving a great response from the area soccer community, which continues to support us more and more every year. We're creating the FC Dallas Business Association – our own version of a Chamber of Commerce - which is designed to help companies build their business in this tough economy.


We're also creating a Season Seat-Holder Advisory Board and Ambassador Program, that will become an extension of our FCD family and assist us in building the brand and growing our season seat base. Our flexible payment options (monthly payments) and relatively inexpensive season seat prices are proving to be very attractive to families and companies alike.

Youth Development: As we're finalizing the curriculum for the Youth Development system, we're also exploring the next evolution of the Youth Development initiative, which is creating a FCDY Regional Network. We're also committed to investing more into our coaches development/continuing education, and of course, to providing unique opportunities for players to continue to develop.


For instance, next month we're planning to send our FCD Juniors teams to Monterrey, Mexico to play the U-16 and U-18 teams of Mexican First Division Clubs. Tigres has also invited our FC Dallas Academy Teams (age 6-10) to play in the Tigres Academy Tournament next summer with Tigres Academy teams from throughout Mexico. If everything works out, our "mini hoops" could get their first international friendly at the age of 7. We think that’s pretty cool.

There's a ton going on at the Park, and we're just as excited as all of you for Sat. March 21st and MLS First Kick against Chicago. Preseason will be here soon enough – the guys report in late January and begin training on Feb. 1.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and continued interest in FC Dallas. It's great to see the number of fans who are visiting the blog for their FCD fix every day. Keep checking in and we'll do our best to keep you updated.

Sincerely,

Hitch

General Manager
FC Dallas & Pizza Hut Park

U.S. Soccer Winter Showcase

Last year, we hosted the first U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase here at Pizza Hut Park. Yesterday, the 09 Winter Showcase kicked off in Lancaster, Calif, and our FCD Juniors teams are among the 148 Development Academy teams representing 74 clubs that are participating.

The FCD Jrs. U-16 got off to a good start today, defeating the Baltimore Bays 2-0 on goals from Jonathon Top, and of course, Ruben Luna. The U-18's tied Baltimore 1-1 on a goal from Cody Adams. Both teams face the San Diego (Calif.) Nomads on Saturday morning, and finish the Showcase on Monday against the Santa Cruz (Calif.) County Breakers on Monday...Sunday is their day off, but they'll all be going to the U.S. U-17 game against Brazil's U-17s.

U.S. Soccer will be covering the event extensively through their their website, YNT Blog, and Studio 90 video. Click for more.

BREAKING NEWS - FCD and Davino Part Ways

FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock announced today that the club and defender Duilio Davino have mutually agreed to end his contract with FC Dallas. FC Dallas will begin searching for a replacement center back, while Davino will explore opportunities to play in Mexico.

"Duilio is a great professional who has enjoyed a storied career," said Hitchcock. "He brought a great deal of experience and leadership to FC Dallas that will benefit our younger players for years to come. We wish Duilio all the best in the next chapter of his career."

Rehab / Injury Updates

Here's an update on a few guys that have been recovering from injuries this off season.

Marcelo Saragosa is rehabbing his right knee at the Sao Paulo FC training facilities, his former team in Brazil. Marcelo had surgery to repair the torn medial meniscus in his right knee in late October.

Adrian Serioux will be traveling to Germany on Dec. 17 to have surgery for a sports hernia.

Brek Shea had surgery to repair the torn medial meniscus in his right knee in September. Last Tuesday, while doing a straight line jogging/running drill, he felt a pop in his knee and said it felt similar to when he tore his meniscus previously. He was advised to take the weekend off, and on Monday the doctors confirmed that he would need surgery again - scheduled for today. (We'll update this space later when we learn how everything went).

And finally, David Wagenfuhr has confirmed to us that last season's concussions have caused him to end his playing career. We want to thank 'Wags' for his commitment to FC Dallas. He was the last remaining player on the roster that wore both the Dallas Burn and FC Dallas uniforms, having joined the team as the first pick in the 4th Round of the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. We wish Dave all the best in life outside the playing field.

FCD Gear Sale

The FC Dallas Team store here at Pizza Hut Park is having a sale on Dec. 11 and Dec. 13, with some merchandise up to 75 % off. Discounts on kids and adults apparel and gear, jersey personalization, and holiday gift items. These specials are only offered at our store location located on the north side of the stadium (not available online). The store will be open from 11-7 pm (Thur) and 10-3 (Sat).

Catching up on FCD

Let's bring you up on some notes about the team...

• Schellas and John Ellinger departed for Argentina / Brazil on Saturday to look at some players. They went to the River Plate game on Sunday, and will be leaving for Brazil on Wednesday. They'll watch the Atletico Paranaense game next Sunday, and return to Dallas in the middle of next week to be here for the NCAA College Cup final four.
• Drew Keeshan will be scouting players at the Indiana vs. St. John's Quarterfinal game on Saturday.
• On Thursday, Marco Ferruzzi is going to Tampa, Florida for the Division II Men’s soccer final four.
• Eric Avila, Bruno Guarda, Anthony Wallace, and Josh Lambo are among 16 MLS players that will be going on an eight-day trip to London as part of the Generation adidas Tour. The guys will play three games against English Premier League reserve teams, train at Chelsea Academy, and then go watch an EPL game and a UEFA Champions League match, as well.
• We read and saw some of photos of the floods that happened in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, where Marcelo Saragosa is from. He writes back from Brazil telling us that he and his family are fine. He's been rehabbing his knee with his old club Sao Paulo.
• We also read that Ghana's National Team coach Milovan Rajevac has apparently been following Dominic Oduro.
• Kenny Cooper's name has now come up in relation to Germany.
• If you hadn't seen it, the team has waived forward Jeff Rowland and midfielder Spencer Wadsworth, though both will be invited to preseason (see options below).
• Players had to be notified by Dec. 1 if their 2009 options were / not picked up. Since it is a league policy to keep terms of contracts internal, it makes it difficult for us here at the FCD Blog to share each player’s status...that said…
• Midfielder Victor Sikora is working out with Go Ahead Eagles in Holland. He’s one of seven players whose options were not picked up, though neither side has ruled anything out yet.
• David Wagenfuhr’s injury from last year has left his playing future uncertain; therefore the team did not pick up his option either.
• We have invited the other five players back for preseason camp, at which point they could potentially be re-signed.
• And finally, from Hunt Sports Group President John Wagner - there is absolutely no truth to the rumors circulating the internet today regarding Mark McCullers and Michael Hitchcock. McCullers is the President / GM of the Columbus Crew and Michael is the GM of FC Dallas, which includes overseeing the soccer-side of the club.

2009 Season / Home Opener

MLS announced today that FC Dallas will open the 2009 regular season against the Chicago Fire on March 21 at Pizza Hut Park (7:30 pm CT). It will be the 13th time in 14 seasons that we've opened the season with a home game, and the fourth time we'll open against Chicago.

We're 6-3-4 in season openers, and 7-3-3 in home openers. The only season that FCD began on the road was in 2006, when FCD tied Real Salt Lake 2-2 in Utah. FCD is undefeated over its last six home openers.

All-time, Dallas is 17-10-2 in regular season play versus the Chicago Fire, which includes a record of 11-2-1 at home. FCD is 9-1-1 over the last 11 games against the Fire, and has not lost in the last six meetings.

Hitchcock - Season Review: Youth System..

From December 4-8, the FC Dallas Juniors teams will be in Lancaster, California to take part in their first U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase, along with 147 other Academy teams from 73 others clubs from around the country. Below, Hitch reviews the start of the FC Dallas Youth Development program...Here's his review of the Team and Business...
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On July 1st, we officially became the first fully integrated soccer club in the country: from the FCD Academy kids, to the FCD Youth Select teams, to the elite FCD Juniors teams, to the pro team - we’re one big family committed to developing soccer players.

On that day, the entire youth system came under our umbrella of properties, meaning, our front office now oversees all aspects of the youth system. That is, from hiring/paying the coaches, to ordering the uniforms, to scouting and recruiting the best athletes, to scheduling fields, to completely funding the two elite Juniors teams, to making sure fans are informed on how the teams are doing. In total, we now oversee 125 teams, 70 coaches, and nearly 1,800 soccer players from age 6-18. Keep reading...

Our FC Dallas Academy takes a unique approach to player development and for any serious young passionate soccer player, it’s the place to be for maximum development. Our Youth teams continue to improve and find success in local leagues, and regional and national competitions. And the launch of our Juniors program has been very successful. If you haven’t seen them play, I encourage you to come out to Pizza Hut Park to watch them when they start back up in March.

The inaugural Juniors U-16 and U-18 teams have gotten off to a great start in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, especially when you consider we're playing against other local clubs that in the past had been recognized as the best in the country. Our two teams are made up of many kids that were already part of the FCD Youth teams, though we also added talented players that were either found through our tryouts, or discovered and recruited from other clubs.

In this short while since we started, we've already had players called up the U.S. U-17 and U-20 teams, and have two players holding their own training with River Plate's youth teams in Argentina. Not to mention the attention some players have drawn from college coaches.

Oscar Pareja and Chris Hayden have done a terrific job with this program,. I think it's obvious to any observer that players on our teams develop and learn, and are not just out there to sit back for a result.

And the introductory level programs have also been a huge early success. Chris Clarke and his staff have done an amazing job with the FC Dallas Academy and our young soccer stars, allowing them the freedom to play, while introducing the basic principles of becoming good soccer players.

We’ve learned a lot from our international partner clubs - Tigres (Mexico) and Atletico Paranaense (Brazil) and (soon to be partner) River Plate (Argentina), who all have great youth development programs. We're at the stage of finalizing the "FC Dallas way," which will be a single methodology/philosophy and curriculum for maximum development of youth soccer players. At the end of the day, we want to help these kids reach their potential (as players and people).

We know that the youth development is a key initiative to our future success, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are currently going. It’s a short time-frame to review our youth system, but the early signs are very encouraging.

In Closing
2008 was a long year with its share of ups and downs, on the field and off the field. Our franchise continues to grow and show progress. We know we’re not there, yet but feel confident that we can get there.

Thanks for your continued support, and thanks for reading. Keep coming back to the blog and we’ll keep you updated on what’s going on in the world of FC Dallas.

Sincerely,

Hitch

General Manager
FC Dallas & Pizza Hut Park

NCAA College Cup - Quarterfinals

The NCAA Men's College Cup Quarterfinals are set for next Saturday, December 6...click on the school name below to read how they advanced:

# 8 seed South Florida is at # 1 seed Wake Forest
# 7 Creighton will play at # 2 Maryland
# 6 Indiana plays at # 3 St. John's
and at-large selection Northwestern visits #13 North Carolina

six FCD players attended the schools above: Drew Moor (Indiana), David Wagenfuhr (Creighton), Michael Dello-Russo (Maryland), Dax McCarty and Jamie Watson (North Carolina), and Anthony Wallace (South Florida).

Remember, the College Cup Final Four comes to Pizza Hut Park on Dec. 12 and 14.