Treatment on a Tuesday

Although Tuesday was a day off for the team, Daniel Torres, Steve Purdy, Marcelo Saragosa and Dario Sala all came to the facility this morning to meet with head athletic trainer Joshua Watts and assistant trainer Alan Reid for treatment for injuries.

Torres experienced some tightness in his right hamstring after the season-opener but was able to practice all last week and play the full 90 minutes on Sunday. He did participate in the team's Monday recovery session, but since he continues to feel a little tightness it's something the training staff are monitoring. However, he was not listed on today's injury report to the league.


Purdy pulled up with a right hamstring strain in the Chivas game that forced him to leave the field in the waning minutes. He was unable to jog with the team on Monday and has been listed as "doubtful" for Saturday's game at New England.

Rounding out the FCD injury list are Marcelo and Dario, who at different stages of recovery from recent meniscus surgeries. Both are progressing well, and if you're keeping track of target dates for each to get back on the field for practice, Marcelo should be ready by mid-April while Dario's target is early May.

Split Session

The team had originally planned to conduct a split-squad practice this morning with half of the team at MJPC and the other half at PHP, but instead the entire group stayed together here at PHP. Yesterday's starters partook in a 45-minute recovery session while the rest of the team practiced for nearly two hours.

Steve Purdy, who stepped off the field in the late stages of Sunday's game with a right hamstring strain, joined Dario Sala inside today for treatment. Marcelo Saragosa, going on four weeks out from his meniscus surgery in early March, jogged around the field for about 30 minutes. Since first jogging lightly outside early last week, Marcelo has steadily progressed to a quicker pace and we even saw him kick the ball a couple of times today.

Most of the guys who went through regular training stayed on the field afterward for a light-hearted, small-sided game. While that was taking place, Dax McCarty, Drew Moor, Ray Burse and pool GK Bryant Rueckner were in the player's lounge watching the classic inspirational sports flick "Rudy" on AMC.

Tuesday is the team's lone day off this week. Then, it's back here on Wednesday for the first of three straight days of training before departing for New England on Friday afternoon for the team's first road game of the year (Sat. April 4, 6:30 p.m. CT on KFWD-52).

FCD vs. Chivas USA

UPDATE (Full Time): Chivas USA wins 2-0 on second-half goals by Eduardo Lillingston and Bojan Stepanovic despite the fact that FCD outshot its Western Conference foe 13-8 and put six of its shots on goal compared to three for the visitors. Chivas USA's GK Zack Thornton saved all six of FCD's shots on frame. Monday will be a recovery session for FCD, and then the team will have Tuesday off. After that it'll be three straight days of practice before departing for New England on Friday, the site of FCD's next regular season game on Sat. April 4 (6:30 p.m. CT live on KFWD-52). Notes from today's game are below. A full recap can be found at FCDallas.com.

• FC Dallas is now 6-4-4 all-time against Chivas USA and 3-2-3 at home.
• The loss ends a four-game Dallas unbeaten streak against Chivas.
• FCD and Chivas USA will conclude the 2009 two-game series one month from now, when the teams face off at The Home Depot Center on Saturday, April 25.
• Dallas is now winless in its last six games dating back to the 2008 season. The team’s last win came on Sept. 28, 2008 versus DC United.
• A Dallas goal scored by Kenny Cooper in the 48th minute was called back due to offside.
• Team captain Pablo Ricchetti returned to the starting lineup after sitting out the season-opener due to a two-game suspension dating back to last year.
• Ray Burse today got his first start of the season in goal, the ninth start of his career. Burse started two games last year with the last coming on June 6, 2008 at New England.
• Defender Aaron Pitchkolan also made his first appearance of the season as a halftime substitute after missing last week’s game with a red card suspension.
• Rookie forward Peri Marosevic made his Major League Soccer debut in the 80th minute, replacing Jeff Cunningham.
• Goalkeeper Dario Sala missed the game after undergoing surgery on Tuesday to remove part of a torn meniscus in his left knee. Defender Marcelo Saragosa missed his second straight match after undergoing the same surgery on his right knee in early March.
  
  

Game Preview: FCD vs. Chivas USA

It's supposed to be spring, right? Sure didn't feel like it for this morning's practice on the PHP stadium field. Actual temperatures at the start of training were in the mid-30's but 25 mph winds made it feel like it was at least 10 degrees colder. As this blogger's hands are still thawing out while typing this, it's hard to believe that tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and in the 60's by 2 p.m. kickoff for the game against visiting Chivas USA (1-0-0, 3 pts.).

Notes for Sundays' Game:

• FC Dallas is 6-3-4 in the all-time series against Chivas USA since the Los Angeles team entered MLS in 2005.
• Dallas currently holds a four-game unbeaten streak against Chivas (2-0-2), which includes a 2-0 shutout win at The Home Depot Center last April after the teams tied 1-1 at PHP in the '08 season-opener.
• FCD is expected to welcome Pablo Ricchetti back to the lineup, after the team captain sat out the home-0pening loss to Chicago due to suspension.
• However, Dallas will be missing GK Dario Sala for the next 4-6 weeks after undergoing surgery on Tuesday to remove part of a torn meniscus in his left knee. Sala started last Saturday vs. the Fire and made three saves.
• Ray Burse, who has made eight starts in his four-year career, should get the starting nod in goal with 18-year-old Josh Lambo as the backup.
• Click here to read the full matchup report and to download the game guide.

Kenny on Sports Talk Tonight

Kenny Cooper will appear live on Tylock Lasik Sports Talk (formerly sponsored by SW Kia), hosted by David Marcus, tonight at 6:30 p.m. on KFWD-52. If for some reason you can't catch it live, the show re-airs at 12:05 a.m. on the same channel.

Tune into KFWD-52 again this Sunday at 2 p.m. for FCD's home game vs. Chivas USA (also broadcast nationally on Spanish-language TeleFutura).

A Visit From Wags

Before stepping out on the practice field, the team held a short video session as is often the case in the days leading up to a game. Once on the field, the team split into two groups to work on separate ends of the field. A group of forwards and midfielders focused on combination and finishing on one end, while GK Ray Burse and the backline worked against a group of attackers on the other side of the field. For the final 20 minutes of practice, the coaching staff put the entire team all on the field together for some full speed 11 v 11 action for .

Right as practice ended, a familiar face in former Dallas defender David Wagenfuhr stepped inside the training field gates to say hello to GM Michael Hitchcock and his old teammates and coaches. Wagenfuhr sat out the 2008 season and was unable to return for 2009 after suffering multiple concussions during his five-year career. He currently lives in Colorado and sells insurance for Nationwide in addition to doing some real estate work. Wags also coaches a boys U-14 Colorado Rush team, the same club he grew up playing for, and tells us he has plans to start his own real estate company in the near future. Great seeing you Wags!

The Cooper Test

After Wednesday's practice, Drew Moor rounded up some of his teammates to see who could recreate Kenny Cooper's long-distance strike against Chicago, albeit with absolutely no pressure and without a true GK in the net. Out of Drew, Peri Marosevic, Brek Shea, Anthony Wallace, and Aaron Pitchkolan, who would you put your money on?


The Cooper Test from FC Dallas on Vimeo.

Soccer Ball / Supplies Drive

In honor of former FCD employee Peter Burks, the FC Dallas Foundation is once again collecting items to send to Iraq next month through the Peter Burks Unsung Hero Fund. The Foundation will be collecting soccer balls and supplies (for both children and soldiers) during this Sunday's home game vs. Chivas USA (2 p.m. CT). Simply bring the items you wish to donate to the FC Dallas Foundation table located on the North Concourse. In addition, the Foundation will continue to collect soccer balls and supplies at the FCD office (9200 World Cup Way, Ste 202, Frisco, TX 75034) now through Friday, April 3.

In addition to soccer balls, requested items for the children include school supplies such as pens, pencils, crayons, markers, notebooks, construction paper (NO scissors, mechanical pencils or other sharp objects). Requested items for the soldiers include games, books, music, calling cards, snacks, athletic socks, etc).

In November 2007, Burks was killed by a roadside bomb while on duty in Baghdad, Iraq. Two weeks before his death, he had emailed the FC Dallas front office asking for help with a campaign to provide soccer balls to children in Iraq. Fulfilling his wish, FC Dallas was able to send over 350 soccer balls to Iraq on behalf of the Army 2nd Lieutenant last year.

FCD on the Radio

UPDATE (12:30 p.m.): Schellas Hyndman was scheduled to appear as a guest on Sirius / XM satellite radio show World Soccer Daily today at 12:15 p.m. but due to a scheduling conflict on their end that unfortunately didn't happen. We're in the process of rescheduling and as soon as a date / time is set, we'll let let you know!

But, for FCD fans that understand Spanish, you can tune into broadcast partner KZMP La Ranchera 1540 AM at 7 p.m. tonight. Host Carlos Alvarado will run the interview he taped with Dave van den Bergh after yesterday's practice here at PHP. Also scheduled to appear on the show is first-year Chivas USA midfielder Mariano Trujillo.

Blog Q&A - Hitchcock and Schellas

Last Monday, we asked FCD fans to submit questions for either GM Michael Hitchcock or head coach Schellas Hyndman (or both). Admittedly, it took us a bit longer than expected to first get the answers, and then transcribe them for you to read here due to various communications-related items popping up here and there over the last week and a half. But at last, we are able to provide answers from Hitch and Schellas to practically all of the questions asked of them (there were only a couple of "non-serious" questions and statements sprinkled in). We would like to thank all of the fans who participated and hope you enjoy reading the full Q&A in its entirety below.

Continue reading...

Anonymous said...
To Schellas, where do you think the team needs to improve on? And do you have any more Dp-caliber players in mind?
Schellas: “Obviously, it’s early in the season and we’re still getting to know each other. One of things we can do to help ourselves is to find our attacking midfielder, David Ferreira, a bit more. David is a very talented player that can thread the perfect pass, a player that needs to get more touches on the ball. What we have to do is to find him more often at the right places on the field. We will be bringing in Alvaro Sanchez, who is another player in that has the same type of qualities as David, but maybe a bit more versatile that can be a second striker, an attacking midfielder, and can play left or right side midfield so I think that will help our strike force.”

Moose McDowell said...
To Schellas, great game against CAP. Coach, are you still concerned about the defense enough to consider the open slot for someone there, or does someone like Alvaro Sanchez seem more likely at this point?
Schellas: “Alvaro Sanchez is more of an attacking type of player so I don’t think he can fill that spot. But I do think that our defense needs to continue to improve. We are looking for another defender, more of a right-sided fullback. The one thing we didn’t anticipate was losing Adrian Serioux, but it happened for all the right reasons, giving Adrian the opportunity to go back home and play in front of his family in his home town. We also never expected Marcelo Saragosa to come up with a meniscus tear so, we’re a little short with players out there. Drew Moor has done a great job going out there and filling in but that’s not Drew’s preferred position.”

Hitch, I look at the great ads running in Salt Lake City right now and really feel sad that we're not doing something similar here. DMN hasn't even posted anything about the CAP game in the paper. What is being done to increase team visibility in DFW?
Hitchcock: “Relative to the advertising and marketing, we have a new marketing team who I think will bring a fresh and unique approach to how we’re selling and marketing the team here in Dallas-Fort Worth and I think the fans over time will appreciate and really enjoy the new advertising campaign that we’re going to have throughout the year. Relative to media coverage, it’s become a greater challenge in the marketplace as a lot of the newspapers, publications and media outlets in general are downsizing their staffs, and that means that there are less reporters out there and those reporters are expected to do the same amount of work with less resources. So, we’re going to have to get more innovative and creative in how we stay in front of the media to maintain the same amount of visibility that we’ve had in the past, and ideally increase the visibility. A lot of that will come down to winning. If we can put an attractive, winning product on the field and get a large, passionate fan base to support the team in the stadium, tune into our broadcasts, attend all of our different events throughout the community, the media is going to have to cover us, because their job is to cover sports teams that are relevant. That’s our job, to make sure that we’re relevant.”

Anonymous said...
Hitch, has any thought been given to organizing buses from Hispanic areas of Dallas for the games? I can't help but think that there are hundreds if not a thousand or more for whom private transport, gas prices and the Tollroad are major financial obstacles. Thanks
Hitchcock: “As a matter of fact, we’ve done that in the past through some of our strategic partners and sponsors. We have a new Director of Hispanic Marketing and Sales, whose clear job and focus is going out and developing programming in the Hispanic community and getting more and more of the passionate soccer fans in those Hispanic neighborhoods throughout the Metroplex to want to support FC Dallas. So, we’re going to be exploring a number of different opportunities out there through strategic partners and sponsors to provide the easiest and most convenient way for fans to support the team.”

Anonymous said...
Schellas, what has been the most difficult obstacle/challenge in adapting from College to the MLS?
Schellas: “I think the most difficult challenge is that in college we spent nine months preparing for a three-month season. Here we are spending 11 months preparing for a 10-month season so it is a lot more intense and there is very little downtime in the calendar year. When we’re not playing games, we’re breaking down video, traveling to see opponents, or trying to identify future players for FC Dallas through scouting. So, this really turns into a fifty-week preparation in playing a season.”

Hitch - What are we doing to raise awareness in the DFW area? As I travel across the US, I see WAY much more publicity for MLS teams in their respective cities. Are we operating on a much smaller budget or do we just not have our act together?
Hitchcock: “We certainly have budgets that we need to work within. But once again, as I answered earlier, I really think that we’re going to do a good job this year and we’re taking a new approach not only in the mainstream media and going after soccer fans, and all sports fans, but also the Hispanic marketing approach is going to be different and unique. I think throughout the year, fans will reevaluate us based on how we’re selling and marketing the team, and I think they’ll be happy with what they see.”

Anonymous said...
HITCH: What are you going to do to help the in stadium atmosphere?
PS--the new concession people in the V Club were great---big improvement--hope it applies to the rest.
Hitchcock: “Oobviously, we spent a lot of time and energy to upgrade the team and address areas we felt needed to be improved and upgraded, so we certainly hope the team on the field provides an entertaining product and gets wins for the fans. But in addition to what happens on the field, the overall fan experience begins the second that fans pull up to the stadium. We’ve continued our free parking which has been a popular benefit for our fans, where they can park anywhere they want for free. Also, we’re doing a number of different things to improve the experience once fans walk into the stadium, including adding the Hooper’s Hang Out zone for the kids on the stage, improving the concessions (not only the quality of the products, but the quality of the service), and then making sure that everyone from our ticket scanners to our ushers are doing everything they can to ensure our fans will have a great experience. Now, we’ve received some feedback regarding the concession experience at the home opener this past Saturday and we hear you loud and clear. Saturday’s game was the first big game for Centerplate, our new concessionaire, which presented some challenges, but we’ve all learned from it and it will definitely get better. We want fans to walk away from the stadium saying ‘that was the best two hours of my time, and the best way I could imagine spending my money.’ Not only will it be a benefit to each individual fan, but it will also help grow the FCD fan base.”

SCHELLAS: How do you go about establishing a tougher mentality for the team?
Schellas: “My mentality has always been pretty disciplined and tough. Coming to the United States as a refugee and training in the martial arts for 40 years, I think I have a very strong mentality and I’m hoping that it rubs off on players. But, at the same time they are professional players that need to toughen their own mentality and not always have to be externally motivated by a coach or administrator. What we hope is to continually make our training sessions more game-like, more competitive, more challenging, and we hope that the combative battles that we have in training will carry over to the games.”

Anonymous said...
This question is for the GM. Mike it seems like the FO is not doing alot of efforts in spreading the word around the city about the season to attract more fans to the games to boost tickets revenues. Recently i visited the Park and the only flyers that i saw around were from Kevin Lindstrom, i took a bunch and distributed them around gas stations and major stores for people to pick them up and get involved, i do believe that salesmem have to do more in this area and reach the unreacheble to promote the game and ticket sales to stay competitive in this business predominated by NBA, NFL AND BASE B.what do you think of this and what strategy do have in place for soccer to be recon as a major sport around Dallas?
Hitchcock: “The marketing strategy we have in place is to go after young professionals, the 18-34 crowd, in different segments of the market. In addition, we have a strategic plan in place to reach the Hispanic soccer fan, and to market to soccer families. Through a number of our strategic partnerships with soccer associations and clubs, we’ll have an opportunity to market our different products and services and ticket sales to the youth soccer community, which as we know, is a massive part of the local community. We feel confident that we will spread the word and hopefully, fans will come out, have a great experience, and want to return to Pizza Hut Park for FC Dallas games.”

3nOut said...
hitch: has being a GM/marketing been more difficult than you would have imagined here w/ this club not counting financial gains thru "other" events? if so, why?
Hitchcock: “If you talk to any GM throughout Major League Soccer and any professional soccer club in America, you’ll find that is it is a challenging job, because we have so many different things that we’re doing. We’re trying to build a team; we’re trying to build a front office; and we’re selling and marketing a sport that, although it continues to gain steam and continues to grow each and every year, is still a challenge. We need to be proactive; we need to be aggressive; and we need to be committed to the cause. Also, a part of our business model here at Pizza Hut Park is international soccer, major concerts, music festivals and community events. So for us, we have additional responsibilities to host as many world-class events as we can, which obviously helps the bottom line and the top line, while introducing fans of different teams, different bands, and different sports to our beautiful facility.”

Schellas: how do the players respond to your straight-forward approach? for instance, does andre rocha still have some left-over angst from last year's criticism? the reason why i ask is because of his card accumulation soon after he stepped on the pitch. is it b/c of being overly aggressive or just a lack of judgement? good luck w/ the season.
Schellas: “I think Andre is a very talented player. He is one the most skilled players on the team, if not the league. I think where Andre needs to improve is when he doesn’t have the ball. This is something I try to work on with him. All of his talent is wasted if he is not going to be in the right place at the right time and play on the defensive side of the ball, or if he allows his emotions to get the best of him.”

Anonymous said...
Hitch: Could you give us an update on the RiverPlate relationship? Do you honestly see this reaching or exceeding the CAP relationship? Does it impact the CAP relationship in any way? What about outside of South America.. Do you believe there is value in looking at European teams for a similar type of relationship.. Colorado did set one up with Arsenal, but the only thing I saw out of that was a horrible change of football strip....
Hitchcock: “Based on the success on the Clube Atletico Paranaenese relationship, which has gotten better and better, finalizing the details of our River Plate relationship is a top priority. I’ll be meeting with the general secretary and the general manager for River Plate, in two weeks (early April), here in Dallas, and we’re going to use the next two weeks to fine-tune the deal points for the partnership. We hope to be able to finalize something in April, and be able to announce that shortly thereafter. I do believe that the River Plate partnership has the potential to be as strong as the CAP partnership. The key to a successful partnership is having strong management on both sides that share the vision and objectives for what the partnership are designed to accomplish. River Plate has a strong management team and great people who share the vision of what we’re trying to do, just like Clube Atletico Paranaenese do. I feel confident that we’re going to be able to build a strong partnership. That said, as soon as we get the River Plate partnership done, we’re going to target European clubs and Asian clubs. We truly want to create a global network of international partners. That is one key objective and key strategy to helping us accomplish our goal of being the premier club in America.”

BTW.. CAP's colors are nice.. have you considered an FCD 3rd Kit to honor CAP?
Hitchcock: “We have actually considered this and even developed a sample for an FC Dallas third kit to honor our partner, CAP. The challenge here is that we would not be able to wear it in a Major League Soccer game because of the current agreement between Major League Soccer and adidas. But, that doesn’t mean that we won’t wear a third kit to honor our partnership with CAP in an exhibition game or some point in the future.”

Anonymous said...
Hitch: I was disappointed to see Chelsea coming to Dallas, but playing in Arlington instead of PHP. What are we doing to bring a big name European team to PHP for an exhibitional friendly, either with FCD or some other team to boost ticket sales and raise more awareness? FYI.. I only became a fan after coming to the Everton double header game a couple of years ago.. if it hadn't been for that game I would not be a season ticket holder today.
Hitchcock: “We’re currently working on international exhibitions for the summer at Pizza Hut Park. Obviously, Chelsea coming to the marketplace is great for soccer throughout Dallas-Fort Worth. For us, bringing in a Chelsea-Club America game wouldn’t make sense financially because of our limited capacity as a stadium. Even though we have the best soccer stadium in the Metroplex, at times there will be some events that will be bigger than a 20,500-seat venue. We’re going to focus on developing events and tournaments that not only are great events inside the stadium, but can also provide opportunities for youth soccer players, coaches, and administrators throughout the Metroplex to continue to learn and develop their skill sets.”

Anonymous said...
Schellas : Aside from the needs of the current team, If you could have any player from MLS on your squad who would it be (from a talent perspective rather than a media circus perspective).
Schellas: "I think right now because of what we are looking for on our team, I think we would like to add a good defender. My favorite defender outside of FC Dallas is Ugo Ihemulu (Colorado Rapids). I coached him for four years at SMU. He is a very talented player that can play the center back position and can also play the right fullback position. He is a player who brings instant experience, athleticism, and versatility going from the center to the right or right to the center.”

Hitch: Can you comment on the ZeRoberto rumors that surfaced in the offseason?
Hitchcock: “We were flattered to hear that Ze Roberto was interested in coming to FC Dallas through reports that came out of Germany on a couple of occasions during the offseason. There was a lot of speculation out there that claimed we were negotiating with his representatives and that was not the case. Obviously, he is a world-class player. We know that there was interest, but he wasn’t the right player for us. Once again, it’s flattering to hear that more and more international players are interested in coming to FC Dallas and Major League Soccer, and want to continue their careers here and live in Dallas, which is a wonderful place to live.”

Anonymous said...
Coach Hyndman,
If it was up to you to decide, would you let Emerson sign with a pro team in MLS or go straight to Europe? Seems like scouts everywhere are drooling over him, and it would be nice for him to be the next Freddy Adu except actually pan out.
Schellas: “First of all, I really appreciate the question about my grandson. Anytime you talk about a family member it brings a lot of pride to parents or grandparents. Emerson is definitely a talent. Some of it is genetics; he has quick muscle fibers and is pretty athletic for his size. It also comes from the family. His parents are passionate about soccer and so they instilled in him the opportunity to be involved in a great game. But it really comes down to Emerson himself because while all the genetics and support can only take you halfway there, it has to be the player to step up and to have the passion to make it a daily ritual which he does. As far as a grandparent, I would like to see him get his schooling in Europe, where he would be competing against some of the best players in Europe and the world. On the selfish side, as a grandparent, I would love to have him with me for the rest of my life.”

3nOut said...
Schellas, having the #2 overall allocation, have you been keeping an eye/ear out on american talent hoping to come back? better yet, how much would you be able to get back if you traded that spot when the transfer windown is fast approaching? Schellas: “That’s something we’re very happy about, being in that #2 position, because it puts a lot of pressure on the team that is #1 (LA Galaxy). They may pick someone they may not need, or they might have to pass on a player that we may need. We’ll keep an eye on it, because there are some great players that are playing overseas. We’re keeping our eyes completely open, and I think we have to take advantage of that allocation if it does pop up.”

Anonymous said...
Hitch:
1. How is the jersey sponsorship going? Will a company be announced soon?
Hitchcock: “With the current economic times, it’s tough to get a company to commit to a long-term, large financial investment, like the jersey sponsorship. We’ve always said that we’re going to be very strategic in the way that we approach this. It’s not just about the money. It’s about finding the right strategic partner that basically becomes an extension of the FCD brand and allows us to become an extension of theirs. We had a number of good conversations and we have a number of top-tier companies that are interested. But, like a lot of companies out there, they are waiting to see what the economy is going to look like before they start projecting long-term investments. For that reason, I don’t see a jersey sponsorship being announced in the near future, but we’re going to continue working on it. When we announce a deal, I can assure you that it’s going to be the right one.”

2. In the current economy situation, how in the world do you raise ticket prices and expect to increase attendence? How about lowering ticket prices and see what happens? I know a lot of college students who would go to more games if the tickets were cheaper. Its better than having PHP empty all the time…
Hitchcock: “We remain one of the least expensive tickets in Major League Soccer, and although increasing our ticket prices probably isn’t ideal because the economy is struggling, we feel like we’re still a good value to fans for the money. When you factor in free parking into the ticket price, which a lot of other teams and venues do not offer, we’re still one of the least expensive tickets in town. Of course, hindsight being what it is now, if we would have known that this is where the economy was going when we made these decisions in the beginning/middle of last season, we may have approached it a little bit differently. That said, we still think we’re a great value for the dollar.”

3. Have you ever thought of partnering with one of the other local sports franchises for raising the awareness of the team/soccer in the DFW metroplex?
Hitchcock: “It’s something that we’ve certainly considered, and I think you’ll find in a tough economy that more and more teams and organizations are looking for strategic partners to help them maintain and grow their businesses. Although we haven’t had in-depth conversations with other franchises in town, it certainly is something that we would consider.”

Anonymous said...
For each of you - What should our expectations be of each of you and how will we be able to measure that at the end of this season ?
Hitchcock: “Well, we obviously expect to see progress with the team and we’re expecting better results on the field. Throughout the offseason, our commitment to our fans was to create a team that is going to fight hard for each other and play for our fans. At the end of the day, our goals are to make the playoffs, put ourselves in a position where we’re peaking at the right time, and making a run to MLS Cup. Our expectations are to contend for a championship; those are the expectations we’ve created for ourselves and we expect our fans to hold us to those expectations.”

Schellas: “I think expectations are very high. When I say high, I think this team needs to get into the MLS Cup Playoffs, and then we need to have a bit of a run in the playoffs. Saying that, our expectations were high this past weekend for the season-opener. The players all were focused after eight weeks of preseason, to come up and get a victory. So, when you have high expectations and if you don’t reach them, they’re absolutely devastating blows to you mentally and to your concentration and your confidence. I can say, all the players, like myself, had a pretty miserable Sunday because we had set such high expectations. But I think the way you measure it is at the end of the year. Did the team come onto the field and play to the best of their ability? The thing that we can never control is, we may be a better team, but on that day did we live up to our ability? Or maybe we have injuries, or like this past Saturday, our team captain, Pablo Ricchetti, was unable to play because of a red card suspension from last year. Sometimes, it’s a doubled-edged sword. You want to play competitive soccer; you want to play attractive soccer; but you want to get results if you don’t have your full team on the field. Sometimes, you’re starting off in a bit of a hole.”

bob1007 said...
If you look at Seattle, you will notice the excitement generated as is exemplified by the number of season tickets sold; over 20,000. I believe this is a culmination of both fan involvement and fan empowerment; the type of empowerment you see at clubs like FC Barcelona, for example. Do you forsee a time when FCD fans will become not only more involved but more empowered in much the same manner?
Hitchcock: “I think that the success of the Seattle model is something that all teams are going to take a look at. By no means are we in a position right now to follow exactly what they’ve done, but I think it’s interesting to see. With every new franchise that comes into Major League Soccer, you’re going to see a unique, and in some cases, very innovative approach, to how they’re going to run their business and team. For the established clubs which have been in the business for a while, we’re going to monitor what they’re doing and what’s working. At some point, there may be an opportunity for us to change the way that we’re running our operation here, but right now, we’re focused on providing a great experience for the fans who come to the stadium and getting as many fans out to experience this team. At the same time, hopefully we can provide a winning product on the field that is entertaining to our fans.”

Anonymous said...
Schellas - You seemed really impressed with Pitchkolan's performance last season when he filled in while Davino was injured. However, he was left unprotected during the expansion draft, and has yet to fill a starting role. Is he someone you would like to see remain on the team long-term? If so, do you forsee him being a starter at some point during this season?
Schellas: “Aaron Pitchkolan did a great job for us last year, because we really needed somebody to come in and play that center back position, especially when we went into a 4-4-2 system. When Dulilo Davino was injured, Pitchkolan came in and started a bunch of games last season and did a good job. At the same time, it was on a team that did not get into the playoffs. One of the areas we needed to improve on was our defense, and because of that, we went out and got a quick, athletic, tall defender in Steve Purdy. We also picked up a first round draft pick in George John. I think we have helped ourselves in our defense. George has been injured with a knee, but he’ll be coming back. Danny Torres is another center back we’ve brought in. We had identified that we need to get some help there and we went out and got it.”

namcoPunk said...
Hitch: I'm a fan from the San Antonio area and I can tell you that I'm in the minority of FCD fans in town (and of soccer in Texas for that matter). I also am concerned about the lack of advertising in Dallas and even more so the rest of Texas. I make the long trek to PHP from San Antonio at least twice a year and every time I try to bring someone I get A) "I'm not sure about soccer" or B) "I'm a Dynamo fan." I don't want to believe that those guys over in Houston are better supported than us for any reason. What are you as a club doing to garner more support throughout Texas so that not only are we the team of such a great area but of the best state in the union?
Hitchcock: “We’re actually working with some of our strategic partners in exactly that, to grow the game and our fan base throughout Texas. Obviously, our primary focus right now is Dallas-Fort Worth, and the immediate area. But that said, we know that there are a ton of soccer fans and soccer players throughout the great state of Texas and we want them to be FC Dallas fans, instead of Houston fans. The nice thing about having an in-state rival is that fans will have a choice. There’s an opportunity to polarize fans, and that’s what we want, which will help grow the sport throughout the state. Hopefully over time, fans from San Antonio, and other parts of Texas will want to say with pride that they’re FC Dallas fans. Part of it is our outreach within those communities and those areas, which is part of the strategy. The other part is, as I’ve stated before, that we obviously need to put a good, entertaining, winning product on the field.”

fcd scott said...
To Schellas, How do you feel with MLS decision to not have a reserve league and the effect on some of the young players on the team? Do you think young American players are hurt the most by the roster sizes? i.e-jamie watson, chase wileman
Schellas: “The Reserve Division was established to give the younger players more games. As it turned out, many of the reserve games last year weren’t taken too seriously by the players. Sometimes, they almost felt like it was a punishment. I’m a little concerned with the cost that was going into the reserve league, and how much the players really were getting a chance to play. At the same time, when the roster was decreased from 28 to 24, to save money or to get minimum salary players more money, it may be too much of a drop. Now, if we’re looking to get an extra scrimmage, or a game against a PDL team, or a college game, we’re finding ourselves not having 11 players to play in the game. It’s a tough situation that we’re going to have to work through. It will be interesting to see the evaluation at the end of the year.”

Anonymous said...
For Hitch: Any chance at all at getting some of the concession prices lowered? With the economy being as bad as it is, it's hard to justify spending $7.50 for a beer, while you could just spend $5 on a 6-pack outside of the stadium.
Hitchcock: “We do a lot of research with our concessions pricing and I think we’re in line with what other major league venues and teams are charging. We know fans have a choice, if they want to spend their money on an ice cold beer or a Dr Pepper or Pizza Hut pizza. As we did with the Home Opener, we’re going to continue to do a number of Family 4-Packs (four tickets, four sodas, four pizzas) and pre-game $1 draft beer happy hour specials throughout the year.”

And also, a lot of fans are asking for one side of the stadium to be GA like it was in the Cotton Bowl. Is there any chance that could happen? It could help to bring in a bigger crowd to that part of the stadium and to help with atmosphere. Thanks for answering our questions!
Hitchcock: “We’re not in a position to turn half the stadium into general admission. We feel the integrity of the reserved ticket is important, and that helps to make sure a fan’s reserved seats will be there when they buy their seats together with their friends, colleagues, clients, or their team.”

Anonymous said...
Schellas, Every year since 2006, our postseason fate has indirectly been determined by one of our players being red-carded for seemingly avoidable fouls. Is this a trend- in your mind- that needs to stop, or is it just mere coincidence? If it is a trend, how do you plan to address it to make sure it does not happen anymore?
Schellas: “I think it is a trend. It seems to be the hidden blow that’s affected FC Dallas traditionally, going in, playing in a high-importance game, like a playoff. I haven’t been in a playoff game, but watching it from afar, it seems like the emotions are running high. As soccer players, you are what you are. If you’re going to lose your emotions throughout the year, there’s a real good chance you’re going to lose your emotions at the most critical time. It’s something I’m aware of, I’m continually trying to tell the players how important it is that we keep our perspectives in place, not only in our emotions in preparing for a game, but that if we’re too hyped up for the game then sometimes we can lose our emotions. It is not just the effect that you’re going to have on the team in that game. You’re going to effect the team in the next game when you’re sitting out because of a red card. All we can do is continuously bring it up to them, and what I have done, in training, if I notice emotions are getting a little high, I will stop it and try to at least acknowledge what’s going on and get a chance to talk through it. I basically tell them this is something that could happen in the game, and if it happens in the game, you are now counting on the referee’s judgement to see whether you are going to stay on the field, which could mean you might not even get to play the next game.”

Anonymous said...
Hitch - you brought here from LA to stabilize and improve/grow attendance. How do you keep your job?
Hitchcock: “If you look at ticket revenue, we have actually continued to grow sales, since I’ve arrived. The announced attendance in 2008 decreased, but our paid tickets and revenue actually increased from the previous year. Last year we changed our strategy with providing complimentary tickets because we felt hat we had done enough of that sampling. So, ticket revenue and ticket sales have grown and we expect to see that growth continue.”

boneall said...
Mr. Hitchcock, I have two questions, if you can't field both either will suffice.
1. As a STH one of the draws to buy tickets was pre-sales to other events. Though I have quickly learned it's only a first come, first serve pre-sale where other organizations give you first right or refusal to your seats during their pre-sales. Would FCD consider polling the STH's for their opinion on a possible change to this format?
Hitchcock: “When it comes to other events we bring to the stadium, we work very hard to ensure that our fans have an opportunity to take advantage of pre-sales: such as in 2009 with the Jimmy Buffet concert, Kenny Chesney, or the U.S. Women’s National Team. Similar to a lot of other venues out there, season ticket holders have an opportunity to purchase tickets, but it’s not necessarily your exact seat, unless it’s a premium seat, a luxury suite or a club seat at other venues. A number of venues out there don’t even provide season ticket holders an opportunity to buy tickets before they go on sale to the general public. We do believe that this is a benefit and that fans enjoy taking advantage of this benefit. But to answer the second part of that, we appreciate the feedback we receive from season ticket holders, and you’ll see a number of focus groups and surveys throughout the year in which we’ll be asking fans for their input. You’ve already seen it this year with the change of the concessionaire, and some of the other changes we’ve made. When our fans talk, we listen. If the fans are looking for something different, whether it’s with our concert partners; our international soccer partners; or other events that come here, we will certainly explore those opportunities if it’s something we can do.”

2. With three sports radio stations in the market I find each of them struggling to find weekend programing, especially 105.3 (they basically sell the morning time slots to sponsors which do shows that have nothing to do with sports). I hear Bobby did a great job with the web cast of the CAP game, as he had tons of content to add concerning each player. Would it be in FCD's best interest to approach one of the stations about Bobby doing an hour on the weekends with a radio personality (Brad Sham, Bob Sturm?) or just too costly? Thanks!
Hitchcock: “We currently have a Spanish language weekly radio show that airs on our broadcast partner KZMP La Ranchera, hosted by play-by-play announcer Carlos Alvarado. I would love to also have a weekly radio show in English. If we can get one done and it makes sense relative to our budget, considering the amount of exposure we can get, we would absolutely love to do it. Bobby Rhine has done a good job with the two web streams and on Saturday night in the FSN SW broadcast of the season opener. He’s been a great addition to the broadcast team, and he’d be one of a number of people we’d want to use if we had a weekly English radio show. But, at this time, since we’re not being paid rights fees for English radio, we’ve chosen to invest in English television broadcasts of our games, both home and away, instead of doing a weekly radio show.”

Gnome da Ploom said...
Hitch: I have two questions regarding the youth program. First, do you have any plans to expand the academy and youth programs beyond Far North Dallas to other areas of the Metroplex, as most of the other Dallas academy/select teams do? I know my boys would be interested, but we cannot participate in the FCD Academy programs due to the logistics of driving so far.
Hitchcock: “Part of our strategy is to expand the youth program throughout the state of Texas, so that ties into a question earlier asking how we expand our brand into those areas and create some loyalty with soccer fans. So, we’re exploring, and part of the logical evolution of our youth club and our youth player initiative is going to be expanding past the Metroplex and throughout other areas of the regions. That is part of our strategy, and hopefully we’ll be announcing some details about that in the near future. “

Second, it appears that we have a gap between the U-18's and the professional level. The U-18's aren't going to be ready to play professionally without a bit more seasoning, and the smaller roster doesn't allow for that. How do you plan to retain our promising youth players once they "graduate" but aren't yet ready to play in the MLS?
Hitchcock: “There is a gap between the U-18s and the professional level, and we know that. We have a pretty attractive player development pyramid, and fully integrated to the extent that your son or daughter can start at the age of five, and your son has the opportunity to play for the professional team 13 years later. All players are trained in one methodology. There’s one system with absolutely wonderful coaches, wearing the FC Dallas uniform. We know that there is still a layer missing in having a USL team or a PDL team, a team that our players can graduate to from the U-18s before they get to FCD first team. We know that is an area to focus on, and in the future you’ll hear more details on how we will become more integrated from top to bottom, and providing an opportunity for those 18-year-olds to continue playing for FC Dallas.”

Two additional questions:
Hitch: What happened with the Dallas Sting not being able to play at Pizza Hut Park? It seems that a professional women's team playing at PHP would increase the interest in soccer overall in the Metroplex and would result in a win/win.
Hitchcock: “We support the growth of soccer on all levels, and we were very interested in having the team from the new Women’s professional league play at Pizza Hut Park. We negotiated with their representatives, but they decided to not start playing in WPS this year. I don’t know where that stands, that would be a question for them. This building was built for soccer. We want it to be the home of soccer in not only the Metroplex, but throughout the country. We’d love to have the women’s team play here, but it has to be a deal that makes sense for all parties. We negotiated fairly and felt we were offering a very attractive deal for them to play here, but they decided not to start this season. In the future, if they decide that they’re going to play here in Dallas, whether it’s the current ownership group or a different ownership group, we’d love to pick up those discussions.”

Schellas and Hitch: What are your plans to replace Kenny once his contract is up, since it appears he will be able to get paid more elsewhere than FCD is willing to pay?
Hitchcock: “Kenny is under contract for the rest of this year, plus one additional year. We’re committed to Kenny and we’d love to keep him here for the rest of his career here after returning from Manchester United three years ago. Time will tell whether that is going to happen or not. Obviously, if Kenny leaves, either at the end of his contract or before then, we have a plan in place to replace him and to make sure we’re continuing to provide a competitive team for our fans.”

Schellas: “That’s something I’ve dealt with since the first day I came on the job. There has been constant talk in the media about Kenny Cooper going overseas. After this last game against Chicago, where he scored one of the best goals I’ve ever seen, with his first shot on goal, I’m sure his value is going to continue to skyrocket. For me, it’s going to be continuing to do things like normal. I believe Kenny Cooper will be here. At the same time, I don’t want to leave the team completely with a hole, by not at least identifying players, or scouting for strikers in case we do lose Kenny. I can tell you that we’ve already started that process. My goal is to find ways for Kenny Cooper to remain in an FC Dallas uniform for the rest of the year, but if it doesn’t happen, I have to have complete honesty and respect for Kenny. If the best intrests for Kenny and his family is for him to be someplace else, then we’ll support that. We may not like it, but we’ll support it. But I think we have to have a ready and able to find someone to come in and replace him, just as with any player.”

Anonymous said...
Hitch: Yes, what happened to the Dallas Sting? I want to see them at PHP.
See above…

J said...
How do you justify raising ticket prices in this economic time, with the club not being successful at the same time? FC Dallas' cheapest ticket is now $20, which is the most expensive cheapest ticket in the city other than the Dallas Cowboys, who have a little more clout. Can you explain the thought process behind the ticket prices?
Question answered earlier.

Video Preview: FCD vs. Chivas USA

FCD TV caught up with Dax McCarty and Schellas Hyndman (English), and team captain Pablo Ricchetti (Spanish) to preview Sunday afternoon's home game vs. Chivas USA (2 p.m. CT live on KFWD-52 / TeleFutura). Pablo is slated to return to the field this weekend after sitting out the season-opener due to red card suspension.

English...


Spanish...

Wednesday's Practice

Much like on Tuesday, the majority of Wednesday morning's practice was spent on team defending, and more specifically with pressure beginning all the way up front with the two forwards.

Following practice, Spanish play-by-play announcer Carlos Alvarado taped an interview with Dave van den Bergh (Dave also speaks his native Dutch and German) for his weekly FCD radio show on KZMP La Ranchera 1540 am. You can check out the interview Thursday night at 7 p.m.

Several of our Spanish-speaking players then read FCD promos which will run on KZMP throughout the season. Drew Moor and Kenny Cooper even got in on the act, which gave all of the witnesses in the locker room hallway a good laugh.

Then a team meeting was held at 12:30 p.m., where the coaches and team staff presented the guys with the 2009 team handbook, which includes detailed information and protocol regarding team administration, travel, athletic training, equipment care, and much more.

Dario Sala Out 4-6 Weeks

Goalkeeper Dario Sala today underwent successful surgery to remove a portion of a torn medial meniscus in his left knee and will be out at least 4-6 weeks. Sala began experiencing pain in his knee in February while the team was in Florida for preseason training, but was cleared to continue playing after MRI results were negative.

He sat out the first couple days of training last week, but returned to the practice field on Thursday and Friday ahead of the March 21 season-opener. After starting and making three saves in Saturday's loss to Chicago, it was determined that surgery was needed. Head coach Schellas Hyndman informed the team following this morning's practice.

Vote Kenny for Goal of the Week

Kenny Cooper has earned a Sierra Mist Goal of the Week nomination for his 60-yard bomb against the Chicago Fire on Saturday night. Click here to watch Kenny's goal again, and then visit here to watch the other nominees and vote!

Photos: Rick Yeatts / FC Dallas

EdgeFest: May 9, 2009

EdgeFest returns to Pizza Hut Park for the fourth straight year on Saturday, May 9 (FC Dallas is away against southern rivals Houston Dynamo that night at 8 p.m. live on ESPN2). Korn and 311 are among the featured acts for this year's show, which also includes Blue October, Papa Roach, Shinedown, Taking Back Sunday, The Used and The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Tickets go on-sale this Friday, March 27 at 5 p.m. at Ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster locations. See the full list of bands and get more information here.

Juniors Resume League Play

The FCD first team is off-site this morning going through a recovery session at the MJPC, so it gives us the opportunity to give you an update on the FCD Juniors teams, who resumed US Soccer Development Academy play over the weekend after spending the last three months on winter break.

On Saturday, the Juniors faced Real Colorado with the U-16's winning 3-0 behind goals from Ruben Luna (2) and Brian Leyva. The U-18's fell 4-0. Yesterday, the teams went up against the Colorado Rapids youth sides, and this time it was the U-18's winning 6-1 on goals from Luna (3), Josh Hernandez (2) and London Woodberry (note: Luna and six of his U-16 teammates started for the U-18 team on Sunday). The U-16's, who were missing seven starters, suffered their first loss in league play by a 2-1 score (goal scored by Chris Figueroa).

Luna has now scored 25 goals for the U-16 side, which is now 12-1-3 overall in the Development Academy league and in first place of the Texas division. The U-18's are now 7-3-6 overall and remain in third place in the division. The Juniors will continue to train before their next league games about a month from now: at Chicago's Sockers FC (April 18) and FC Milwaukee (April 19).

'09 Home Opener: FCD 1, CHI 3

UPDATE (Post-game): Tough way to lose the regular season opener. Kenny Cooper put FCD up early with a 9th minute goal struck from one yard past the midfield stripe (sure to be a goal of the week candidate), but Chicago's Justin Mapp was able to even it up in the 38th minute and the teams went into the break tied 1-1. In the second half Brian Mcbride added a PK after Drew Moor was whistled for a hand ball in the box and late sub Cuautemoc Blanco add a free kick from 25 yards out less than a minute before the final whistle to give Chicago the 3-1 win.

Schellas Hydman on the game:



Some notes from the game:

• FC Dallas is now 6-4-4 all-time on season openers and 7-4-2 in home season openers.
• The loss ends a 6-game regular season unbeaten streak against the Fire and a 14-game unbeaten stretch against Chicago in Dallas (regular season and postseason combined).
• FCD’s all-time regular season record versus Chicago is now 17-11-2, 11-3-1 at home, and 2-1-1 at Pizza Hut Park.
• Kenny Cooper’s 9th minute strike from one yard beyond the midfield stripe was the 600th regular season goal scored in Dallas history.
• Dallas starters David Ferreira, Steve Purdy, Dave van den Bergh and Daniel Torres all made their FCD debut today. It was also the first Major League Soccer action for Ferreira and Purdy.
• For Dallas only Dario Sala, Blake Wagner, and Cooper started both today’s opener and last year’s. Dax McCarty and Andre Rocha were the only other players that appeared in each of the last two season openers.

FCD Agrees to Terms with Sanchez

FC Dallas has agreed to terms with Costa Rican international Alvaro Sanchez, making him the final player on the team's 24-man roster. Sanchez comes to FCD on loan from Costa Rica Primera Division club AD San Carlos. He'll have to wait to receive his visa before he can join the team and be available for regular season selection. An official press release will be sent (likely next week) once all official documentation has been filed with the league.

Sanchez spent the first week of March in preseason camp with FCD in Curitiba, where he appeared in two games as a trialist, playing both as a forward and midfielder. He scored against the CAP U-20's on March 6 with a bending left-footed free kick from 20 yards out.

Sanchez has scored 10 goals and added 14 assists in 44 appearances with San Carlos, where he has played since 2007. In addition, he has earned three caps with the Costa Rica national team, having recently made his debut in the January 2009 UNCAF Nations Cup. He finished the tournament tied for second with two goals.

Prepping for First Kick

The team returned to the stadium field for this morning's training session, which lasted just under two hours. After starting with a warm up and walk-through, the pace picked up a bit for some full speed 11 v 11 work, before ending with a small-sided drill. Following practice, the full team met off-site for a lunch together. Hope you a enjoy a few pics we snapped from today's practice. How great does the field look?

FCD vs. CHI - Video Previews

FCD TV recently caught up with Schellas Hyndman, Drew Moor and David Ferreira (Spanish) to get their thoughts on facing the Chicago Fire in Saturday's 2009 Home Opener.

English preview...


Preview: FC Dallas vs Chicago Fire from FC Dallas on Vimeo.

Spanish preview...


Previa: FC Dallas vs Chicago Fire from FC Dallas on Vimeo.

Evening Practice

There was no morning practice today. The team will instead practice on the PHP stadium field at 5 p.m. as part of a special season ticket holder party. In addition to taking in a full FCD training session, this event will give plan holders the opportunity to taste the offerings of new concessionaire, Centerplate, and mingle with players / coaches afterward.

The team will close out the week with one final practice on Friday morning (10 a.m.) ahead of Saturday's regular season opener versus Chicago at Pizza Hut Park (7:30 p.m. CT live on FSN SW).

While FCD opens the regular season on Saturday, the 2009 MLS season kicks off tonight in Seattle when the NY Red Bulls visit the expansion Seattle Sounders FC at Qwest Field (8 p.m. CT live on ESPN2). For those watching tonight, feel free to discuss tonight's game here...

2009 Local Broadcast Schedule Unveiled

The FC Dallas 2009 MLS local broadcast schedule was released today, and features 28 of the team's 30 regular season games available on either local or national television (the remaining two games available on the Direct Kick cable / satellite package package). In addition, all 30 games will be available on Spanish language radio, with local partner KZMP 1540 AM La Ranchera airing 27 games, and ESPN Deportes Radio (1480 AM in Dallas) exclusively airing the three Dallas ESPN2 telecast dates. FSN SW will kick off the local television coverage with Saturday's Home Opener vs. Chicago live at 7:30 p.m. CT with Dave Dir and Bobby Rhine on the call.

NOTES ON LOCAL BROADCAST SCHEDULE:

• KFWD-52 will air 17 games, and FSN Southwest will air five games.
• KFWD-52 will broadcast seven home games and 10 road games.
• FSN Southwest will televise four home games and one road game.
• Brad Sham and Dave Dir will return to the FC Dallas television broadcast team. In addition, the retired 10-year FCD veteran Bobby Rhine will also join the broadcast crew.
• Veteran announcer Carlos Alvarado, who has been the play-by-play Spanish voice of the team for each of the first 13 seasons, returns to call games on KZMP 1540 AM La Ranchera. Each broadcast will include a 30-minute pre and post game show.
• Alvarado will also continue to host a weekly show on KZMP La Ranchera every Thursday from 7-8 pm CT, covering FC Dallas, Major League Soccer, and other soccer-related news and updates from around the world.
• Ten of FC Dallas' 30 regular season games will be available on national TV.
• 4 games on TeleFutura on Sunday afternoons (all televised in English on KFWD-52).
• 3 games on ESPN2 (most games offered in high definition) which will also be simulcast on ESPN360 and ESPN Deportes.
• 3 games on Fox Soccer Channel / Fox Sports en Español: "MLS Saturday on FSC" slot.
  Three of FC Dallas’ regular season games will be available nationally via ESPN Deportes Radio (1480 AM in Dallas).

Opening Day Festivities

FC Dallas and the Chicago Fire will once again fight for the Brimstone Cup in 2009, and the first test comes in Saturday's MLS regular season opener at PHP, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. CT. Many festivities inside the stadium will help ring in the start of the new season -- here's what's on tap for Saturday: A live remote with Bob Sturm of 1310 The Ticket and live music located in PHP's revamped beer gardens; a happy hour special featuring $1 draft beers; the debut of both a new Kids Zone called Hooper's Hang Out and the FC Dallas Dance Team; a flyover and post-game fireworks show. Gates open at 6 p.m. Will you be there?

FCD on Good Morning Texas

DVR alert! Kenny Cooper, Drew Moor and community ambassador Bobby Rhine will appear on Good Morning Texas (WFAA ch. 8, live at 9 a.m.) Tuesday morning. The FCD segment is scheduled to begin within the first 10 minutes, where our guys will talk about Saturday's home opener and outlook for the 2009 season. Make sure you check it out!

Questions for Hitchcock / Schellas?

In January 2008 we conducted the very first fan Q&A via the blog, and we received such great feedback that we had to split up the answers from GM Michael Hitchcock and then-head coach Steve Morrow in separate posts (part 1, part 2) over two days. As the team gears up for Saturday's MLS regular season opener vs. the Chicago Fire (7:30 p.m. at PHP), we've decided to bring back the Q&A, this time with Hitchcock and Schellas Hyndman.

If you'd like to participate, simply submit your question(s) in the comments section below before midnight on Tuesday, March 17. Please address your questions to either Hitchcock, Schellas, or both and we'll post their answers later this week. We ask that you please submit serious questions only. Questions that include inappropriate language will not be answered. That said, we look forward to gathering answers for you, as last year's Q&A proved to be quite informative.

US WNT to Face Japan at PHP

Brad Smith / isiphotos.com

The U.S. Women’s National Team will open its 2009 domestic schedule on May 20 at Pizza Hut Park against Japan on Wednesday, May 20. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.

FCD season ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase tickets through a pre-sale beginning Tuesday, March 17 at 10 a.m. through on Thursday, March 19 at 2 a.m. Call 888-FCD-GOAL (888-323-4625) for details. Tickets for the general public will be available Saturday, March 21 at 10 a.m. through ussoccer.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, and the FCD box office.

The U.S. women last played at PHP on May 12, 2007, a 6-2 defeat of Canada. The WNT have played seven matches in Texas, all at different stadiums, and PHP will become the first repeat venue.

Preseason Game 10: FCD 1, CAP 0

UPDATE (Final): FC Dallas wrapped up the 2009 preseason by defeating CAP 1-0 in tonight's USA-Brazil Challenge second leg game. The win evened the aggregate score at 4-4 after FCD had fallen 4-3 down in Curitiba, and sent the series to penalty kicks to decide the winner. CAP then outscored FCD 5-4 on penalties to take back the USA-Brazil Challenge title after Dallas won it in 2008.

It was Jeff Cunningham who tallied the game's only goal, burying a 1st minute shot past 'keeper Vinicius from 12 yards out, after collecting a misclearance from CAP defender Antonio Carlos.

David Ferreira (acquired from CAP on loan in Feb.) made his PHP debut tonight, going the full 90 minutes in the attacking midfield role against his former club.

Thanks to everyone who either made it out to PHP tonight or joined us via live webstream to catch FCD's final game of the preseason. FCD will now set its sights on preparing for the 2009 MLS regular season opener vs. the Chicago Fire next Sat. March 21 at Pizza Hut Park (7:30 p.m. CT).

U.S. U-20's Earn Trip to Final

The U.S. U-20's will face Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Championship Final on Sunday (6 p.m. CT) after defeating Trinidad & Tobago 4-3 on penalty kicks Friday night. FCD's Anthony Wallace converted the U.S. team's fourth and final PK, and then GK Brian Perk saved his second PK of the night to send the U.S. to the title game. Both Wallace and rookie forward Peri Marosevic went the distance in the semifinal match. Fans can follow Sunday's game live via match tracker on ussoccer.com.

FCD-CAP Jersey Auction

When fans come out to Pizza Hut Park for Saturday night's USA-Brazil Challenge match versus Atletico Paranaense, they'll have the opportunity to walk away with an FC Dallas or CAP authentic player jersey.

Stop by the auction booth in the Stadium Club (open to all fans on Saturday night), where fans can bid on the game-worn jerseys of each team's starting XI. All proceeds will benefit both the FC Dallas and CAP foundations.

Hitchcock: Trip to Curitiba Blog

From Michael Hitchcock...

GM Travel Log: Trip to Curitiba

Dear FCD Fans:

While our blog team (one-man team) did a great job of keeping you updated on the FCD first team’s and Juniors players’ trip to Brazil, I thought I'd share a recap of my trip, which was filled with a lot of meetings centered around discussing the growing partnership between FC Dallas and Clube Atletico Paranaense.

Allow me to start by thanking Atletico Paranaense, their staff, management executives, Board of Directors, and President Glaucio Geara and President Marcos Malucelli for all of their wonderful hospitality. It was a short trip for me that we made the most of, thanks to a well-planned itinerary that was organized by CAP board member Frank Romanoski (above right) and executive Paulo Rink (above left).

Keep reading...
On Tuesday, March 3, Frank (who splits time between Dallas and Brazil), Paulo (who was visiting the United States), and I landed in Curitiba around noon. We immediately checked into the hotel, and then met with Beto Richa, the Mayor of Curitiba, who is a great supporter of CAP and the beautiful game. I had the pleasure of meeting Mayor Richa on last year’s preseason trip to Brazil, when he named me an honorary citizen of Curitiba.

On this trip, we discussed the growing partnership between FCD / CAP and the City of Curitiba's bid to become a host city for the 2014 World Cup, which we fully support. Based on FCD’s experience working with CAP and the city, there’s no question that they would be great hosts! I also had a chance to meet newly-elected President Geara and some of the other board members for the first time. It was a nice start to the trip.

Then on Tuesday night, the FCD coaches, staff, and I went to Frank's house for a "Joes vs. Pros" soccer match (formerly known as the USA-Brazil Front Office Challenge), followed by a Brazilian BBQ. This is always a fun party and this year was no different, even if we were the “Joes” in this game.

On Wednesday morning, I met with Orlando Pessuti (center), who is the Lt. Governor of the State of Parana, and also serves as the President of the World Cup Organizing Committee. We endorsed their bid to host the World Cup in Curitiba while also sharing more information about the FCD / CAP Partnership.

Lt. Governor Pessuti is also a huge supporter of CAP and soccer in general. In one of the lighter moments in the meeting, I presented him with an FCD jersey, and he then proceeded to unbutton his dress shirt and put on the jersey right there at the conference table in front of the media in attendance to cover the meeting!

On Wednesday afternoon (day of the game vs. CAP), I had a chance to catch up with the FCD players / coaches / staff at the CAP training center. The team was having lunch in the cafeteria and I was able to catch up with all of the guys and wish everyone luck ahead of that night’s game.

On a side note, calling CAP’s training center “World Class” would be an understatement because it's nothing short of amazing. As soon as you drive through the gated entrance, to me the air just smells different. It's 100% soccer and you can sense it as soon as you arrive.

Paulo, Frank and I then went to a late lunch at a private dining club where we met with CAP Board Director, Judge Pedro Corat, to discuss potential partnership opportunities in greater detail. It's a nice little house that the elite business leaders in town belong to, like a membership to a country club, except for food and wine. As you can probably imagine, this place has incredible food and is a perfect spot to host a meeting.

That evening, I met with President Geara at CAP’s stadium, Arena da Baixada, where we first discussed the partnership and later watched the FCD vs. CAP game from a luxury suite with the CAP Board of Directors. Frank, Paulo, the CAP Board, and I then finished the night with a great dinner at an outstanding Italian restaurant called Barillo, where we also exchanged personalized jerseys with each other.

On Thursday morning, I met with CAP President Malucelli, an outstanding visionary leader who shares our commitment to growing the partnership. I thanked him for working with us on the loan of David Ferreira (who was a very popular and important player for CAP) and we discussed objectives for the partnership in '09 and beyond.

That afternoon, Frank, Paulo, Judge Corat, and I took a quick trip to the beach and went out on Paulo Rink's boat. It was a great way to relax after a couple of days of non-stop meetings. We literally parked the boat in the water, swam to shore, and ate the freshest and best seafood I've ever had at this little restaurant (only two tables) on the beach. After that it was straight to the airport, and 14 hours later, Frank and I landed back in Dallas.

We've had a number of great trips to Brazil but this one was the best in my opinion (even if it was only 54 hours in Curitiba) I'm more excited than ever in the potential of the partnership between FC Dallas and Clube Atletico Paranaense. We couldn't have possibly imagined a better partner club for FCD.

We hope you can come out to PHP on Saturday to celebrate the partnership with us. If you can’t make it out to the Park, you can catch the game via live webstream at FCDallas.com. Although FCD is down 4-3 in the aggregate goal series, we’re looking to defend the USA-Brazil Challenge title after winning it last year.

Our newest signing, David Ferreira, has received his visa and is arriving with CAP from Brazil this morning. CAP is bringing its first team starters to showcase the club and we’re looking forward to the challenge. It promises to be an entertaining match, for sure.

Thanks again for your support. Look forward to seeing you at PHP on Saturday.

Sincerely,
Hitch
General Manager
FC Dallas

USA-Brazil Challenge Webstream

As we were able to do with the first leg of the USA-Brazil Challenge in Curitiba, Saturday night's second leg game versus Clube Atletico Paranaense will be streamed live on FCDallas.com (7:30 p.m. CT). Ten-year Dallas veteran and new addition to the local broadcast team, Bobby Rhine, will provide the call.

We can confirm that CAP will be bringing its regular first team starters for this match, FCD's final test of the preseason. Dallas won the 2008 Challenge but finds itself down 4-3 in this year's aggregate goal series. FCD can defend last year's title by winning by two goals or more on Saturday night, while a Dallas win by one goal would push the friendly series to penalty kicks.

Ferreira Arrives Friday

David Ferreira has received his visa and will be arriving to DFW with Atletico Paranaense early Friday morning.

This of course means that Saturday night could be the first opportunity for FCD fans to see Ferreira in action when FCD takes on his former club in the second leg of the USA-Brazil Challenge at PHP (7:30 p.m. CT). Schellas Hyndman has said that it would be his objective to get Ferreira on the field for this game if he arrived to Dallas in time.

The Colombian midfielder did not participate in the first leg down in Brazil due to an agreement between both clubs, as Ferreira was one of CAP's most popular players amongst fans.

Weekly FCD Radio Show Returns

The weekly FC Dallas Spanish radio show hosted by veteran play-by-play announcer Carlos Alvarado is back! Alvarado's show, which kicks off tonight, will air every Thursday night from 7-8 p.m. CT on KZMP "La Ranchera" 1540 AM throughout the 2009 season. Tonight's guests on the show will include team captain Pablo Ricchetti and Sr. Director of Hispanic Sales & Marketing Eduardo Carvacho. We expect to share more local broadcast details with you shortly.

Juniors Train with CAP in Brazil

FC Dallas Juniors players Victor Ulloa, Darin Kruzich, Cody Adams, and Chris Figueroa recently had the opportunity to accompany the FCD first team on its preseason trip to Curitiba, Brazil. In Brazil, the four players trained daily with the Clube Atletico Paranaense youth teams, participated in an intrasquad scrimmage, and played for CAP in a game against Brazilian youth club Astral. In between their busy training schedule, the boys also had the opportunity to watch the FCD first team practice and interact with the players on a regular basis. FCD Youth Director of Coaching / Juniors co-head coach Chris Hayden and the boys give us a glimpse of their experience in Brazil...


FC Dallas Juniors visit Atletico Paranaense in Brazil from FC Dallas on Vimeo.

U.S. U-20's Advance

The U.S. U-20 MNT, featuring Brek Shea, Anthony Wallace, Peri Marosevic and Josh Lambo advanced to the semfinal of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship and earned a berth in the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup (Sept. 24-Oct.16 in Egypt) by defeating El Salvador 2-0 Tuesday night at Dwight Yorke Stadium in Tobago. The team will face the second-place finisher from Group B this Friday in the semifinal (time/opponent TBD).

Brek scored the opening goal (and eventual game-winner) in the 30th minute and Peri assisted on the second U.S. goal (scored by Tony Taylor) 10 minutes later. Those two have started all three games thus far and now have one goal each. Wallace was forced to sit out last night's game due to caution accumulation, while Brek will unfortunately miss the semifinal match after receiving two yellows last night.

Bone Marrow Drive this Saturday

Those who follow MLS closely are aware that Real Salt Lake player Andy Williams’ wife has been battling leukemia for some time. Eager to help the Williams family, former Dallas player and current FCD Community Development Manager, Bobby Rhine, has helped organize a bone marrow drive at PHP this Saturday, March 14 (starts at 4:30 p.m. CT). To give you some background on Marcia Williams’ story and details of the event, Rhine asked us to share the following with you.

From Bobby Rhine...

Dear FC Dallas fans,

On July 3, 2008, Marcia Williams, wife of Real Salt Lake player Andy Williams and mother of two, was diagnosed with acute leukemia. On top of learning this terrible news, the Williams' learned that Marcia's only chance of surviving is through a bone marrow transplant, which requires her to find a matching donor. Marcia has been unable to find a match in the national bone marrow banks, and so the fans of Real Salt Lake formed the charity Soccer Unites in order to help save Marcia's life. "The doctors have told us to look up until the very last day to try to find that match," said Deb Harper, a director for Soccer Unites. "It's extremely urgent."

Continue reading...

So far, Soccer Unites have held bone marrow drives in several MLS cities, as well as in Tampa, FL, where many of the teams have been training during the preseason. They have not yet found a match, and so now I am seeking the help of the Dallas soccer community to help save the life of one of our own. As a competitor of Andy's on the field, and a friend off the field, I have decided to help with the efforts to find a match for Marcia. As a husband and a father, I can think of nothing more important than to save the life of a wife and a mother.

Therefore, please join us at Pizza Hut Park on March 14th for Dallas' bone marrow drive for Marcia, which will occur during the preseason game versus Atletico Paranaense. The drive will begin at 4:30 pm outside the north gates of Pizza Hut Park, and it will continue through halftime of the game. Please note that the process for determining if you are a potential match is COMPLETELY PAINLESS! All it takes is a cotton swab on the inside of your cheek - that's it!

In addition to the bone marrow drive, we will be conducting a raffle, with amazing prizes such as a trip to Salt Lake for the FC Dallas at Real Salt Lake game (July 24th) and Kenny Chesney concert tickets (May 2nd at PHP)!

Marcia Williams is the best person to describe just how important this event is. "I know the donor who is a match for me is out there, but if you are not tested, I will never find you,” says Marcia. “My children and my husband need me in their lives, and I need them."

Please stop by the bone marrow drive on March 14th and help us save Marcia Williams. I look forward to seeing you all there! If you'd like to help but unable to attend, you can visit www.soccerunitesutah.com and make a donation. Thanks for your help.

Sincerely,

Bobby Rhine

Tuesday Training notes

While Monday morning's practice was more of the light recovery variety, Tuesday's practice was a full-fledged two hour session. Rookie George John (right) was able to participate, making today the first full contact practice for John since being drafted in January. John is returning from a knee injury suffered last year at the University of Washington.

Eric Avila worked off to the side with the training staff this morning after picking up a knock to his right ankle on Monday. He could return to full training on Wednesday depending on how his ankle feels. David Ferreira has yet to join FCD stateside as he remains in Brazil waiting to receive his U.S. visa. But Schellas Hyndman said after practice that Ferreira could be in the U.S. before the end of the week in time for the CAP game.

If you'd like to keep an eye on Anthony Wallace, Brek Shea, Peri Marosevic and Josh Lambo, the U.S. U-20's face El Salvador tonight in the final group play game of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship (6 p.m. CT , ussoccer.com matchtracker). With a win or tie, the squad will advance to the semifinal on March 13. The final will be played on March 15.

Finally, Jamie Watson is no longer in preseason camp as the coaching staff have informed him that he would not be signed at this time.

Monday Update

FC Dallas returned to DFW early Saturday morning and used the rest of the weekend to recuperate and catch up on rest after spending 10 days in Brazil. This morning, the team begins training to prepare for the second leg of the USA-Brazil Challenge vs. Clube Atletico Paranaense this Sat. at PHP at 7:30 p.m. CT (FCD is down 4-3 in the aggregate goal series).

After this morning's practice on the adidas Field, the group will head over to the Westin Stonebriar for the 2009 Kick-Off Luncheon, where they'll interact with fans, partners and media. While those who traveled to Brazil have have been out of action for a few days, here's a quick update on the four FCD youngsters currently in Tobago for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship....

• Last Fri. night the U.S. U-20 team won its first game in the 2009 CONCACAF Championship 3-0 over Jamaica. FCD Rookie Peri Marosevic scored what proved to be the game-winner six minutes in.
• Despite playing Honduras to a scoreless tie on Sunday, the U.S. sits atop Group A with four points, leading second-place Jamaica by one.
• With a win over El Salvador on Tues. in the final group play game, the U.S. will not only advance to the semifinals but will also secure a berth in the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup this Sept.-Oct. in Egypt.

Four FCD Players in CONCACAF U-20 Championship

As FC Dallas begins traveling back to DFW from Brazil tonight, the four players that did not join the team for the final preseason trip will be in action for the U.S. U-20 men's national team. Anthony Wallace, Brek Shea, Josh Lambo, and Peri Marosevic are currently in Bacolet, Tobago, where the U.S. team will face Jamaica (5 p.m. CT, Dwight Yorke Stadium) in the first match of the 2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.

The U.S. (Group A) will also face Honduras and El Salvador. The top two finishers in Group A will advance to the semifinals on March 13 and either the third-place game or final on March 15. And more importantly, the four semifinalists from Group A and B will qualify for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt.

U.S. U-20 Schedule:
Fri. March 6 - Jamaica - 5 p.m. CT
Sun. March 8 - Honduras - 5 p.m. CT
Tues. March 10 - El Salvador - 6 p.m. CT

All games played at Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago
Follow all games live on ussoccer.com's Match Tracker

Preseason Game 9: FCD 2, CAP U-20 4

FC Dallas this morning played its final preseason game in Brazil, a 4-2 loss to the Atletico Paranaense U-20 team at the CAP training center. The teams traded goals for a 2-2 score through 71 minutes of play, but CAP pulled away when Leo Nunes and Rafael combined for two quick ones in the 76th and 79th. Many of the Dallas starters from the last two games were rested, and FCD's goals were scored by trialists Gaspar Paez and Alvaro Sanchez.

The group is now packing all bags and getting ready for a one-hour flight to Sao Paulo that leaves early this evening. From Sao Paulo, we'll catch a 10:55 pm local time (7:55 pm CT) flight to Dallas, which will land bright and early at 6:05 am CT on Saturday. Let's hope American Airlines has some good movie selections.

Marcelo Saragosa Undergoes Surgery

After feeling discomfort in his right knee for several days, Marcelo hopped on a flight back to Dallas on Wednesday to get it checked out. Discovering a torn medial meniscus, Marcelo then underwent meniscectomy surgery (removal of the meniscus) on Thursday and will miss the next 4-6 weeks. We hear that he is doing well and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Marcelo previously tore the medial meniscus in the same knee in late 2008, but at that time the damaged area could be repaired with surgery. After experiencing the same injury for a second time, it was necessary to remove the torn part.

Thursday Recovery / Notes...

The team spent about an hour outside this morning for a quick recovery session following last night's game vs. CAP. The main exercise consisted of breaking into four groups for a soccer tennis type of game, but a little more difficult and on a larger scale.

Picture two 5 yard by 5 yard boxes set about 30 yards apart as each side of the court, and think of the 30 yard space between the boxes as the net, and you get the idea. As you can tell from the picture in the top right, David Ferreira, trialist Rafael Abrao, Bruno Guarda, Andre Rocha, and Jeff Cunningham comprised the winning team.

After the exercise, Schellas took some time to go over defending set pieces (above left) before letting everyone off on their own. At that time we observed Dario Sala, David Ferreira, Pablo Ricchetti, Dave van den Bergh, and trialists Alvaro Sanchez and Jonathan Artura playing regular soccer tennis (right), while a larger group took shots on pool GK Bryant Rueckner.

Notes and Tidbits...

• The team will meet late this afternoon for a video session to break down the last two games. Following the meeting, everyone will board a bus to relax, unwind, and grab dinner at a nearby mall for a few hours. Kenny Cooper, Steve Purdy, and Blake Wagner sat out the recovery session due to minor injuries picked up in last night's game. Kenny had a sizeable scratch/bruise from a CAP player's cleats just under his left calf, and Purdy (right) and Wagner (left) both had some tightness in their hamstrings.
• Ray Burse also stayed inside today to rest his ankle after spraining it on Tuesday during practice.
• The last two practice sessions have been light, enabling defender George John to become involved. He's not quite ready to go full speed yet, but his status is steadily progressing.
• The four FCD Juniors players (and coach Chris Hayden) who trained with CAP here in Brazil for a week arrived back in Dallas early Wednesday morning. From speaking with the players and Chris, there is no doubt that this trip will not only benefit the boys individually, but also the FCD player development program as a whole. We managed to shoot a lot of video footage of the boys in action down here and we'll look to bring you more on their experience next week.
• Friday, the first team's final day in Brazil, will consist of a game against the CAP U-20 team at 7am CT before catching an evening flight back home.

Preseason Game 8: FCD 3, CAP 4

Tied 1-1 at halftime, FCD an Clube Atletico Paranaense combined for five goals in the second half, with CAP emerging as the victor by the score of 4-3. Dallas goals were scored by Jeff Cunningham (29'), Kenny Cooper (60'), and Aaron Pitchkolan (81'). Dallas will now need to win the return leg by two goals to successfully defend the USA-Brazil Challenge crown. Look for a full recap on FCDallas.com later tonight.

Thanks to everyone who followed along via live webstream. We hope you can join us at PHP for the return leg on Saturday, March 14 (7:30 p.m. CT).

Scoring Summary:
FCD – Jeff Cunningham (Eric Avila) 29
CAP – Kamali (Michel) 39
CAP – Jhonatan (unassisted) 55
FCD – Kenny Cooper (Dave van den Bergh, Daniel Torres) 60
CAP – Douglas Maia (Gabriel) 61
CAP – Michel (penalty kick) 73
FCD – Aaron Pitchkolan (unassisted) 81

FCD (4-4-2): Dario Sala (GK), Blake Wagner (Aaron Pitchkolan 55), Daniel Torres, Steve Purdy (Michael Dello-Russo 83), Drew Moor, Dave van den Bergh (Bruno Guarda 75), Pablo Ricchetti, Dax McCarty, Eric Avila (Andre Rocha 46), Jeff Cunningham (Alvaro Sanchez* 46), Kenny Cooper (Jamie Watson* 80).

*on trial

CAP (4-4-2): Renan Rocha (GK), Michel (Wellington 78), Manoel, Carlao, Geronimo (Raul 57), Douglas Maia, Jhonatan (Geilson 68), Jatai (Fransergio 58), Gabriel, Kamali (Bruno Costa 63), Wallyson (Washington 78).

Misconduct Summary:
FCD – Daniel Torres 22 (caution)
FCD - Dave van den Bergh 22 (caution)
FCD – Dario Sala 24 (caution)
FCD – Andre Rocha 48 (caution)
FCD – Pablo Ricchetti 55 (caution)
FCD – Bruno Guarda 89 (caution)

USA-Brazil Challenge-Light

Last night, the FC Dallas staff team; comprised of Michael Hitchcock, Marco Ferruzzi, Drew Keeshan, the training staff, adminstration / equipment staff, CAP employee Pablo Miranda, and yours truly took to the field for the traditional staff game against CAP board member Frank Romanoski and his team (consisting of several former pros).

No need to get into the final score since we know you're not really interested in that, but there are a few details you should be aware of. The annual game is played on the mini field at Frank's house, so we're already at a disadvantage there. Secondly, the van that picked up the FCD staff team the CAP training center was conveniently 40 minutes late, severely cutting into our warm-up time. Ah, who are we kidding? They took it to us, but there's always next year, right?

Despite the result on the field, everyone had a great time and enjoyed some Brazilian BBQ and caiparinhas afterward. Big thanks to Frank for having us over at his house for the third straight year, and we look forward to continuing this tradition in the future!

Wed. Game vs. CAP to be Streamed Live

After a couple of hours of testing here at Clube Atletico Paranaense's home stadium, Arena da Baixada, we're excited to inform you that the first leg of the 2009 USA-Brazil Challenge will be streamed live at FCDallas.com! CAP play-by-play guy Leonardo Fagundes will provide the call in Portuguese, and we're told that former CAP player Paulo Rink may be on hand to give some commentary in English.

Please note that kickoff has been moved to 4 p.m. CT.

FCD Signs George John / Roster Compliance

Today, it was made official. FCD has signed central defender and 1st Round SuperDraft pick George John. John has yet to play this preseason due to a knee injury suffered during his senior year at the University of Washington, but we've seen him steadily progress in his rehabilitation work with the training staff, and it could be any day now when he starts to work into full training with the team.

In addition, Monday was roster compliance day, meaning all 15 teams in MLS needed to get to 24 players or less and be under the salary cap. FCD accomplished this by waiving Chase Wileman, Andrew Daniels, Sean Bucknor, and Jamie Watson. The current FCD roster (23 players) can be found here.

While Chase only attended the first week of preseason and Daniels did not attend at all, leage rules state that any player on the 2008 roster who is not currently on the FCD roster must be waived. Bucknor was originally signed in January '09, but the coaching staff decided to part ways with the forward before the trip to Brazil.

Watson is a slightly different story. He was on the roster in 2008 and is currently on trial for the 2009 season. He'll remain with the team in Curitiba, Brazil for preseason training as he continues to try to make the roster.

Preseason Game 7: FCD 3, Parana 4

Tough break for the boys today, falling 4-3 to Parana (Brazil Serie B) after leading 2-0 at the break. First half goals were scored by Jeff Cunningham (assisted by newcomer David Ferreira) and Kenny Cooper (assisted by Cunningham and Dave van den Bergh).

But Parana fought back, and after 11 minutes into the second half, the game was tied at two goals-a-piece. Steve Purdy again proved his prowess in the air in the 67th minute, heading home a corner kick from Dave van den Bergh to regain the lead. But just one minute later, Parana equalized and then scored the game's final goal in the 74th to defeat FCD 4-3.

Note: FCD was originally scheduled to play Serie C club J Malucelli at 12:30 pm CT, but the team couldn't make it to CAP's training center today due to travel issues. Thanks to the help of Atletico Paranaense officials this morning, we were able to schedule the game with Parana, one of CAP's main rivals.

FCD is now 3-2-2 in 2009 preseason play, and will regroup on Tuesday with two training sessions. Then, on Wednesday night the team will face Atletico Paranaense in the first leg of the 3rd annual USA-Brazil Challenge (Arena da Baixada, 3:30 pm CT).

Full Week of Games in Brazil

UPDATE (8:30 am CT): Slight change of plans. As the team was heading out for this morning's practice, we learned that Serie C club J Malucelli would be unable to make it for today's 12:30 pm CT game due to travel issues. Instead, we'll play Serie B club Parana, at 1:30 pm CT.

It's been a little over a week since FC Dallas last played a preseason match (Feb. 21, 1-1 tie vs. BK Hacken in Florida). And just like the Florida trip, FCD will now play three games in five days, before catching a flight back to Dallas on Friday night.

First up is today's game against J Malucelli Parana, one of Atletico Paranaense's main rivals (the other being Curitiba). On Wednesday, the team will face Atletico Paranaense at Arena da Baixada (by the way, CAP defeated Serie B club Iraty SC 2-1 on Sunday night). And finally, the guys will play the CAP U-20 team on Friday morning. Detailed schedule below...

This week's game schedule:
Mon. March 2 - vs. Parana - CAP Training Center (1:30 pm CT)
*Wed. March 4 - vs. Atletico Paranaense - Arena da Baixada (3:30 pm CT)
Fri. March 6 - vs. CAP U-20 - CAP Training Center (7 am CT)

*We're working with CAP to possibly provide a live webstream of Wednesday night's game and will keep you informed over the next couple of days.

Juniors Perform Well in Scrimmage

Chris Figueroa, Cody Adams, Darin Kruzich and Victor Ulloa (from left to right)

As the first team trained this morning on Atletico Paranaense training field 3, the Juniors played for the CAP U-15 team in a game against local youth club Astral. All four Juniors players started the second half and represented well, with Victor Ulloa scoring a goal and Chris Figueroa adding an assist to help the CAP team win 6-4.

Just as sweet as seeing the look on Victor's face when he scored, was seeing the CAP players jump up and cheer extra loudly to celebrate his goal. From our observation, it's clear that the the boys have earned the respect of their Brazilian counterparts.

After eating lunch, the Juniors went back outside to take part in a short training session with another CAP group. The first team is enjoying the rest of the afternoon off before meeting again for a light snack at 5 pm in the cafeteria. At 5:30, we'll board a bus and head over to Arena da Baixada to watch a state tournament game between Atletico Paranaense and Iraty SC.

On Monday, FCD will train in the morning before taking on J Malucelli at 3:30 pm (12:30 pm CT) in its first test against an outside opponent since arriving to Brazil.