The Buffett Experience

After practice on Saturday, April 18, Eric Avila and Brek Shea let the FCD TV cameras follow them as they chatted with Jimmy Buffett concertgoers in the parking lots here at PHP. Enjoy...

The Jimmy Buffett Experience from FC Dallas on Vimeo.

How Does Swine Flu Affect FCD / PHP?

With Saturday's Kenny Chesney concert at Pizza Hut Park, we've received a few calls and emails regarding Swine Flu and how it will affect events held at our venue and complex. We'd like to inform all FC Dallas fans and PHP visitors that there are currently no reasons to cancel or postpone events at Pizza Hut Park, and therefore all events at the venue will take place as scheduled. If schedule changes are necessary, FCD / PHP will provide updated information at www.PizzaHutPark.com and www.FCDallas.com. Visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention online at www.cdc.gov/swineflu, which gives great information on how individuals can keep themselves healthy.

Futsal at Bicentennial Park

Yesterday, Michael Hitchcock, Oscar Pareja and Chris Hayden met with City of Frisco Parks & Recreation Director Rick Weiland and Manager of Park Services Bob Johnson to discuss turning the largely unused inline hockey rink at Bicentennial Park (about 2 miles east of PHP) into a futsal court. For now, FCD will continue to reserve the court "as is" for FCD Juniors and Youth training sessions, with plans to eventually renovate the court, thus turning it into FCD's official futsal court that will also be available for community use.

Check out the FCD Juniors players in action at the court...

FC Dallas Jr's - Street Soccer from FC Dallas on Vimeo.

Catch It Again

To make up for the fact that the entire first half of Saturday's game at Chivas USA was not shown due to the 11-inning Astros vs. Brewers game, FSN-SW will re-air the FCD game locally in its entirety Thursday night, April 30 at 7 p.m. CT.

Welcome...

In order to give the regular practice field some time to rest, FCD held training this morning just a few hundred yards north on Field 7. With last week's extended road trip, off-site recovery on Monday, and the day off yesterday, this was actually the first time in eight days that the full team trained together at PHP.

In addition to welcoming the newly-acquired Kyle Davies (left), the team also saw Steve Purdy return to full practice for the first time in about a month. FCD will continue training at 10 a.m. for the remainder of the week, switching locations to Field 8 tomorrow and Field 4 on Friday, before heading back to D.C. Friday afternoon.

Chat with Torres Tomorrow

Heads up MyFCDallas.com members. Defender Daniel Torres will take part in a live chat on the official FCD social networking site Thursday after practice at 1 p.m. CT.

Torres, along with Drew Moor, Pablo Ricchetti, Brek Shea, and former Dallas player Bobby Rhine have committed to providing regular personal updates on the site from time to time. Torres posted this message on MyFCDallas.com on Monday...

"Greetings...The run for the Open Cup title is over in a early stage for us which, of course, it's disappointing, but in order to achieve important things it's necessary to learn from the falls, correct mistakes and move on to next challenge.This FC Dallas team has a lot of potential. We hope you'll continue to root hard and support us. We really noticed your support at the last home game and appreciate all that you do! Thanks!"

Photo: Rick Yeatts / FC Dallas

FCD Acquires Pick from San Jose in Exchange for Pitchkolan

In another move today, FC Dallas acquired a conditional 2011 MLS SuperDraft pick from the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for defender Aaron Pitchkolan. If Pitchkolan starts at least 12 of San Jose’s remaining games during the 2009 season, FCD will receive a third round pick from the Earthquakes. Otherwise, Dallas will receive a fourth round selection. The move allows FCD to add Kyle Davies to the 24-man roster after acquiring him from Salt Lake earlier today.

Pitchkolan has spent the past five years at FC Dallas, where he started 41 of 68 regular games and totaled five goals and one assist. 'Pitch' made one regular season appearance for FCD in 2009, entering the March 29 game versus Chivas USA as a halftime substitute. He also replaced George John in the 8th minute of last week's U.S. Open Cup play-in game at DC United.

FCD Acquires Kyle Davies

BREAKING NEWS:

FC Dallas today acquired U.S. Under-20 MNT defender and captain Kyle Davies from Real Salt Lake in exchange for the lowest of FCD’s three second round picks in next year's MLS SuperDraft (the pick closest to the third round). The 20-year-old will arrive in Dallas tonight and is expected to begin training with FCD on Wednesday morning.

Davies appeared for the U.S. alongside current Dallas teammates Anthony Wallace, Brek Shea, Peri Marosevic and Josh Lambo in the 2009 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship held in in Trinidad & Tobago in March. The young defender started all five games and played every minute of the tournament (one of only two U.S. players to do so) in leading the U.S. to a berth in this fall's FIFA Under-20 World Cup to be held in Egypt. In the semifinal match against T&T, the 5’10 defender buried his penalty kick to help the U.S. to a 4-3 PK win and send the team to a meeting against Costa Rica in the final.

Prior to being awarded to Salt Lake in an MLS Player Lottery on April 16, Davies spent time at Southampton FC of the English Coca-Cola Football Championship League, where he signed as an 18-year-old. Although he experienced several injuries while in England, Davies started 11 of 12 matches for Southampton's reserve side during the 08-09 season, while also participating in training sessions with the first team.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Soccer

Injured and Out

It's a day off for the team, so there was no action this morning out on the field this morning, but we can at least update you with the weekly injury report submitted to the league. The good news is that both Pablo Ricchetti and Marcelo Saragosa, who both required stitches after receiving blows to the head at Chivas USA on Saturday, should be ok to go this weekend at DC United. Pablo did receive a knock to his right foot during the game, for which we'll list him as "probable" to play, but Marcelo is not listed at all on the report.

Rookie George John is "questionable" for Saturday's game after straining his left hamstring just minutes into the U.S. Open Cup play-in game at DC last Wednesday. He was substituted in the 8th minute and did not play at Chivas three nights later. Steve Purdy is also "questionable" with a right hamstring that has kept him out of the last four regular season matches after starting the first two. Although not due to injury, GK Dario Sala will miss the upcoming contest at DC for receiving a red card in Saturday's game at Chivas.

An x-ray on Daniel Torres' right hand revealed that he indeed broke his right ring finger during last week's game at DC, but the was able to play the full 90 at Chivas and is cleared to play this weekend as well.

Juniors Return to Dallas

The FCD Juniors teams closed out their weekend in Ohio with positive results on Sunday before returning to Dallas late last night. The U-18s defeated Cleveland Internationals 7-1 behind two goals each from Ruben Luna and Dalibor Golubovich, and one goal each from Damian Rosales, Jesse Gamino and Bradlee Baladez. In addition Luna, four other U-16 players (Bryan Leyva, Moises Hernandez, Victor Ulloa and Giovanni Gomez) were playing up for the older squad. The U-16s tied Internationals 3-3 with scoring from Danny Garcia (two) and Darin Kruzich. FCD will take on Solar SC this Sunday, May 3 on Pizza Hut Park Field 4, with the U-16s playing at 2 p.m. and the U-18s at 4 p.m.

Travel Day / Juniors in Ohio

As FCD travels back to Dallas on Sunday, the Juniors teams will round out their weekend in Ohio, facing Cleveland Internationals at 8 a.m. (U-16s) and 10 a.m. CT (U-18s) in U.S. Soccer Development Academy play.

The first part of the Ohio trip began on Saturday, when the U-16 team defeated Cleveland Alliance Soccer Academy (CASA) 2-1, with scoring from Bryan Leyva and Ruben Luna. The U-18 side fell to CASA 4-3, with Dallas goals from Dalibor Golubovic (2) and Jesse Gamino.

U-18 defender London Woodberry did not accompany the Juniors to Ohio as he is currently with the U.S. U-18 National Team in Carson, CA through Sunday.

FCD 0, Chivas USA 2

UPDATE (Post-game): Chivas USA defeats FCD 2-0 on second half goals from Atiba Harris and Alecko Eskandarian. To describe tonight's game as "physical" would be an understatement. Five cards were handed out (including two reds) and both Marcelo Saragosa and Pablo Ricchetti received stitches in the locker room following the match for separate head wounds. Check FCDallas.com shortly for a full recap. Here are some notes in the meantime...

• The loss brings FC Dallas’ record to 1-4-1 (4 pts) on the season, and ends the team’s two-game regular season unbeaten streak.
• Dallas is now 6-5-4 all-time against Chivas USA and 3-3-1 when facing Chivas at The Home Depot Center.
• Chivas USA wins the 2009 regular season series against FC Dallas with identical 2-0 wins. For the second year in a row, the series between FCD and Chivas has concluded in April.
• This was the second of four straight road games for Dallas, beginning with Wednesday night’s U.S. Open Cup play-in game at DC United.
• Goalkeeper Dario Sala tonight made his return to the starting lineup after missing the last five games while recovering from meniscus surgery on his left knee.
• Sala exited the game in the 25th minute after receiving a red card for handling the ball outside of the penalty area. The goalkeeper will be forced to miss Dallas’ upcoming game at DC United.
• Ray Burse replaced Sala in goal and FCD pulled Dax McCarty off the field as a result of the violation.
• Defender Steve Purdy missed his fourth straight game with a strained right hamstring. Rookie defender George John missed tonight’s game with a strained left hamstring, suffered in Wednesday night’s U.S. Open Cup play-in game at DC.
• FC Dallas tonight wore its road blue-and-white striped uniforms for the second time this season.
• FC Dallas next head to RFK Stadium to face DC United on Saturday, May 2 (6:30 p.m. CT live on Fox Soccer Channel). The game comes 10 days after FCD fell 2-0 to United in a U.S. Open Cup play-in game at the same venue.

Where to Watch: FCD at Chivas USA

FCD's (1-3-1, 4 pts) game tomorrow night at Chivas USA (4-1-1, 13 pts) will be broadcast live on FSN-SW at 9:30 p.m. CT, with Dave Dir and Bobby Rhine on the call. FCD fans can watch the action together at two locations for official FCD away game watching parties: Lochrann's Irish Pub & Eatery in Frisco (map) and Trinity Hall Irish Pub & Restaurant in Dallas (map). There's lots of pre-game action at both locations, but make sure to read the game preview and download the game guide before going so you can impress everyone with your statistical knowledge.

On the Ground and Running

Updated to include Friday morning's practice...

FCD arrived in Los Angeles yesterday at 1:30 p.m. PT. Three hours later the team was on one of the Home Depot Center practice fields for a light recovery session, which lasted about an hour and a half.

This morning, the team took a bus back to HDC for a 10 a.m. PT practice. As is the case for most practice sessions on the day before a game, it was kept light, lasting again around 90 minutes. The LA Galaxy practiced on the field next to FCD, and both before and after practice players and coaches from both teams took a few minutes to chat with each other. Saturday night's opponent, Chivas USA, practiced on another field within the HDC complex.

George John, who left Wednesday night's game in the 8th minute with a strained left hamstring, did not join the team for either practice. Daniel Torres is now sporting a small cast on his right hand, which he received in the locker room after the DC game on Wednesday. It appears that he may have broken his right ring finger, but the x-rays to confirm that can wait until the team returns to Dallas next week.

WOF Nominations Now Open

Pizza Hut Park has opened the public nomination process for the 2009 class of inductees to the Texans Credit Union Walk of Fame. Nominations for this year's candidates will be accepted until June 26. Honorees may include former players, coaches, administrators and other contributors to the sport. The official nomination form for the Texans Credit Union Walk of Fame can be found here.

After June 26, a Nomination Committee will review all 2009 nominees and narrow candidates down to three finalists. Then, a four-member Selection Committee will vote to enshrine the Class of 2009 Texans Credit Union Walk of Fame inductee(s). The official enshrinement ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 17, prior to FC Dallas' final regular season home game, against the Colorado Rapids.

The Texans Credit Union Walk of Fame is a stretch of soccer history at PHP that recognizes members of the soccer community who have been instrumental in helping build the sport in Texas.

Highlights from Last Night

About 10 minutes away from Dulles Airport in Virginia this morning, we learned on the bus that this morning's 9 a.m. ET flight to LA was delayed an hour and a half. While it's never great news to learn that your flight is delayed, it did give this blogger the opportunity to log in here and post a highlight video received from DC United this morning. While we were unable to provide a live video stream last night, this at least gives FCD fans the opportunity to see some of the action from the game. We'll check back in later today from LA...

FCD 0, DC United 2 (USOC)

Tough loss. A full recap of tonight's 2-0 U.S. Open Cup play-in loss is available at http://www.fcdallas.com/. Big thanks to all of you who stayed with us through the radio feed / match tracker technical difficulties. Hope we were able to satisfy your thirst for FCD updates via the blog and the live Twitter feed. We'll leave you with some notes from the game...

• With the loss, FC Dallas is eliminated from U.S. Open Cup contention.
• FCD and DC United will meet again 10 days from tonight in regular season play on Saturday, May 2 (6:30 p.m. CT live on Fox Soccer Channel).
• Five starters from the win over Toronto FC three nights ago also got the start tonight --- goalkeeper Ray Burse, center backs Drew Moor and George John, defensive midfielder Pablo Ricchetti, and left-sided midfielder Dave van den Bergh.
• John left the game in the 8th minute with a left hamstring strain. He was replaced by Aaron Pitchkolan.
• Recent acquisition Alvaro Sanchez got his first start in a Dallas uniform tonight in the attacking midfield spot.
• Rookie forward Peri Marosevic also made his first start for FCD.
• Eric Avila made his first start of the year on the right side of the midfield.
• Sanchez, Marosevic, John and David Ferreira all made their U.S. Open Cup debut tonight.
• FC Dallas will travel straight from Washington, DC to Los Angeles on Thursday ahead of Saturday night’s regular season game at Chivas USA (9:30 p.m. CT live on FSN-SW). Chivas fell to Toronto FC tonight 1-0.

Listen Live Tonight

Great news -- FC Dallas fans can listen to tonight's U.S. Open Cup play-in game vs. DC United for free in both English and Spanish. Live audio coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. CT and the game will be available exclusively via the above links (i.e. not available on MLS Match Center). Fans can also keep track of the action live via matchtracker at FCDallas.com.

Some Open Cup-related notes:

• Dallas claimed the U.S. Open Cup title in 1997 when the team defeated DC United on penalty kicks in the final on Oct. 2, 1997.
• The team has also reached the Championship game on two other occasions; in 2005 (1-0 loss to the LA Galaxy) and 2007 (2-1 defeat against the New England Revolution). Dallas has reached the Semifinals six times.
• FCD has reached the Quarterfinal round in 11 of 13 years in the U.S. Open Cup and is 23-12 all-time in the tournament.
• FC Dallas has a 2-1 edge over DC United in USOC play, with both of Dallas’ wins decided on penalty kicks. In addition to the 1997 final (mentioned above), FCD defeated DC on PK's in the 2005 quarterfinal, the last USOC meeting between the clubs.
• FCD's lone loss to DC in the Open Cup came in the 1996 semifinal match at the Cotton Bowl, a 2-0 defeat.
• Dallas is 11-2 in opening games of the U.S. Open Cup. This is the first year that FCD will open against an MLS opponent.
• The top six finishing teams in MLS (based on points) from the previous season automatically qualify for the 3rd Round. The remaining eight U.S.-based teams, FCD included, must qualify for the final two MLS berths.
• The winner of tonight's game will face the winner of San Jose vs. New York, who play on April 29.
• Kenny Cooper is the active scoring leader for FC Dallas in the USOC with four goals. Cooper is tied for second in Dallas history with Jason Kreis, behind Abe Thompson, the all-time FCD leader with six scores.
• Jeff Cunningham has the most goals of any current FC Dallas player in Open Cup play, scoring seven goals over his career (five with Columbus, two with Salt Lake).
• Cooper is one of two Dallas players to have scored at hat trick in Open Cup competition. Cooper netted his hat trick at Charleston in a 2006 4th Round game. The other Dallas hat trick was recorded by Bobby Rhine on July 13, 1999 against the Jacksonville Cyclones.
• In U.S. Open Cup games, each team may dress only five international players (non-U.S. citizens, non-green card holders).
• Each team may dress 18 players (11 starters, 7 substitutes) as usual. However, teams can use up to four substitutes during the game as opposed three in regular season play.

Extended Trip

Because Dallas is centrally located, the team's road trips during the regular season are usually pretty quick. The normal routine consists of flying out the day before the game and flying back to Dallas the morning after. However, due to this week's game schedule FCD will make a rare extended trip that will keep the team on the road for six days. And because two games are on tap, FCD will take 20 total players on this trip, two more than the usual travel roster of 18....

Travel roster: Dario Sala, Ray Burse, Blake Wagner, Drew Moor, George John, Marcelo Saragosa, Aaron Pitchkolan, Michael Dello-Russo, Pablo Ricchetti, Bruno Guarda, Andre Rocha, Eric Avila, Dax McCarty, Dave van den Bergh, Alvaro Sanchez, David Ferreira, Kenny Cooper, Jeff Cunningham, Peri Marosevic, Daniel Torres.

The four Dallas players who aren't on the trip will be in at PHP for workouts every morning through Saturday, along with League Pool Goalkeeper Bryant Rueckner.

Peri Marosevic on CosmoGirl.com

Ever wondered who was the best looking young player in all of Major Leauge Soccer? Of course you have, so wonder no more as our very own Peri Marosevic is part of an online photo gallery at CosmoGirl.com, featuring 14 other players from around the League. Go ahead and click, we won’t tell anyone that you visited the site. And if you are inclined to leave a nice comment about Peri at the photo gallery, feel free to do so.

In addition to checking out a few pics of the rookie forward, fans will also have the opportunity to find out where Peri would take a girl on a date and if he thinks kissing on the first date is necessary --- all questions you have been dying to know the answers to. Fans can also enter for a chance to win a small FC Dallas jersey (for your daughter, niece, granddaughter, of course) signed by Peri himself, or one of the other 14 teams jerseys signed by one of those other guys. The grand prize is an official adidas MLS game ball signed by the LA Galaxy. So what are you waiting for?!?!

Busy Week Ahead

FC Dallas is enjoying the 3-2 win over Toronto FC last night with a day off today for the players, but a lot of work lies ahead as the team will conclude this week having played three games in seven days.

The team will resume practice Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. at PHP before departing for Washington, DC in the afternoon. FCD will take on DC United in a US Open Cup play-in game Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. CT. This game will not be televised in either market, and unfortunately, we will not have the ability to bring you a live video webstream of the game. However, fans can follow the game via live matchtracker at FCDallas.com, and those who have an MLS Match Center audio subscription will be able to listen to the game live in both English and Spanish.

On Thursday morning, the team will fly straight from DC to Los Angeles, where the team will practice for two days ahead of Saturday night's regular season game versus league-leading Chivas USA (4-0-1, 13 pts) at 9:30 p.m. CT live on FSN-SW. Stay with us all week as we'll keep you updated throughout the two-game road trip right here on the FCD Blog and via the official FCD Twitter page.

Juniors Update

The FC Dallas Juniors teams followed up solid showings in this year's Dallas Cup with positive results over the weekend in their return to US Soccer Development Academy play. The teams traveled north to face Sockers FC (Chicago) on Saturday and FC Milwaukee on Sunday.

On Saturday, the U-18's tied Sockers FC 2-2, with both goals from Jesus Gamino. The U-16's defeated the Chicago club 3-2, with scoring provided by Ruben Luna (2) and Jonathan Top.

Yesterday, the U-18's defeated FC Milwaukee 2-0 behind a goal each from Brian Levya and Ruben Luna (both were playing up from the U-16 squad, along with three others). The U-16's tied the same club 2-2, with goals from Scott Sprick and Jonathan Top.

The U-18 side sits in third place of the Central Conference, Texas Division with a 5-2-4 record, while the U-16's remain in first place of their division with a 9-0-2 record, having already qualified for the playoffs. The Juniors next travel to Ohio to face Cleveland Alliance Soccer Academy on Saturday, April 25 and Cleveland Internationals the following day.

FCD 3, Toronto FC 2

UPDATE (Post-game): FC Dallas gets its first win of the season, with Kenny Cooper providing the game-winning goal on an 84th minute penalty kick. Dallas claims the 2009 season series against Toronto FC, and is now unbeaten in five straight games against the Canadian side. Kenny tonight scored his third and fourth goals of the season, moving him into a three-way tie for the league lead with Colorado's Conor Casey and Chicago's Brian McBride. Dallas is now unbeaten in its last two games.

• FC Dallas gets its first win of the year, improving the team’s record to 1-3-1 (4 pts) on the season.
• Dallas is now 3-1-2 all-time against Toronto FC, and 2-0-1 versus Toronto at Pizza Hut Park.
• Defender Drew Moor scored his first goal of the season in the 25th minute, a header off a Dax McCarty free kick. It was the sixth goal of his career.
• It was the first assist of the year for McCarty, and the 10th of his career.
• David Ferreira assisted on Cooper’s 44th minute goal, his first assist in a Dallas uniform.
• Cooper scored the game-winner on an 84th minute penalty kick, FCD’s first PK of the season.
• Dallas is now 20-3-9 all-time when Cooper scores since he joined the team in 2006.
• Cooper has now scored six career goals in four games against Toronto FC.
• Marcelo Saragosa made his first start and appearance of the season, playing the full 90 minutes at right back. Saragosa had missed the first four games after undergoing knee surgery during preseason.
• Forward / midfielder Alvaro Sanchez made his first appearance on the 18-man day of game roster as an available substitute (did not play) after signing with the team on April 3.
• Goalkeeper Dario Sala (left knee) missed his fourth consecutive game after undergoing knee surgery on March 24. Defender Steve Purdy missed his third straight game with a strained right hamstring.
• A full recap is available at www.FCDallas.com.
• FC Dallas will next travel to RFK Stadium to face DC United in a U.S. Open Cup play-in game on Wednesday, April 22 (6:30 p.m. CT). The team will resume MLS play next Saturday, April 25 at Chivas USA (9:30 p.m. CT live on FSN-SW).

Practicing in Margaritaville

When the team started warming up on the practice field a little after 10 a.m. this morning, they received a bit of heckling from the Jimmy Buffett crowd who had already started partying in the adjacent Blue parking lot. It was all in good fun though, as the players and coaching staff had a good laugh about it. Pretty busy weekend for Pizza Hut Park, with the Jimmy Buffett show at 7:30 p.m. tonight and FCD vs. Toronto at 6 p.m. on Sunday. Hope to see you out here!

**Couple of injury updates....Marcelo Saragosa, who has missed the first four games of the season after undergoing meniscus surgery on his right knee during preseason, has practiced all week been upgraded to "Probable" for tomorrow's game. Dario Sala, who underwent the same surgery in his left knee just over four weeks ago, has been upgraded to "Questionable" after practicing Thursday and today. Steve Purdy's status is "Doubtful" as he is still recovering from a hamstring strain.

Preview: FCD vs. Toronto FC

Toronto FC visits FC Dallas to conclude the '09 season series just eight days after the two clubs played to a 1-1 draw in Toronto, thanks to Pablo Ricchetti's late equalizer with three minutes to play. Read the full game preview here and download the game guide. Also, be sure to check out Drew Moor's and Schellas Hyndman's thoughts on the game below...

FCD TV: Community Practice

On Tuesday night, FC Dallas held practice at Chinn Chapel Soccer Complex in Flower Mound and the FCD TV crew was there to get footage of the event. Check it out...

Staying Dry in the Gym

It's rare that rain will keep the team from practicing outside, but that's exactly what happened today. The team stepped out on the adidas Field around 10:30 a.m. and could not even get through the warm-up before having to run back inside due to the strong thunderstorm.

Once inside, the players worked out in the gym and some even did group juggling in the locker room. The boys will be back out Saturday morning at 10 a.m. to prepare for Sunday's contest against visiting Toronto FC (6 p.m. CT live on FSN-SW). Check out the photos below of the view of the NW Terrace from the gym (left) and Eric Avila doing his specialty, one-armed pushups.

FCD Gold Cup Package

If you are a soccer fan (and since you're reading this blog we assume that you are), then you are probably aware that the Dallas Cowboys New Stadium will host a CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal doubleheader on Sunday, July 19 (FCD has the weekend off).

Tickets go on-sale Friday, April 17 at 10 a.m. and FC Dallas is pleased to offer a special two-game ticket package which includes one of two FCD games (July 4 vs. NY Red Bulls or Aug. 1 vs. KC Wizards) and the Gold Cup doubleheader for one low price...

FCD Package (one FCD game and the Gold Cup doubleheader):
Midfield Pack - $50 (savings of $30)
Endline Pack - $30 (savings of $15)

Call 888-FCD-GOAL or visit FCDallas.com for more information on the ticket package. Visit www.goldcup.org for full Gold Cup schedule and groupings.

Frisco Community Night this Sunday

Bad acting? Check. Cheesey dialogue? Check. Positive message? Check. That can mean only one thing to Frisco residents and city employees. That's right, this Sunday's home game vs. Toronto FC is Frisco Community Night! All Frisco Independent School District students, faculty, city employees, and their families can purchase tickets to the game for just $5 (different from this offer). A portion of the proceeds from all tickets sold to Sunday's game will go to the Frisco Education Foundation which provides scholarships to local students. In order to spread the word to all of the FISD schools, Drew Moor, Kenny Cooper, Josh Lambo and Peri Marosevic volunteered their time to deliver the following message...


2009 FC Dallas Frisco Community Night from FC Dallas on Vimeo.

Last Night's Practice in Flower Mound

About 300-400 GLASA soccer players and their families came out to watch FC Dallas' practice at Chinn Chapel Soccer Complex in Flower Mound last night. The team arrived via bus a few minutes before 6 p.m. and as the team was warming up on the field, head coach Schellas Hyndman walked around to greet those in attendance.

Fans got to see Marcelo Saragosa return to practice with the full team for the first time since undergoing surgery on his right knee in early March. Dario Sala, who three weeks ago underwent the same surgery on his left knee, worked off to the side extensively with head athletic trainer Joshua Watts.

FCD practices usually run about two hours, but Schellas cut last night's training short by 30 minutes to allow ample time for the players to sign autographs afterward.

Off-Site Tonight

Rather than practicing this morning at PHP, the team will instead hold an evening training session tonight at Chinn Chapel Soccer Complex in Flower Mound at 6 p.m. The players and coaching staff will meet at PHP and hop on a bus at 5 p.m. to head to the field together.

The off-site practice, in connection with the Greater Lewisville Area Soccer Association (GLASA), is the first of three Community Practices scheduled for the 2009 season, and FCD players will interact with and sign autographs for GLASA members in attendance immediately following.

FCD will also hold Community Practices on Aug. 18 at Patterson Sports Complex in Arlington (in association with Arlington Soccer Association) and Sept. 8 at the Keller Soccer Fields (in association with Keller Soccer Association).

Ricchetti Nominated for GOTW

Pablo Ricchetti's back-heel, game-tying goal in the 87th minute at Toronto has been nominated for Sierra Mist Goal of the week. Click here to watch the goal and vote for Pablo!

Getting to Know: George John

Other than the fact that he has started the last two games in central defense, most FCD fans probably don’t know too much about George John, the rookie out of the University of Washington. For that reason, we sat down with the big 6-3, 200 lb. defender to try to get inside his head and find out what makes him tick. Ok, this Q&A is really not that deep or serious, but at least we found out some of the nicknames people have given him, what kind of super power he would like to have, and an interest of his that we would have never guessed…

Let’s start off with a softball. What’s the biggest disadvantage to being so big?
“Hitting my head on the TVs walking into the plane is a definitely a disadvantage. And whenever somebody reclines (on the plane) it jacks my knees up.”

Continue reading...

If you could have one super power, what would it be?
“I would like to teleport, to go from one city to another instantly and be invisible. If I could teleport anywhere, I would teleport to Greece because I have family over there, my father and mother’s grandparents are from Greece as well as some cousins and some friends studying abroad there, and I always enjoy going there. I would also like to be invisible because it would be fun to be able to observe people without them knowing that you’re there and eavesdrop on people’s conversations and share peoples funny stories.”

Who was your favorite cartoon villain when you were growing up?
“I didn’t watch cartoons when I was little, I just played soccer. I didn’t play legos or read comic books, either.”

You had to do something other than soccer when you were a kid…
“I played basketball, water polo, and tennis.”

Can you dunk?
“Yes, I can dunk. I can do a two-handed reverse dunk, but that was before my knee surgery.”

If you could play any NBA player one-on-one, who would it be?
“I wouldn’t play any basketball player, I would get smoked. It would probably be Gary Payton or Shawn Kemp because they played for the Seattle Supersonics in the glory days. I watched them growing up and in ‘97 I went to the finals when they lost to the Bulls. I refuse to admit that Oklahoma City has a team.”

What was your favorite children’s book?
“Curious George, all of them, because my name is George and my mom always bought them for me and I loved them.”

Give us some of the nicknames you’ve collected over the years…
“In college I had quite a few, I don’t know if want to tell you. I was called ‘Sasquatch’ by a couple heckling fans so ever since then I have been called ‘Sasquatch’ by my team. Also, I’ve been called ‘Caveman’, ‘Bambi’, ‘Gumbi’ and some other ones that came to me in college. Here they call me ‘John John’.”

Even though your name is quite simple, many seem to get confused by it. Why is that?
“I think the confusion comes with the middle name. My full name is George John John. George is a more common last name than John so people often call me John.”

Tell us something that nobody knows about you…
“I am a national champion in Greek dancing. Growing up in the Greek Orthodox Church in Seattle they have things that teach you about Greek culture, and Greek dancing is one of them, and you learn historical dances. Once a year there is a big competition at the San Francisco Diocese where all the churches that have dance groups compete according to age groups. I’ve been going all through college. It’s a good time to meet other Greek Americans on the west coast.

Ok, we definitely weren’t expecting that. Tell us more…
The groups can range in age from 5 to 30. It depends on how many kids in the local area want to do it. There are guys’ dances, girls’ dances, and co-ed. You do dances from different regions, and each region has its own dances. You put together a group of dances from a region and perform a suite and you get judged. It’s very competitive. I say national championship because it’s the only competition of its kind until recent years, but I’ve won first place numerous times. I’m retired for the time being.”

What are some of your off-the-field interests?
“School. I would like to get my degree, it’s very important to me. I had to withdraw from classes early (to join FCD). I have two quarters left. Right now, I am exploring many avenues for that. One of them is going to a community college another is taking satellite classes from the University of Washington with professors from there and doing papers.”

So how many credits do you have left and what are you studying?
“I have 29 credits left, and I am at senior status. I am a marketing major…I wanted to do international business but I didn’t have time to study abroad.”

If you weren’t playing soccer professionally, what would you be doing?
“I would be getting my degree, probably going to law school. I would open a restaurant but the economy is too bad, and I would travel a lot. My dad is a lawyer, he’s always encouraged me to go into law. Not just to be a lawyer, but to have that education under your belt because it’s very helpful in no matter what you do.”

What kind of restaurant would you open?
“It would probably be a sandwich place, like a world variety of sandwiches.”

Being a rookie, which of your teammates picks on you the most?
“No comment. It’s probably equal from all players.”

Which player has been the most positive influence?
“I would probably say Drew Moor, He’s very approachable. He helped me a lot last game and I feel comfortable with him whenever I’m a little confused. (Aaron) Pitch(kolan) also helps me on the practice field because we play next to each other a lot and he helps me out quite a bit.

What’s your most embarrassing moment?
Editor’s note: George did not get to answer this question due to Dax McCarty, Blake Wagner, Dave van den Bergh and Aaron Pitchkolan interrupting the interview to make fun of George for several minutes. Needless to say, this is where the Q&A ends…

FCD 1, Toronto FC 1

UPDATE (Post-Game): FC Dallas found itself down 1-0 to Toronto FC at the half, but fought back to even the score with just three minutes to play, ending the team's three-game losing streak. As one of the writers here in Toronto said after the game, "everyone up in the press box had their stories written, but they had to rip everything up when Pablo Ricchetti scored."

After pounding on Toronto FC's door constantly throughout the game (19 shots to Toronto's 10), Ricchetti's back-heel goal in the 87th minute helped Dallas earn its first point of the season and extend FCD's unbeaten streak to four games against Toronto FC. Dallas will have the opportunity to extend that streak further next Sunday when the two teams meet again at PHP. Some notes from the game...

• FC Dallas is now 0-3-1 on the season, 2-1-2 all-time against Toronto FC, and 1-1-1 at BMO Field.
• FCD is unbeaten in four straight games against Toronto, with the lone loss coming in the first-ever meeting on June 17, 2007 at BMO Field.
• Pablo Ricchetti’s game-tying goal with three minutes to play was his first career goal in MLS since entering the league in 2007.
• Ricchetti’s goal was the first scored by Dallas in the second half this season.
• Eric Avila assisted on the score, his first assist of the year and third of his career.
• Dallas started the same 11 as in last week’s game at New England, marking the first time this season that the team has used the same starting lineup in back-to-back games.
• This was the first game during the 2009 season in which Dallas was behind at halftime.
• It was also the first game in which FCD held its opponent scoreless in the second half.
• FC Dallas today wore its road blue-and-white-striped jerseys for the first time this season.
• Goalkeeper Dario Sala (left knee) and defender Marcelo Saragosa (right knee) missed their third and fourth consecutive games, respectively, after both recently underwent knee surgery. Defender Steve Purdy missed his second straight game with a strained right hamstring.
• BMO Field attendance was 20,272.
• A full recap is available at http://www.fcdallas.com/.
• FC Dallas returns home to close out the 2009 series with Toronto FC in just eight days -- next Sunday, April 19 at Pizza Hut Park (6 p.m. CT live on FSN SW).

Juniors Fall in Semis

The FC Dallas Juniors U-18s today lost 1-0 to the Dallas Texans in the Dallas Cup U-19 group semifinals, ending their tournament run. The Texans will face Solar SC in the group final on the Pizza Hut Park stadium field Sunday morning at 3 p.m. CT. Check dallascup.com for full schedule / results.

FCD Juniors U-18s Advance to Semifinals

The FC Dallas Juniors U-18s today defeated NV Fusion 3-2 in overtime to advance to the Dallas Cup U-19 group semifinals (goals by Jesse Gamino, Matt Bonano and Cody Adams). The team will now face the Dallas Texans U-18 in the semifinal match on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. on Pizza Hut Park Field 8. Unfortunately, the U-16 Juniors team fell 3-1 to Chicago Magic / AS Monaco Academy, ending their Dallas Cup run (goal by Ruben Luna).

The Dallas Texans are a familiar opponent for the the Juniors U-18s. The two teams have met twice in the current US Soccer Development Academy season, playing to a 2-2 draw in the first meeting back in October 2008 and tying 1-1 in November.

The other Dallas Cup semifinal game will be played between Miami FC-Kendall and Solar SC on PHP Field 4, also at 10 a.m. Should the Juniors advance, the U-19 championship game is set for Sunday, April 12 at 3 p.m. on the PHP stadium field. Visit dallascup.com for full schedule / results.

Hitting the Road

FC Dallas hits the road for the second straight game, this time visiting Toronto FC on Saturday, April 11. Fans here in Dallas can catch the game live at 3 p.m. CT on KFWD-52, with Brad Sham on play-by-play and Bobby Rhine providing color commentary.

You can also join other FCD fans at one of two watching parties: Lochrann's Irish Pub & Eatery in Frisco (map) and Trinity Hall Irish Pub & Restaurant in Dallas (map). Injured goalkeeper Dario Sala will be at Lochrann's for the watching party, and Rhine will head over to Trinity Hall after the game.

The game will mark Jeff Cunningham's first visit to BMO Field since joining FCD last August, and the first time Dallas will face former FCD defender Adrian Serioux since trading him to TFC before the start of the season. Want to read more details on the FCD-Toronto match-up? Then click here to read the game notes and download the full game guide.

Toronto Prep

Because Toronto FC's BMO Field has an artificial turf surface, FC Dallas practiced this morning on Pizza Hut Park Field 2 just as the team did last week in preparation for the game at New England. FCD will be on Field 2 again Friday morning (9 a.m.) before departing for the airport to catch a 1:40 p.m. flight to Toronto. Note: Friday's practice was originally scheduled to start at 10 a.m. but was moved up one hour to give the players more time to shower and eat lunch before stepping on the bus. And now for some misc. notes from today...

• GM Michael Hitchcock today met with officials from River Plate on details for a potential partnership between FCD and the Argentine club.
• Andre Rocha, who sat out Wednesday's practice with a sore right foot, returned to the practice field today.
• Daniel Torres and Steve Purdy worked with the training staff on the adidas Field, along with Marcelo Saragosa.
• Goalkeeper Dario Sala (right) came out to the practice field (for the first time since knee surgery) to work with GK coach Drew Keeshan and the trainers on some light, low-impact exercises.
  

Juniors Advance to Dallas Cup Quarterfinals

Both FC Dallas Juniors teams advanced to the Dallas Cup quarterfinals with wins last night. Down 3-0 to West Coast FC at halftime, the U-16s fought back to win 4-3 behind two goals from Ruben Luna and one each from Jonathan Top and Scott Sprick. Meanwhile, the U-18s cruised to a 4-0 victory over USA Soccer Europe with a hat trick from Matt Bonano and a goal from Damian Rosales.

The quarterfinal matches will take place this Friday, April 10 at Pizza Hut Park, with the U-18s taking on NV Fusion (11 am on Field 8) and the U-16s facing Chicago Magic / AS Monaco Academy (1:30 pm on Field 6).

In other Dallas Cup action, the FCD Youth 96 team fell to San Diego Surf 2-0; FCD Youth 95 tied Albion White 1-1; the 93 team defeated San Diego Gold 1-0; and FCD Youth 92 Blue defeated San Diego Gold 2-1. The Juniors teams will be the lone FCD representatives in the quarterfinals.

Alvaro Sanchez Hits the Field

New addition to the squad Alvaro Sanchez today participated in his first practice as a member of FC Dallas, but you won't hear his teammates calling him Alvaro or even Sanchez out on the field. He instead prefers that everyone call him "Tom." Sure, it may throw you off a bit at first to hear that a Costa Rican player who speaks little to no English would rather you call him by a name such as Tom, but it's actually a nickname he has held for much of his life.

The short story is that while growing up in Costa Rica, Sanchez used to watch a cartoon called Super Campeones (an imported Japanese cartoon by the name of Captain Tsubasa). He watched it so much that his family and friends began referring to him by the name of one of the show's characters, and it just stuck. So there you have it. FCD fans, welcome Tom Sanchez, the final player on the team's 24-man roster.

MyFCDallas.com Launched

Today, we officially launched MyFCDallas.com, the team's official free-access social networking site. Similar to FaceBook, MyFCDallas.com is an online community that gives FCD fans the opportunity to communicate with other fans, FCD players, and front office employees. Drew Moor is one of four FCD players (Pablo Ricchetti, Daniel Torres, and Brek Shea are the others) that have committed to providing regular personal updates throughout the season, and he will participate in a live chat with MyFCDallas.com members tomorrow (Thurs. April 9 at 1 p.m.).

FCD Dallas Cup Update (Day 2)

The FC Dallas Juniors teams followed up Dallas Cup opening day wins with victories on Day 2 of the tournament last night. The U-16s defeated the Heroes of Huntsville 2-1 with goals from Ruben Luna and Jonathon Top. The U-18 team won 3-1 over IMG Soccer Academy behind two scores from Jesse Gamino and one from Matt Bonano. After two games in the tournament, Luna leads the U-16s with four goals, and Gamino leads the U-18s with three.

The remaining four FCD teams in the tournament did not fare as well last night. FC Dallas Youth 96 tied Vardar Ann Arbor Black 1-1. FCD Youth 95 lost 1-0 to Concorde Fire South Elite. The FCD Youth 93 team fell to Club Morumbi 3-1, and FCD Youth 92 Blue were defeated by the Dallas Texans Red-Houston 2-1.

FC Dallas teams get a break today before returning to the field on Wednesday to close out their preliminary round games. The full FCD Youth Dallas Cup schedule can be found here. Check DallasCup.com for a complete list of results.

Dax McCarty on NCAA Championship

Fourth-year midfielder Dax McCarty played two years at the University of North Carolina before being selected by FCD with the 6^th overall pick in the 2006 SuperDraft. Needless to say, Dax is a big-time UNC sports fan and will be watching closely as his school plays in the NCAA basketball National Championship game tonight. Allow us to switch gears slightly to get Dax’s thoughts on UNC’s chances…

So Dax, what do you think about your Tar Heels playing in the National Championship Game tonight?

“Obviously very excited, I am very excited to see the Tar Heels in the Championship Game. The last time they were here, they won it all in 2005, which was my sophomore year there. That was a very exciting time, obviously Michigan State is going to be a tough opponent, but I’m hoping we can pull out another victory tonight.”

With the game in Detroit, it’s almost like a home game for Michigan State. How much of a disadvantage is that for UNC?

“That’s good, the more pressure the better. I think our guys have been playing really well through the entire tournament. I’ve tried to watch every game this year. They’re playing really good basketball right know. I’m sure every Tar Heel knows it’s going to be a tough game but I am really looking forward to it and I hope that they win."

What are your plans for the game?

“I’m not sure. I’ll probably get together with some friends, make sure that I’m wearing all of the Tar Heel attire that I own, and root these guys on to victory!"

None of your teammates went to Michigan State but they’ve all been talking trash to you, especially since you’re wearing a UNC t-shirt today…

“They do, they’re jealous. Their schools don’t do very well in basketball. No one can really compare. Ray [Burse] likes to claim every other school that does well so I’m sure that he’ll be claiming Michigan State tonight. It’s tough when you go to a school that isn’t as strong perennially at basketball as North Carolina. So it’s tough for those guys but I think we will all have fun with it.”

How do you plan to handle yourself amongst your teammates if North Carolina loses tonight?

“I’m gonna have my head phones on and block out any ambient noise and hope that none of the guys watched the game. But I have confidence, so I don’t think that will happen. Go Tar Heels!”

Sanchez Arrives Today

Costa Rican international Alvaro Sanchez will arrive in Dallas today at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday is a day off for the team, but the forward / midfielder will be in tomorrow to get his physical completed. If all goes as planned, he should be on the field for practice Wednesday morning. And now for some notes from today....

• The team was split up today -- starters from Sat. night went to MJPC while the rest of the team practiced on the adidas Field. Kenny Cooper practiced at PHP instead of joining the recovery group at MJPC.
• Marcelo Saragosa did some ball work with the training staff off to the side. In addition to passing and dribbling, but he was also doing some sharp cuts.
• Daniel Torres and Steve Purdy, who both have right hamstring injuries that kept them out of Saturday's game, did not practice today. Neither did Andre Rocha, who picked up a knock to his right foot at New England. All three will be listed as "questionable" in Tuesday's injury report to the league.
  
• After practice, nutritionist Eve Pearson Rodgers met with the team to discuss how she plans to work with everyone this season and what the overall focus should be for each player. She'll be in throughout the year to work with players on a individual basis on personal goals such as weight loss / gain, increased endurance, muscle gain, etc.
• As mentioned above, Tuesday is the team's day off this week. The rest of this week's schedule can be found to the right.

Juniors Teams Open Dallas Cup with Big Wins

The FC Dallas Juniors teams got off to a good start in Dallas Cup, which kicked off at Pizza Hut Park on Sunday. The U-16 team defeated Canada's Woodbridge Strikers 7-0 with goals coming from Ruben Luna (3), Danny Garcia, Bryan Leyva, Jonathon Top, and Jacob Gerondale. The U-18s won 5-2 over Toronto Lynx with two goals from Josh Hernandez, and one goal each from Bradlee Baladez, London Woodberry, and Jesse Gamino. Both teams are back in action tonight at PHP with the U-16s facing Heroes Huntsville (Alabama) on Field 4 at 4 pm, and the U-18 team meeting IMG Soccer Academy on Field 14 at 6 pm.

In addtion, the FCD Youth 95 team defeated Ravens Wood School (England) 2-0 and the FCD Youth 96 boys shut out Crew Alexandra FC (England) by the same score (both games played at Richland College). FCDY 93 tied LAC St-Louis Lakers 1-1 and FCDY 92 fell to Club Futbol Monterrey 3-1. With all six teams FCD Youth teams playing on opening day, the club posted a 4-1-1 record. Not a bad day for our boys! Check out the full FCD Youth Dallas Cup schedule here and visit dallascup.com for full list of tournament results.

FCD 1, New England 2

UPDATE (Post-game): Kenny Cooper's second goal of the season (assisted by Dave van den Bergh) gave FCD a 1-0 lead at halftime, but NE's Sainey Nyassi erased the lead 10 minutes into the second half and the Revolution got the go-ahead goal on a PK in the 80th. After bringing Jeff Cunningham on for Cooper in the 73rd, Dallas continued to push down the stretch by putting a fifth midfielder on the field in Eric Avila with two minutes left in regulation. But, the team was unable to get the equalizer and fell 2-1.

FCD's goal started on the right side of the field when Michael Dello-Russo made an overlapping run around Andre Rocha. After receiving the ball from Rocha, Dello-Russo sent a cross which ended up outside the box on the opposite side of the field. Van den Bergh collected and then found Cooper inside the six-yard box with a low hard ball, and all Cooper had to do was tap it in.

In the 56th minute, Nyassi cut in from the right side and fired a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area to tie the game up. Then, in the 80th minute FCD rookie defender George John was whistled for a foul inside the box, and Steve Ralston converted the ensuing PK. Tough break for the team after clearly dominating the first half of play. What did you think of the PK call? What about the changes made to FCD the starting lineup?

We're In Braintree

Good morning from the Sheraton in Braintree, MA. We landed at Boston Logan airport last night at 8 pm ET, waited a little longer than usual for our bags to come out on the carousel, and then hopped on the team bus that got us to the hotel just before 9 pm.

Most of the travel group hadn't eaten since the 1 pm CT lunch in the locker room, so just minutes after checking in many were seen back in the lobby preparing to go grab some dinner. There's a TGI Friday's attached to the hotel but the staff decided instead to check out the mall across the street for dining options, and landed at Joes' American Bar & Grill (the grilled pizza was excellent). It turns out some of the players decided to get away from the hotel too as Dax McCarty, Dave van den Bergh, Pablo Ricchetti and Aaron Pitchkolan also dined at Joe's.

You're probably wondering what the travel party looks like since defender Steve Purdy (right hamstring) was listed as "doubtful" on Tuesday. Well, Purdy was unable to practice the rest of the week and was downgraded to "out" yesterday. On another note, defender Daniel Torres (also right hamstring) was added to the injury list but his status is "probable" (full injury list). So, here are the 18 players available for tonight's game...

Travel Party: Ray Burse, Josh Lambo, Drew Moor, Daniel Torres, Blake Wagner, Michael Dello-Russo, Aaron Pitchkolan, George John, Pablo Ricchetti, Dave van den Bergh, David Ferreira, Dax McCarty, Andre Rocha, Eric Avila, Peri Marosevic, Bruno Guarda, Jeff Cunningham, Peri Marosevic Kenny Cooper (excuse the typo).

Sanchez Signing Official

Two weeks ago, we announced that FCD had agreed to terms with Costa Rican international Alvaro Sanchez. Today the signing became official as Sanchez has been approved for his P-1 visa. He is expected to arrive in Dallas next week and will be available to play in a regular season game once his international transfer certificate is received. The 24-year-old forward/midfielder becomes the final player on the team's 24-man roster.

Watching Parties: FCD at New England

Saturday night's game at the New England Revolution (6:30 p.m. CT live on KFWD-52) is FCD's first road game of the regular season. This year, fans can gather together at two locations for official FCD away game watching parties: Lochrann's Irish Pub & Eatery in Frisco (map) and Trinity Hall Irish Pub & Restaurant in Dallas (map). Where will you be watching the game?

FCD Youth in Dallas Cup

Looking to get your FC Dallas fix while the first team is in New England this weekend? Six FC Dallas Youth teams including the Juniors U-16 and U-18 squads will participate in the 2009 Dr Pepper Dallas Cup, which kicks off at Pizza Hut Park this Sunday, April 5. Four of the six FCD teams will be in action at PHP on Sunday, with both Juniors teams playing at noon. The U-16s will face Canada’s Woodbridge Strikers on Field 12, and the U-18s will square off against the Toronto Lynx Juniors on Field 6. Click here to read the full press release and see the complete FCD Youth teams Dallas Cup schedule.

All of the tournament's championship matches will take place on the Pizza Hut Park Stadium Field: the championships for the U-13 to U-15 age groups will take place on April 11 and the championship games for the U-16 through Super Group brackets will be played on April 12. The full tournament schedule and brackets can be found at http://www.dallascup.com/.

What Happened?!?!

We've experienced many times how quickly the Texas weather can affect FCD practices, but today was easily one of the quickest and most drastic changes seen at PHP. We shot the team photo this morning at 10:30 am on the PHP stadium field, for which the weather was absolutely beautiful with gorgeous sun and temps in the low 60s.

But once training started 30 minutes later on Field 2, a cold front quickly rushed through bringing 40-50 mph gusts and made it feel about 15 degrees cooler than the actual temps in the low 50s. The gusts were so strong that balls played straight up the field would get caught up in the wind and veer immediately to the east, the direction in which the wind was traveling (check out the swaying football goalposts as a result of the wind in the photo to the left). After about an hour, the conditions proved to be too tough to practice through, as Schellas decided to call it a day.

We know the guys are always ready to practice in any conditions, but for this blogger's sake, we hope the weather is a little nicer for Friday's 10 a.m. training session.

Schellas on Jim Benedek

The Dallas soccer community lost a legend Monday morning, when Jim Benedek passed away after a long battle with cancer. Benedek immigrated to the United States from Hungary in 1963 and became an All-American soccer player at Ithaca University in 1965. He would later play for the U.S. Men's National Team and for six years in the North American Soccer League, winning the 1971 NASL championship as a member of the Dallas Tornado. In 1974, Benedek became the first SMU varsity soccer coach, where he remained until 1984. FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman replaced Benedek at SMU in 1984 and had this to say:

“Jim was a great guy and a good friend. He was a colleague when I was starting my coaching at Eastern Illinois University. He had established a good program at SMU and we stayed friends and both worked on NSCAA All-American committees. When Jim decided to leave SMU, I was one of the people he encouraged to look into the position. As I took the job at SMU, they were very difficult shoes to fill because he did so much for SMU soccer. He established it and it became nationally recognized as a strong area for collegiate soccer. He will be terribly missed. I give my condolences to his family and his friends.”

Video: FCD at NE Preview

Head Coach Schellas Hyndman and midfielder Dave van den Bergh give their thoughts on visiting the New England Revolution this Saturday night at Gillette Stadium (6:30 p.m. CT live on KFWD-52). The team will hold one final practice at PHP on Friday morning at 10 a.m. before catching a 3 p.m. flight to New England.

United States vs. Trinidad & Tobago

The U.S. Men's National Team is back in action tonight, a World Cup Qualifier vs. Trinidad & Tobago at LP Field in Nashville (6:30 p.m. CT live on ESPN2). After two games, the United States leads its group with four points and T&T is tied for fourth (with El Salvador) with two points.

While out at FCD's training today, GM Michael Hitchcock made a friendly game wager over the phone with Dexter Skeene, who is CEO of the TT Pro League, one of Dallas' international partners. Skeene will visit PHP next week when two T&T Youth teams participate in Dallas Cup, and if the U.S. wins by two or more goals tonight, the former T&T national team striker will have to take Hitchcock out to dinner at the restaurant of his choice. If the U.S. wins by one, ties or loses tonight's game, Hitchcock will have to take Skeene out.

No matter the outcome, it will certainly benefit the relationship between FCD and the Pro League, as Hitchcock and Skeene plan to discuss how to grow the partnership.

On the Turf

FCD's upcoming two-game road swing will include back-to-back games on artificial turf, beginning this Saturday at New England's Gillette Stadium and continuing next weekend at Toronto's BMO Field. In order to familiarize the team with playing on an artificial surface Schellas Hyndman decided to hold today's practice on Field 2 here at Pizza Hut Park, also known as Dr. Pink Field. Field 2 sports a synthetic SprintTurf surface similar to what FCD will see at Gillette and BMO, and Hyndman said he plans to take full advantage of practicing on the artificial turf as much as possible this week and next.

Schellas to Appear on WSD

It would have been a good April Fool's joke when we posted last Thursday that Schellas Hyndman was set to appear on Sirius / XM satellite radio show "World Soccer Daily" that day only to have him not appear due to a last-minute conflict on the show's part. Except for the fact that it wasn't a joke.

Ok, maybe it wouldn't have been that great of an April Fool's gag but there's definitely no joke involved here: Schellas' appearance on WSD has been rescheduled for today at 12:15 p.m. CT, which will basically be right after he steps off the training field.

Among the topics to be discussed are FCD's offseason moves, the team's start to the season, and a look at the upcoming schedule. The show, which is hosted by Steven Cohen (Fox Football Fone-In) and Kenny Hassan, can be heard live on Sirius / XM channel 125 and at worldsoccerdaily.com (podcast also available for download) weekdays from Noon-2 p.m. CT.