FCD 3, Chicago Fire 0

FC Dallas (2-6-3, 9 pts) shuts out the Chicago Fire (5-1-6, 21 pts) 3-0 at Toyota Park behind Jeff Cunningham's 15th minute header off a Dave van den Bergh corner kick, an own-goal surrendered by Chicago's CJ Brown 20 minutes later, and a Kenny Cooper free kick in the 80th. In defeating who had been the league's lone undefeated team, FCD extends its unbeaten streak to three games and ends the team's three-game road losing streak.

The boys received great road support from Dallas fans who made the trip with the Brimstone Cup in hand. After the game, many of the players hoisted the trophy and posed together for fan pics before heading into the locker room. We also hear that the atmosphere at Trinity Hall back in Dallas was great, and all of the players certainly appreciate the love. A full recap can be found at FCDallas.com. Game notes below...

• With the win, FC Dallas improves to (2-6-3, 9 pts) and gives the Chicago Fire (5-1-6, 21 pts) its first loss of the season. Chicago was the lone undefeated team in Major League Soccer.
• The win extends FCD’s unbeaten streak to three games and puts an end to the team’s three-game road losing streak.
• Dallas remains unbeaten at Toyota Park, having won all four games at the stadium since it opened in 2006, outscoring Chicago 12-4 over that span.
• FCD is now 18-11-2 all-time versus the Chicago Fire and 7-8-1 in Chicago.
• The win evens the season series between the clubs at one win each, which means Dallas will hold the Brimstone Cup for an eighth consecutive season, pending a meeting in this year’s MLS Cup Playoffs.
• The Brimstone Cup is the trophy awarded to the supporters of the club that wins the season series. In the event of a tie during the regular season, the series winner is determined by either a U.S. Open Cup or playoff meeting.
• It was FC Dallas’ first shutout of the season and the third career clean sheet for goalkeeper Ray Burse.
• The team has now held its opponents scoreless in the second half of each of the last three games, bringing the team’s 2009 record to 1-0-3 when doing so.
• Jeff Cunningham’s first goal of the season, a header off a Dave van den Bergh corner kick, extends his league-leading goal total versus Chicago to 19 in 30 career games against the Fire. It was the 105th goal of Cunningham’s career.
• The set-up was van den Bergh’s team-high fourth assist of the year, his third on corner kicks. The Dutch midfielder is now two behind Houston’s Brad Davis, who leads the league with six assists.
• Cunningham, now in his 12th MLS season, today made his 298th career regular season appearance, tying him for ninth on the league’s all-time list with New England’s Jay Heaps. Additionally, it was his 198th career start.
• Dax McCarty set up the second Dallas goal when his free kick from 40 yards out bounced off Fire defender C.J. Brown directly into the net.
• Kenny Cooper added a goal in the 80th minute, a free kick from 25 yards out. Cooper now has five on the season and is in a tie for second in the league behind four players who have six goals each.
• Team captain and regular holding midfielder Pablo Ricchetti started as one of two central defenders. Dax McCarty got the start in the holding midfield role.
• Alvaro Sanchez today made his first-career MLS start on the right side of the midfield.
• Twenty-year-old Anthony Wallace started on the left side of the back line, his first start of the season. It was the sixth start of his career.
• Four Dallas players have now started all 11 regular season games: Cooper, van den Bergh, David Ferreira, and Drew Moor. Moor and Ferreira are the only two remaining to have played every minute this year.
• Cooper tonight started his 43rd consecutive regular season game dating back to the 2007 season, equaling the league’s all-time mark for starts at that position, shared by Taylor Twellman (2005-2007) and Alejandro Moreno (2007-2008).
• Five Dallas players missed tonight’s game due to injury: goalkeeper Dario Sala (L knee), midfielders Bruno Guarda (right ankle) and Andre Rocha (illness), and defenders Steve Purdy (right knee) and George John (right hamstring).
• In addition, midfielder Marcelo Saragosa missed the match while serving a one-game red card suspension.
• Head coach Schellas Hyndman was sent off in the 80th minute.
• FC Dallas returns to Texas tonight to begin preparing for next week’s home game versus the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday, June 7 (2 p.m. CT live on TeleFutura and KFWD-52).

Brimstone Cup Matchup

FC Dallas (1-6-3, 6 pts) is in the Windy City for this afternoon's game against the Chicago Fire (5-0-6, 21 pts), the league's only undefeated team. Today's match will air live at 2 p.m. CT, locally on KFWD-52 (Brad Sham and Bobby Rhine with the call) and nationally on TeleFutura. FCD fans can check out the game together at Trinity Hall in Dallas, the official away game watching party location.

• This will be the second and final regular season meeting between FCD and Chicago, who play for the Brimstone Cup, the trophy awarded to the supporters of the club that wins the season series.
• The Fire claimed the first match at PHP (March 21) by the score of 3-1, so a Dallas win is necessary if the team is to retain the Brimstone Cup for an eighth straight year (when the regular season series is tied the competition is decided by a U.S. Open Cup match or playoff game).
• History is on FCD's side, as the team is a perfect 3-0 at Toyota Park since the stadium opened in 2006, including a 4-1 win last September. Coincidentally, that was the last time the Fire suffered a home defeat, going unbeaten in their last seven games at Toyota Park.
• Dallas is unbeaten over the last two (consecutive 1-1 draws) and looks to put an end to a three-game road losing streak. The Fire have won three straight, but tied five straight games prior to that streak.
• FC Dallas will be without Marcelo Saragosa after the midfielder received a red card in last week's 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy. The Fire will be missing team assists leader Cuahtemoc Blanco (5 assists), who has reported for Mexican national team duty.
• To find out more about today's matchup while you're sipping your morning coffee, read the game preview at FCDallas.com, where you can also download the full game guide.

Juniors Win Final Reg. Season Games

The FC Dallas Juniors teams posted wins over Empire United in their final U.S. Soccer Development Academy League regular season games Saturday afternoon. The U-16s defeated the New York club 3-2 behind scoring from Bryan Leyva (2) and Daniel Premenko. The U-18s won 5-2, goals coming from London Woodberry (2), Bradlee Baladez, Noel Luna, and Victor Ulloa.

Now that the regular season has concluded, FCD will prepare for the playoffs (June 26-29 in Greensboro, NC - schedule TBD) with a home and home friendly series against the Houston Dynamo on June 13 (PHP) and away on June 20. In addition to the clubs' U-18 and U-16 teams facing each other, the U-14 teams will also play.

Closing out the Week

FCD hit the practice field this morning in preparation for a Brimstone Cup matchup versus the Eastern Conference leading Chicago Fire, who are coming off a physical 3-2 road victory at Chivas USA last night. For most of today's practice, the team worked in a full-field scrimmage before ending around 11:45 a.m. As has been the case each day this week, the players broke off to work on specific areas of their games for about 30 minutes before heading into the locker room.

Brek Shea, Peri Marosevic, Anthony Wallace, and Eric Avila all worked on their finishing, with Josh Lambo in goal. At the same time, Dax McCarty, Kenny Cooper, and Alvaro Sanchez practiced free kicks, bending their attempts over and around a trio of dummies at the top of the penalty box. Kyle Davies worked on quick one touches back and forth with Marco Ferruzzi. When Brek finished his individual work, he brought his 9-month-old Siberian husky, Kira, inside the fence for a few minutes.

News & Notes:

• Pablo Ricchetti returned to practice with team for the first time this week, with a wrap around the left calf that had kept him out for the past few days.


• George John continued his rehab on the sidelines, working on explosive plyometrics and making quick turns with the ball. He will remain listed as "out" on today's updated injury report to the league.


• Bruno Guarda (right ankle) and Andre Rocha (illness) remained inside. Bruno will also be listed as "out" with Rocha "doubtful."


• The team will train at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday before departing for Chicago in the afternoon.


• On a miscellaneous note: Back in March, FCD hosted a bone marrow drive for Marcia Williams, the wife of Real Salt Lake midfielder, Andy Williams. While a bone marrow match was not found through that drive, we are pleased to read that doctors have located a promising match of umbilical cord blood, which could end up saving Marcia's life.
  

Preview: FC Dallas at Chicago Fire

FCD TV spoke to head coach Schellas Hyndman (English) and defender Daniel Torres (English / Spanish) about visiting the Chicago Fire on Sunday. Among the topics covered are building on the team's recent results and facing a Chicago side that may be tired after taking on Chivas USA tonight in LA. 

English:

Spanish:

Prep Continues

After a 20-minute warm-up, the team began 6 v 6 drills this morning, similar to the previous two days of practice. Shortly thereafter, an additional player was added for 7 v 7 and then the field was extended for 8 v 8, before practice ended at 11:30 a.m.

At that point, the players broke off for some additional work in smaller groups. Assistant coach Marco Feruzzi ran Alvaro "Tom" Sanchez, Marcelo Saragosa and Daniel Torres through some short one-touch passing and volley exercises, and the forwards continued their work on finishing crosses while the goalkeepers did some cool-down runs.

Notes:

• Although he did not participate in team drills, Pablo Ricchetti did make his first appearance outside this week, taking part in free kicks around dummy equipment.
• George John ran extensively and practiced passing and shooting with the training staff.
• Bruno Guarda made a brief appearance outside, but did not participate in drills.
• Andre Rocha remained inside due to illness for a second straight day.
• Joining the team in practice today was Lucas Dos Santos Oliveira, a 17-year-old from Porto Alegre, Brazil, who has been training a few days a week with the FCD Juniors teams recently.
• Anthony Wallace and Peri Marosevic will return from U.S. U-20 camp tonight, and both are expected to train with FCD on Friday morning. Both players came on as second-half subs in the United States' 3-3 draw with Costa Rica on Wednesday, with Peri again involved on one of the goals.

June 2 Scrimmage

FC Dallas has added another scrimmage to the schedule. This time the team will face the West Texas United Sockers on Tuesday, June 2 on PHP Field 4 at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be open to the public.

The WTU Sockers are a PDL team out of Midland, playing in the Mid-South Division along with the DFW Tornados and Laredo Heat, among others. Dallas hosted the Tornados on May 18, a 4-0 win.

Dallas Soccer Tribute Match

To honor all past professional soccer players who have represented the Dallas Tornado, Dallas Sidekicks and Dallas Burn / FC Dallas, the team will hold the inaugural Dallas Soccer Tribute Match at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday, June 13, prior FCD game versus Houston Dynamo (7:30 p.m. CT live on Fox Soccer Channel).

The Tribute Match will be played in two 25-minute halves, kicking off at 5:15 p.m. Among those scheduled to play include Zequinha and Bobby Moffat (Dallas Tornado); David Doyle and Terry Woodberry (Dallas Sidekicks); Oscar Pareja, Jorge “Zarco” Rodriguez, Chad Deering and Bobby Rhine (Dallas Burn / FC Dallas). Additional players will be announced on FCDallas.com as the date draws closer.

Quick Session

Wednesday morning's training session was short and sweet, ending just before 11:30 a.m. To kick off the session, groups of four practiced quick passes to one another while goalkeepers Ray Burse and Josh Lambo worked with Drew Keeshan to close in on shooters. From there, the team went through a ball possession exercise with the goal of stringing together 10 passes for a score.

For the final hour of training, Schellas Hyndman revisited yesterday's half-field small-sided game, but added one additional player per side to make it 6 v 6 plus keepers. At the culmination of the 6 v 6 drill, the players were free to grab some extra work on their own. Brek Shea worked with Keeshan on first touches and finishing inside the box, and later joined Kenny Cooper and his younger brother Joe for finishing work. David Ferreira and Marcelo Saragosa did some cone plyometric work.

Back in Session

After having Sunday and Monday off, FCD returned to the training pitch Tuesday morning for a full practice session. The coaching staff first ran the team through a possession drill while the goalkeepers warmed up separately with GK coach Drew Keeshan on stopping shots within 15 yards.

The bulk of today's training was spent in a 5 v 5 drill plus keepers on the south half of the field. With one goal at midfield and the other in its regular place, the field was narrowed to about 30 yards wide, which kept the pace of the game at a high level throughout.

The structured portion of training ended just before noon, and at that time, the team broke off into smaller groups for extra work. Most of the guys worked on crossing and finishing, with Drew Keeshan in the net. At the same time, David Ferreira, Marcelo Saragosa, Alvaro "Tom" Sanchez and Eric Avila did some explosive plyometric work on the opposite end.

Although he did not participate in full training, defender George John did work out with the training staff outside for the first time since suffering a right hamstring injury against Seattle on May 16. George first participated in cone work just off the sidelines for about 30 minutes before jogging around the field to finish.

Neither Bruno Guarda (right ankle) nor Pablo Ricchetti (right calf) were unable to train due to knocks picked up on Saturday, but Schellas Hyndman was optimistic about their return this weekend when speaking with the media following training. Also inside today: Dario Sala (left knee) and Steve Purdy (right knee), both of whom have not seen the field in several weeks.

Update on the U-20s

Kyle Davies, Anthony Wallace and Peri Marosevic missed today's training session while away at U.S. U-20 camp in Sarasota, FL. The U.S. squad defeated Costa Rica's U-20s yesterday 2-1, with all three Dallas players starting and playing the full 90.

Davies wore the captain's armband and played in central defense with Wallace as the left back. Peri was dangerous as a striker, and was even involved on the team's first goal. It was his 20-yard shot that forced the Costa Rican keeper to give up a rebound to Michael Stephens, who then tapped it into the net.

Kyle returns to Dallas today and will rejoin FCD in training on Wednesday. Wallace and Peri will remain in U.S. camp for the duration (through Thursday).
The U-20 team will face Costa Rica again tomorrow, May 27.

Memorial Day

Hope everyone is enjoying the Memorial Day holiday. The front office is closed in observance and the team is off as well. FCD will be back on the training field on Tuesday morning to begin preparing for Sunday's game at Chicago. Since there is nothing to report today, we'll leave you with this video we put together of the FC Dallas Dancers photo shoot...just for fun.

FC Dallas Dancers: Photo shoot from FC Dallas on Vimeo.

FCD 1, LA Galaxy 1

UPDATE (Post-game): For the second week in a row, FC Dallas goes down a goal early but fights back to draw 1-1, bringing the team's record to 1-6-3 (6 pts) on the season. Landon Donovan struck first, redirecting an Eddie Lewis Cross just three minutes into tonight's contest and Dallas suffered another setback in the 26th minute when Marcelo Saragosa was sent off for a push to Lewis' head. But, the team was able to equalize five minutes later on Drew Moor's header off a Dave van den Bergh corner kick. It was Drew's second goal of the year, coming fittingly in his 100th career Dallas start. Visit FCDallas.com for a full recap of tonight's game. Check below for post-game comments from head coach Schellas Hyndman as well as game notes.



Game notes:

• FC Dallas tonight posted its second consecutive 1-1 draw, bringing the team’s overall record to 1-6-3 (6 pts.) and 1-2-2 at Pizza Hut Park.
• After losing its first two home matches of the season, FCD is unbeaten in its last three games at PHP (1-0-2).
• Dallas is now unbeaten in its last three outings against the LA Galaxy (1-0-2 over that span), 17-23-9 all-time versus Los Angeles in the regular season, and 13-6-6 against the Galaxy at home.
• The team has held its opponents scoreless in the second half of back-to-back games and three total times on the season. FCD is now 1-0-2 when shutting out the opposition during the second half.
• Making his 100th career start for Dallas, defender Drew Moor tonight scored his second goal of the season, a header off a corner kick from Dave van den Bergh. It was the seventh goal of his career.
• Van den Bergh is the team’s leader in assists with three on the year.
• FCD goalkeeper Ray Burse matched his season-high of seven saves (April 29 at DC United), one shy of his career-high set on October 26, 2007 at Columbus.
• After starting the first nine games of the season in a 4-4-2 formation, FC Dallas tonight made the switch to a 3-5-2.
• Team captain Pablo Ricchetti was the central figure defensively, with Moor to his right and Daniel Torres to his left.
• It was Ricchetti’s first start this season on the back line, making his previous seven starts as the lone holding midfielder.
• Marcelo Saragosa and Bruno Guarda started in central midfield together, with attacking midfielder David Ferreira in front of them.
• Nineteen-year-old forward Brek Shea, in his second MLS season, made his first career start tonight.
• Saragosa received a red card in the 26th minute and will be forced to sit out next week’s game at Chicago.
• Down a player for much of the first half, head coach Schellas Hyndman made two changes at halftime, bringing on Anthony Wallace as a fourth defender to replace Andre Rocha, and midfielder Alvaro Sanchez to replace Shea.
• It was the first MLS action for Sanchez. The 24-year-old Costa Rican had previously appeared in the April 22 U.S. Open Cup Play-In Game at DC United.
• For Wallace, it was his first appearance of the season.
• Four Dallas players have now started all nine regular season games: David Ferreira, Kenny Cooper, Drew Moor, and Dave van den Bergh. Moor and Ferreira are the only two remaining to have played every minute this year.
• Cooper tonight started his 42nd consecutive regular season game dating back to the 2007 season and is just one start shy of the league’s all-time mark for starts at that position, shared by Taylor Twellman (2005-2007) and Alejandro Moreno (2007-2008).
• Three Dallas players missed tonight’s game due to injury: goalkeeper Dario Sala (L knee), and defenders Steve Purdy (right knee) and George John (right hamstring).
• Tonight’s attendance was 9,595.
• The team will have Sunday and Monday (Memorial Day) off before regrouping for practice on Tuesday morning.
• FC Dallas will travel to Chicago next Sunday, May 31 to face the Fire at Toyota Park (2 p.m. CT live on TeleFutura and KFWD-52).

FCD to face Costa Rica's CS Herediano June 10

Just announced. FC Dallas will face Costa Rica Primera Division side Club Sport Herediano in an international friendly at Pizza Hut Park on June 10 at 7:30 p.m. CT. This game is included as Bonus Game A for FCD season ticket holders. For the general public, tickets will go on-sale Tuesday, May 26 at 10 a.m. available at FCDallas.com, Ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster outlets. Call 888-FCD-GOAL (888-323-4625) for more info.

Schellas Hyndman on the game: “We’re very excited to be playing CS Herediano from Costa Rica,” said FC Dallas Head Coach Schellas Hyndman. “They’re a very good team and this gives our players an extra opportunity to face quality competition. This game will not only help our players’ individual development, but will also help the coaching staff continue to make evaluations.”

The game will also be available via live webstream at FCDallas.com.

Preview: FC Dallas vs. LA Galaxy

Check out comments from Dave van den Bergh (English / Spanish) and head coach Schellas Hyndman (English) below, who recap last week's result vs. Seattle and talk about Saturday's matchup with the LA Galaxy. For a more in-depth look at the upcoming game, read the online preview and download the full game guide.

English:


Spanish:

Five Added for Practice

Five players, including FCD Juniors Ruben Luna, Victor Ulloa and Bryan Leyva, joined the team in training this morning. Also in today were Joe Cooper (Kenny's younger brother and freshman forward at SMU) and Alex Whitely (local midfielder from The Colony). With a 24-man roster as opposed to 28 in the past, a few injuries can quickly affect the numbers in training, so Schellas Hyndman brought the players in to ensure there were enough players for 11 v 11 work. A sixth player, none other than former Dallas midfielder Oscar Pareja, participated with the team in preliminary drills, but did not step on during full field work.

On a side note, the Juniors U-16 and U-18 teams depart for Sarasota, Florida today to participate in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Spring Showcase. When summer break hits, the Juniors will hold practices at the same time as the first team (on separate fields), allowing for the opportunity to integrate some of the players into the first team practices more often.

Change of Plans

Due to recent injuries on the FC Dallas roster, Brek Shea and Josh Lambo will not attend next week's U.S. U-20 National Team camp in Sarasota, Florida. Kyle Davies, Anthony Wallace and Peri Marosevic will head out to join the camp in Florida on Sunday morning. Kyle will return to Dallas on Tuesday, May 26, while Wally and Peri will stay for the full camp through May 28. The U.S. will face Costa Rica in two friendlies on May 25 and 27.

Back in Training

FC Dallas returned to the practice field this morning, where head coach Schellas Hyndman had the team scrimmaging on a small-scale field for nearly the entirety of today’s session. The organized portion of training lasted about an hour and 45 minutes, with an additional 15-20 minutes of extra work for several players afterward.

At that point, Hyndman oversaw the offensive FCD unit work on finishing, while goalkeeper coach Drew Keeshan and Ray Burse used the length of the field to knock goal kicks and punts to one another. Dave van den Burgh joined in on the fun, matching both in distance on several. Meanwhile, Daniel Torres, Marcelo Saragosa, and Alvaro “Tom” Sanchez participated in plyometric drills with a focus on strength and explosion.

In addition to Dario Sala, notable absences from today’s practice were defenders George John and Steve Purdy, who stayed inside to rehab injuries picked up in Saturday’s game at Seattle. Also unable to participate in team drills was forward Jeff Cunningham, who worked with the training staff on ladder drills before jogging around the field for about 40 minutes.

Memorial Day Crawfish Boil

As part of Memorial Day weekend, FC Dallas will hold a Louisiana-style crawfish boil and happy hour before Saturday's game against the LA Galaxy. The event, which includes live music, will kick off at 5 p.m. on the north concourse at Pizza Hut Park.

• $1 draft beers
• $3 hurricanes
• $8 crawfish buckets (includes sides)
• live music from "Bird Dogs", featuring Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket's George Dunham.

Notes on the Off Day

It's the players' day off today, so not much action up here at PHP, but there are few things we'd like to share with you...

• Voting for MLS Goal of the Week is open, and you can help Andre Rocha's right-footed volley against Seattle win the honor by clicking here.
• FC Dallas and Pizza Hut Park will host MLS's 4-v-4 tournament, Futbolito, as part of Hispanic Heritage Night on Sat. Sept. 26, when the team faces Real Salt Lake at home. Visit MLSFutbolito.com for more information and to sign up.
• Steve Purdy (right knee), George John (right hamstring), Jeff Cunningham (left hip), Dario Sala (left knee), and Pablo Ricchetti (left calf) all visited the training room this morning for treatment to various injuries.
• Additionally, Peri Marosevic and Josh Lambo came in for a workout in the gym.
• Finally, midfielder Eric Avila will be a guest on KFWD-52's SportsTalk show on Wednesday (tomorrow) night live at 6:30 p.m. CT. Replay at midnight.

Scrimmage: FCD 4, DFW Tornados 0

FCD defeated the DFW Tornados (PDL) 4 – 0 in a scrimmage played on the adidas Field this morning. Brek Shea had the first two goals with the first one coming in the 23rd minute after he headed home an Eric Avila cross. Brek’s scored his second goal by deflecting a Michael Dello-Russo free kick in the 43rd minute. Dax McCarty added a penalty kick in the 76th minute and Anthony Wallace got on the board with a left footed volley from an Alvaro “Tom” Sanchez cross in the 83rd minute. The scrimmage was played in three 30 minute periods. While the scrimmage was being played the starters from Saturday night went through a recovery jog around the PHP complex. The guys will have Tuesday off and then practice the rest of the week at 10 am.

Scoring:
Brek Shea (Eric Avila) 23
Brek Shea (Michael Dello-Russo) 43
Dax McCarty (penalty kick) 76
Anthony Wallace (Alvaro "Tom" Sanchez) 83

U-18 Juniors Clinch Playoff Berth

The FC Dallas Juniors U-18 team clinched a U.S. Soccer Development Academy league playoff berth over the weekend, defeating Classics Elite (San Antonio) 1-0 on Saturday and drawing 1-1 with Lonestar Aztex yesterday. The U-16s defeated Classics Elite 2-0 on Saturday and also tied Lonestar 1-1 on Sunday. Both teams will head off to Sarasota, FL on Thursday for the Spring Showcase May 22-26.

FCD 1, Seattle Sounders FC 1

After falling behind early on an 18th minute goal from Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, FC Dallas put together a solid effort to even the score in first-half stoppage time (Andre Rocha's sliding volley off a Marcelo Saragosa cross) and keep a clean sheet in the second half to get the point. The draw puts an end to the team's four-game winless losing streak. Sunday will be a day off for the team. Everyone's back in on Monday with a recovery session for those that played tonight and a scrimmage for the rest of the team against the PDL's DFW Tornados. The scrimmage will be played on the adidas Field at 10 a.m. Notes from tonight's game are below, and a full recap can be found at FCDallas.com.



Notes:

• The tie brings FC Dallas’ record to 1-6-2 (5 pts.) on the season.
• This was the first-ever meeting between FCD and the Seattle Sounders FC, with the next match-up coming in the regular season finale at Qwest Field on October 24.
• Andre Rocha scored his second goal of the season, sliding inside the box to volley home a cross from Marcelo Saragosa.
• Dallas improves to 1-0-1 when holding its opponent scoreless in the second half. FCD had previously kept a second-half clean sheet in the 3-2 win over Toronto FC on April 19.
• Team captain Pablo Ricchetti returned to start in the defensive midfielder position after sitting out last week’s game due to a right ankle injury.
• FC Dallas was forced to make two first-half substitutions due to injuries to Jeff Cunningham and George John.
• Nineteen-year-old forward Brek Shea entered for Cunningham to make his first appearance of the season, and Daniel Torres replaced John in central defense.
• Dallas used its third and final substitution at the start of the second half to switch to a 3-5-2 formation, inserting Bruno Guarda for an injured Steve Purdy (right knee). Saragosa joined Guarda in central midfield, with Ricchetti dropping to anchor the back line.
• It was Guarda’s first appearance since starting the season-opener against Chicago.
• Four Dallas players have now started all nine regular season games: David Ferreira, Kenny Cooper, Drew Moor, and Dave van den Bergh. Moor, Ferreira and van den Bergh are the only three to have played every minute this year.
• Forward Kenny Cooper tonight started his 41st consecutive regular season game dating back to the 2007 season. Only two players have started more consecutive contests at the position: Taylor Twellman, who set the mark from 2005-2007 and Alejandro Moreno, who matched the feat from 2007-2008.
• Defender Blake Wagner’s streak of 20 consecutive starts (dating back to the 2008 season) came to an end tonight. It was the team’s second-longest current streak behind Cooper’s 41 straight starts.
• Goalkeeper Dario Sala missed the game with a left knee injury.
• Tonight’s attendance was 8,247.
• This was the first of two straight home games for FC Dallas. The team next faces the LA Galaxy on Saturday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. CT live on FSN-SW.

Long Weekend at the Park

This morning's practice was held on the PHP stadium field as the team has often done on the day before a home game. After a warm-up, the team jumped into 11-on-11 work for the bulk of the session, before ending with a small-sided game. Fieldboard advertisement signage was already staged around the field ahead of tomorrow night's game as usual. But sitting just behind the fieldboards were stacks of the Teraflor pieces that will need to be laid down over the field for Sunday's Kenny Chesney concert.

Following the game, the field and stadium concourse will need to be cleared of all FCD equipment so that the Teraflor and other concert-related gear can be put in place. That process will begin at roughly 11 p.m. Saturday night and won't be finished until about 6 a.m. on Sunday morning. After the Chesney show on Sunday night, the Teraflor will be cleaned and all equipment cleared out, so that the Teraflor itself can be removed beginning at 6 a.m. on Monday morning. Busy weekend for the FCD / PHP crew!

Preview: FCD vs. Seattle Sounders FC

Two days out from Saturday night's game against the Seattle Sounders FC, Pablo Ricchetti this morning made his return to full training with the team since suffering a right ankle injury at DC on May 2. Pablo told reporters after practice that his ankle feels much better, and Schellas even commented that he felt Pablo looked good during practice.

Saturday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between FC Dallas and the Sounders FC, although a few players on this Seattle team remain from the USL-1 club that FCD defeated in the semifinals of the 2007 U.S. Open Cup. Among them is Sebastian Le Toux, who participated in training camp with FCD earlier that year but did not end up signing with Dallas.

On the Dallas side, FCD rookie defender George John has a connection to Seattle himself, as he was born and raised just outside of the Emerald City, and played his college ball at the University of Washington before being drafted by Dallas. To learn more about the match-up, read the online preview and download the complete game guide, and check out comments from George and Schellas Hyndman below...

Back on the Field

FCD returned to the practice field this morning, and after a quick warm-up the team jumped right into an 11 v 11 scrimmage, which is how they spent the majority of the training session. At the start of the scrimmage, Ray Burse felt a little ill and pulled himself out of goal. After spending about 15 minutes or so inside, Burse was able to come back out to the field and jump back in the scrimmage. Pablo Ricchetti was outside for most of the session with the training staff, working on cuts and striking the ball to strengthen his injured right ankle. It was Ricchetti's first time outside kicking the ball in about a week and a half. Dario Sala. as expected, spent the morning inside with the training staff.


Misc. notes:

• The team has set up a scrimmage against the DFW Tornados (PDL) for next Monday morning at 10 a.m. on the adidas Field. The starters from this Saturday's game will do a recovery session on Field 4 while the scrimmage is being played. With the Reserve Division no longer around, expect more scrimmages like this to pop up on the schedule from time to time.
• After training, Eric Avila jumped into a full home kit to record a promo for Univision.
• Catch defender Steve Purdy on KFWD-52's Sports Talk live tonight at 6:30 p.m.

All-Star Voting Begins Today

Online voting for the 2009 MLS All-Star Game kicked off today at MLSnet.com, so head over there to select your choices to take on the English Premier League's Everton FC in the 2009 MLS All-Star Game on July 29 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Extra Work

Today was officially an off day for FCD players, but Schellas Hyndman invited some guys in this morning to get some extra work in on finishing. Kenny Cooper, Jeff Cunningham, Peri Marosevic, Brek Shea, and Tom Sanchez participated in the hour-and-45-minute session, with Josh Lambo and pool GK Bryant Rueckner in goal. Regular training resumes Wednesday at 10 a.m.

U.S. Women's Game at PHP Cancelled

The U.S. Women’s National Team was set to face Japan on May 20 at Pizza Hut Park and three days later at Rio Tinto Stadium in Utah, but both games have been cancelled after Japan decided not to travel to the United States or Canada, due to concerns with the Swine Flu. Check the official press release for refund info.

Five Called into U-20 Camp

U.S. U-20 head coach Thomas Rongen has called in Brek Shea, Peri Marosevic, Anthony Wallace, Josh Lambo and Kyle Davies for training camp from May 23-28 in Sarasota, Florida, where the U.S. team will play Costa Rica in two friendlies. The five FCD youngsters will join the U.S. squad following the May 23 game vs. LA Galaxy at Pizza Hut Park.

Dario to Miss Next 4-6 Weeks

Dario Sala will be sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks after an MRI revealed bone bruising in his left knee, the knee he had meniscus surgery on in late March. Many players are susceptible to bone bruising following meniscus surgery due to the friction that occurs within the knee because of the missing cartilege. Rookie George John was in the same boat when he first arrived in preseason training camp after he had undergone meniscus surgery in college.

Photo: Rick Yeatts / FC Dallas

Monday Notes...

Due to heavy rain this morning, the team held practice indoors at the Frisco Fieldhouse across the street while the starters from Saturday's game went through recovery at MJPC. Tuesday is a day off for the players, and everyone will be back in for practice the rest of the week every morning at 10 a.m. in preparation for this weekend's game vs. the Seattle Sounders FC. Notes on player TV appearances this week and a quick Juniors update below...

• Drew Moor will appear tonight on FSN-SW's sports talk show, DFW Sports Beat, at 6:30 p.m. CT. If you miss it the first time, you can catch it again tonight at midnight, and at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Steve Purdy will talk FC Dallas on KFWD-52's Sports Talk live at 6:30 p.m. this Wednesday night (re-airs later at midnight).
• On Sunday, the FCD Juniors U-18 team defeated Carmel United SC (Indiana) 4-3 behind goals from Ruben Luna (2), Bryan Leyva and Cody Adams. Luna, Leyva, Victor Ulloa, Giovanni Gomez and Moises Hernandez all played up from the younger team. With wins next weekend vs. Classics Elite (San Antonio) and Lonestar Aztex (Austin), the U-18s will earn a U.S. Development Academy League playoff berth.
• The Juniors U-16s, missing the five players mentioned above, lost for just the second time in league play this season, falling to Carmel United 3-0. The U-16s have already qualified for the playoffs.

You Could Win a Trip to Seattle

Want to win a trip for two to Seattle to see FC Dallas take on the Seattle Sounders FC in the regular season finale (Oct. 24) at Qwest Field? Click here now through Friday for your chance to be one of two contestants to play the popular "Price Is Right" game, Plinko, at PHP during halftime of Saturday night's FCD vs. Seattle match for your shot at a trip to the Emerald City.

Fans in attendance at this weekend's game will have the chance to become the second contestant during the first half, by sending a text message when prompted on the video boards. Bill Parks, a Drew Carey impersonator and comedian, will emcee the Plinko game. In addition to the grand prize trip to Seattle, other prizes include autographed FCD gear and tickets to FCD games.

FCD 0, Houston 1

UPDATED (Post-game): For the fourth time this season, FCD went into halftime tied and ended with a loss by the final whistle. Houston's Kei Kamara scored the game's only goal, a header in the 58th minute from a Stuart Holden cross. Dallas would shift formation to a 3-5-2 when Dax McCarty replaced Blake Wagner with 17 minutes to play, which sparked the Dallas attack but the team, however, was unable to get the equalizer. The good news is that FCD's four-game road trip is now over and the team will return home to play two straight games at PHP: Seattle (May 16) and LA (May 23). Notes from tonight...

• After losing its third consecutive regular season game, FC Dallas is now 1-6-1 (4 pts) on the year.
• Dallas is 1-6-5 all-time versus the Houston Dynamo and 0-5-2 at Robertson Stadium.
• This was the first of three regular season games against the Dynamo, with the remaining two matches to be played at Pizza Hut Park (June 13 and August 6).
• Forward Kenny Cooper tonight started his 40th consecutive regular season game dating back to the 2007 season. Only two players have started more consecutive contests at the position: Taylor Twellman, who set the mark from 2005-2007 and Alejandro Moreno, who matched the feat from 2007-2008.
• Five Dallas players have now started all eight regular season games: David Ferreira, Kenny Cooper, Drew Moor, Blake Wagner, and Dave van den Bergh. Moor, Ferreira and van den Bergh have played every minute this season.
• Rookie defender George John returned to the starting lineup in central defense after missing the last two games with a strained left hamstring.
• Steve Purdy started alongside John to make his third start of the season, and first since March 29 versus Chivas USA.
• Forward Jeff Cunningham also made his return to the field after sitting out the May 2 game at DC United with a right hamstring injury.
• Midfielder and captain Pablo Ricchetti (right ankle) and goalkeeper Dario Sala (left knee) both missed tonight’s game due to injury.
• In addition to starting in the defensive midfield spot for the first time this season, Marcelo Saragosa also wore the captain’s armband in Ricchetti’s place.
• With Saragosa shifting to the midfield, Drew Moor started his third game of the year on the right side of the defense.
• FC Dallas’ four-game road swing came to an end tonight. The team will return home to face the Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. CT (live on FSN-SW).
• A full recap of the game is available at FCDallas.com.

Travel Day

It's a travel day so here's what's on tap for FC Dallas. Following a 10 a.m. training session on the adidas Field, the players will then get their things together and eat lunch in the player's lounge area of the locker room. At 12:45 pm the group will board a bus to DFW Airport for a 3 pm flight to Houston. The flight will only take about an hour, and after grabbing all of the individual and team bags off the carousel, we should arrive to the team hotel around 5 p.m. Shortly after getting to the hotel, ESPN play-by-play announcer JP Dellacamera and producer Chris Alexopoulos will meet with head coach Schellas Hyndman and a couple of players to get some insight and background information to use in tomorrow's broadcast (as is the case with all national telecasts). At that point, everyone, including blog staff, will be on their own for dinner....any suggestions for downtown Houston?

FC Dallas at Houston Preview

You know that FCD faces Texas rival Houston Dynamo this Saturday night at Roberston Stadium on ESPN2 live 8 p.m. You know that the teams play for El Capitan and you know that FCD currently holds the trophy after winning last year's series. Want to learn more about the history of this match-up and get detailed info on the upcoming game? Read the full game preview, where you can also download the official game guide. Want to hear FCD players' and Schellas Hyndman's thoughts on Saturday's game? Check the video below...

Watching Parties: FCD at HOU

FC Dallas will play its fourth consecutive game away from Pizza Hut Park this Saturday night, but don't let that keep you from catching the team in action against the Dynamo. If you're not hopping on one of the FCD fan buses heading down to Robertson Stadium or making the trip on your own, you can catch the game (ESPN2 - live at 8 p.m. CT) at one of two official away game watching parties: Lochrann's Irish Pub and Eatery (Frisco) and Trinity Hall Irish Pub and Restaurant (Dallas). Lots of action surrounding the game at both locations, including raffles: tickets to the May 16 home game vs. Seattle are up for grabs.

Goooooooaaaaallllll!!

Another two-hour practice session for FCD this morning as the team preps for Saturday's clash with the Houston Dynamo down south. Steve Purdy, Josh Lambo and George John later returned to PHP for an afternoon workout and took time to watch the Barcelona vs. Chelsea Champions League game with Schellas Hyndman, Drew Keeshan and Kenny Cooper. What a finish to that game! Just as Andreas Iniesta scored the go-ahead goal, all FCD employees could hear Oscar Pareja shouting "Gooooooooaaaallll" from inside his office.

Chesney Back on the 17th

Some more PHP news: Kenny Chesney will travel back to Frisco on Sunday, May 17 (Gates open at 5:30 p.m. CT) for a special performance at Pizza Hut Park, after his May 2 concert at PHP was postponed due to severe weather. The upcoming concert will be free for all fans that purchased tickets to the original show. Check here for info on how to claim tickets to the May 17 event. Additional concert details will be posted to pizzahutpark.com at a later date.

U.S. Women's Roster for May game at PHP

U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage today named a 21-player roster to face Japan on Wed., May 20 at Pizza Hut Park (7:30 p.m. CT). The same roster will be available for the U.S. team's game against the same opponent on May 23 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Fans can follow both games on MatchTracker at ussoccer.com.

El Capitan Rules Changes

Saturday night's game at the Houston Dynamo (ESPN2 - live at 8 p.m. CT) marks the first meeting of the 2009 regular season series against our southern neighbors, and thus the first of three battles to determine which team gets to retain El Capitan (above). FCD currently holds the trophy due to outscoring Houston 4-2 on away goals in 2008 after the teams tied all three match-ups last year.

However, the teams have announced some changes to the tiebreaker system for 2009 and going forward, which Dallas fans will notice are similar to that of the Brimstone Cup rivalry with the Chicago Fire. Begining in 2009, if FCD and Houston tie the regular season series in head-to-head record and goal differential as they did last season, the results of other competitions, such as the MLS Cup Playoffs, will determine the winner. If the teams do not meet in other competitions, the previous year's winner will retain the trophy. Click here to read the official press release which includes the full tiebreaker rules.

Busy Afternoon

It was a lengthy practice session this morning, lasting a little over two hours. The majority was spent with the team split into two groups on opposite halves of the field working on attacking / defending a full-sized goal (w/ keeper) in 3 v 3 situations. After practice, many of the guys grilled hamburgers on the concourse outside the locker room, and several stayed a bit longer to catch the Manchester United - Arsenal Champions League game inside the player's lounge.

Meanwhile, Drew Moor this afternoon taped his interview with James Chippendale for NBC 5's "Last Call" feature. The interview started out on the practice field with Drew and James taking PK's against one another, before heading over to Drew's favorite Frisco bagel place, the Bagel Factory & Deli for the sit-down portion. As soon as we find out the dates that NBC 5 plans to run to feature, we'll be sure to let everyone know here on the blog.

Stormy Saturday

UPDATED (7:20 p.m. CT)

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Dallas Cowboys organization after several team staff members including scout Rich Behm suffered injuries following the collapse of the team's practice facility on Saturday afternoon due to severe storms.

We saw the effects of the severe weather later that night here in Frisco, when Kenny Chesney had no choice but to stop his set about 45 minutes into his concert at Pizza Hut Park. No word yet on whether Chesney will return for a make-up date, but PHP executives are currently working with the concert's promoter, AEG Live, on a resolution. Chesney will return to PHP on Sunday, May 17 to perform a free concert for all those who purchased tickets to the May 2 show. Details will be announced shortly.

Drew Moor to Tape "Last Call"

Drew Moor is set to be featured in an upcoming "Last Call" interview segment with host James Chippendale. The taping will take place on Tuesday (tomorrow), beginning with FCD's practice at Pizza Hut Park (10 a.m. - Noon), before winding up at the Bagel Factory off Preston and Warren in Frisco (arriving between 1 and 2 p.m.). Drew chose the Bagel Factory as it is his favorite place to eat breakfast, relax and read the newspaper when he has some free time. If you're in the area Tuesday afternoon, feel free to swing by and check out the taping.

If you're unfamiliar, "Last Call" is a segment that runs as part of Dallas sports show "Out of Bounds" on KXAS NBC 5, where Chippendale speaks to a different figure in Dallas sports and entertainment each week to give fans a more in-depth look at their lives and what inspires them. Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco was the first to appear on the segment back in February...check it out. Others who have appeared on the show include musician Pat Green, boxer Luis Yanez, and Olympic gold and silver medal-winning runner Jeremy Wariner.

Back on the Field

This morning on the adidas Field, the starters from Saturday night's game at DC went through a light 45-minute recovery session while the rest of the team practiced for nearly two hours. Former Dallas player Jamie Watson (pictured with Dave van den Bergh and equip. manager Marcus Owens), who now plays for USL-2 Wilmington Hammerheads, stopped by the training field to say hello to his old teammates.

Injury updates: George John (left hamstring) and Jeff Cunningham (right hamstring) returned to practice after missing the DC game due to injury. Dario Sala trained outside for the first 30 minutes before heading into the gym to work out with the training staff. Sala spent all of last week working with the trainers due to discomfort in his left knee. Marcelo Saragosa (left glute) and Pablo Ricchetti (left foot) remained inside for the duration of today's practice to receive treatment on knocks picked up in the second half of Saturday's game.

The team will practice everyday this week at 10 a.m. in preparation for this weekend's game against the Houston Dynamo at Robertson Stadium (Saturday live on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. CT).

FCD Juniors Defeat Solar

Both FC Dallas Juniors teams earned victories over Solar SC on Sunday, the U-16s posting a 1-0 shutout behind a second half goal from Darin Kruzich, and the U-18s winning 2-1 on goals from Bradlee Baladez and Jesse Gamino. Five players from the younger team (Ruben Luna, Giovanni Gomez, Moises Hernandez and Bryan Leyva) played up with the U-18s.

The U-16s are now 10-0-2 (32 pts) in the Central Conference - Texas Division and remain in first place. The U-18s are now 6-2-4 (22 pts) and sit one point behind second place Andromeda and four points behind the division leading Dallas Texans with seven games left in the season (FCD and Andromeda have two games in hand over Texans).

FCD 1, DC United 2

UPDATE (Post-game): FCD enjoyed a 1-0 halftime lead after Andre Rocha headed home a Dave van den Bergh corner kick in the 28th minute, but Jaime Moreno, the league's all-time leading goalscorer put two away in the second half to lead DC United to a 2-1 win at RFK Stadium.

• FC Dallas falls to 1-5-1 (4 pts) following the team’s second consecutive loss.
• Dallas is now 15-13-5 all-time against DC United during the regular season and 4-7-4 at RFK Stadium.
• This was the second time in 10 days that these two teams met at RFK, with the first an April 22 U.S. Open Cup play-in game.
• Andre Rocha scored his first goal of the season in the 28th minute, heading home a Dave van den Bergh corner kick. Rocha has now scored three of his four career goals against United.
• Van den Bergh is the team’s assists leader with two on the year.
• Ray Burse started his fifth game of the year in goal for Dallas and made a season-high seven saves.
• Six Dallas players have now started all seven regular season games: David Ferreira, Kenny Cooper, Drew Moor, Blake Wagner, Dax McCarty, and Dave van den Bergh. Moor, Ferreira and van den Bergh have played every minute this season.
• Defender Steve Purdy returned to the field as a second-half substitute after missing the last four games with a right hamstring injury.
• Newly-acquired Kyle Davies made his first appearance on the 18-man day of game roster after joining Dallas via trade on Tuesday, April 28.
• Rookie defender George John missed his second consecutive game with a strained left hamstring, suffered in last week’s U.S. Open Cup play-in game at DC. Forward Jeff Cunningham also missed the match with a strained right hamstring.
• Goalkeeper Dario Sala served a one game suspension tonight after receiving a red card last week at Chivas USA.
• This was the third of four straight road games for Dallas, beginning with last week’s U.S. Open Cup play-in game.
• FC Dallas will conclude its four-game road swing next Saturday, May 9 against in-state rival Houston Dynamo at Robertson Stadium (8 p.m. CT live on ESPN2).
• Full recap, highlights and post-game quotes are available at FCDallas.com.
• Head Coach Schellas Hyndman on the game: "Overall thoughts? Disappointing. Not to take anything away from D.C. United, they outplayed us. They played quick, aggressive. For us, the disappointment comes from giving up two goals and we’ve given up 14 goals in seven games. You’d think your center of your defense should be your strongest and both goals come through there so it’s disappointing."
• On goals coming early in the second half: "I think the opposition is trying to play quicker balls through the center. They are trying to unbalance us with the diagonal balls. It doesn’t take a lot to figure out where are weaknesses are; I think right now we are not able to handle pressure real well."
• On the play of Ray Burse: "I thought it was his best game. He made a couple of great saves, the last one when the ball slipped through [the defense] and he was able to go one-on-one and then he made another one with [Christian] Gomez hitting a pretty hard shot, he was able to get to it. I thought it was his best game so far. I think what Ray has done for himself is that he’s gotten an opportunity to prove himself and this has been good for him."
• On what he said to the team at halftime: "We knew they would be making some changes and we knew they would be putting a lot more players forward. We felt that our diagonal ball would help us with them having only three in the back and we only tried that diagonal ball once and it didn’t get there. Maybe we should have tried it more often. The idea was not to give up any soft goals the first 10-minutes. We survived a couple things but I go back to the goals that are being scored and its so much more me worrying about our team than worried about the opposition."

Watching Parties Tonight

Join fellow FC Dallas fans tonight to cheer on the team at one of two official away game watching parties. If you're in the Frisco area, head to Lochrann's Irish Pub & Eatery located directly across the street from Pizza Hut Park. For those in Dallas, you can catch the action at Trinity Hall Irish Pub & Restaurant. Where will you be watching the game?

Dallas Returns to DC

FC Dallas (1-4-1, 4 pts) returns to the nation's capital on Saturday to face DC United (2-1-3, 9 pts) live on Fox Soccer Channel at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game comes just 10 days after FCD and DC met at RFK in a U.S. Open Cup Play-In game. However, the last regular season meeting between the clubs (Sept. 28, 2008) resulted in a 3-0 FCD win at Pizza Hut Park, and Dallas is unbeaten in the last four regular season trips to RFK, with one win and three ties. Read the full game preview and download the game guide to learn more about how the two clubs stack up. The team will catch an afternoon flight out of DFW following this morning's training session at PHP.