FC Dallas midfielder Juan Toja and New York Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel have been teammates before, but the two Colombians have never played against each other in MLS. That could all change this weekend.
On Saturday, the Hoops play host the Red Bulls at Pizza Hut Park and while Angel is termed questionable with a hamstring strain, Toja is still looking forward to possibly playing against his countryman for the first time.
"I played with him in the (MLS) All-Star Game and he's a great player from my country, Colombia," Toja said. "He's a great person too. I have to play against him and the Red Bulls this weekend. We have to be aware of him because he's a great player and a great forward."
Toja said he has a good relationship with Angel but it's not one where the two Colombians speak on a regular basis.
"(We don't speak to each other) too much," he said. "We have a good relationship but we don't talk all the time."
In FCD's first two games, Toja has a goal and an assist. He netted the only goal for the Hoops in a 1-1 draw with Chivas USA on March 30, then last weekend, he assisted on Kenny Cooper's second goal as the Hoops finished with a 3-3 draw in Houston.
"I think he's had a good start but I don't think we've seen the best of him by any means," FCD head coach Steve Morrow said. "I think he's still not 100 percent match fit. He ran very hard in Houston and got just beyond 70 minutes. He looked tired in the latter part of the game. We want to get him to 90 minutes now. I think when you see him more match fit, we'll get even more from him. He's an important player for us who has had a good start. He's just going to get better."
Toja concurs that he isn't yet match-fit but says he will soon be at that level.
"I think that I'm at 70-75 percent now but I want to be at 100 percent," he said. "I think in the next few games, I am going to get there."
In Morrow's new 3-5-2 formation, Toja has played just behind the two strikers in a forward midfield role and that shape has produced results.
"I like playing there as an up midfielder," he said. "I played like that last year and I like that because you are free to move everywhere. We can have some great movements and there is a lot of freedom to move."
Last year, in Toja's first year in MLS, he had six goals and one assist. All of those came in the first half of the season, which earned him a spot in the All-Star game, where he scored the second goal for the MLS stars in a 2-0 win against Celtic FC on July 19, 2007. Angel scored the first, earning MVP honors for the game.
However, in early August, the Colombian international sprained his right ankle in a U.S. Open Cup match and that ailment bothered him off and on for the balance of the campaign. While not yet at full fitness, Toja has shaken off that injury.
"I feel great," he said. "I'm getting my confidence and that's important for me because when I started preseason, I was injured and then I came back. When I came back, I didn't feel too much control with my fitness and my confidence with the ball and everything. In the first game, I scored and had an assist in the second game. I played well and that's good for me because I'm getting confidence and am getting better with my fitness."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
