On Thursday night, FC Dallas announced it has signed World Cup-winning attacking midfielder Denilson as the club's Designated Player. He will be eligible to play as soon as FCD receives approval of his work visa from the league office, which could come as soon as next week.
Denilson was slated to arrive in Frisco on Friday afternoon, when he was scheduled to undergo a team physical but wasn't set to meet his new teammates until Monday, when FCD has scheduled a press conference to formally introduce him.
Even though the successful Brazilian has yet to meet his teammates that didn't stop several FCD players from providing their thoughts on his signing.
"Obviously, to have a player of that caliber and of his national status soccer-wise, it's always great to have him on your team," said center back Adrian Serioux. "Hopefully he can bring to our team something that we're missing and help step us up an extra notch leading into the playoffs."
"It's big for us," added left back Chris Gbandi. "Obviously, he's a World Cup veteran who has played for some big clubs in Europe. To get experience at the end of the year when it's important and to have a player of his capability is something everyone is looking forward to."
Denilson, whose full name is Denilson de Oliveira, made his international debut for Brazil in 1996 at the age of 19. The Golden Ball winner as the tournament's best player in the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, he played on Brazil's World Cup runner-up side at France '98 and then played a key role in helping Brazil win their record fifth world-title in the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan. He has scored nine goals in more than 60 midfield appearances for his country.
"That's where the coaching staff comes into play," Serioux said of the role Denilson will play with the Hoops. "That's their job -- to find out where he most suits the team and stuff like that. It's a matter of us going out there and performing day in and day out trying to keep our position."
Added right back Bobby Rhine: "You look at our team up and down and I think it adds a little something extra and something special-that kind of thing that pushes us from being a good team to a great team. It's a very fine line right now between winning quite a few games here down the stretch to winning all of them. There are certain things in there that can help us push through there and this is one of those things."
Denilson becomes the fourth player in MLS history to have won a World Cup. The other three all played for New York: Lothar Matthaus (Germany 1990), Branco (Brazil 1994), and Youri Djorkaeff (France 1998). As the two longest-tenured players with FCD, Gbandi and Rhine were asked where they felt the signing of Denilson ranked in club history.
"I guess it's up there," Gbandi said. "Having Carlos (Ruiz) come here (in 2005) was one of the biggest because that came out of the blue. With Denilson, it's been one minute he's been coming here and the next, he was going to Argentina. So, we weren't sure (if he was coming).
"To have a player of his ability and skill level is up there and maybe a little bit bigger than Carlos. At the end of the day, if he's able to bring a championship here, it will be the biggest signing in club history."
Rhine echoed Gbandi's sentiments. "I think it's probably one of the most significant signings this club has ever had," he said. "Look at some of the players who have played here-guys like Leonel Alvarez, Hugo Sanchez and this is just as big if not bigger.
"We know how big this is for FC Dallas. I don't think we've ever had a player here who has won a World Cup -- that's a first. It's great to have a player like that come into our locker room and have that on his resume."
Once he is officially added to the roster, FCD will have to make a roster move regarding a senior international player in order to create room for Denilson. The Hoops currently have four such players on their roster: midfielder Pablo Ricchetti, forward Carlos Ruiz, defensive midfielder Marcelo Saragosa and center back Serioux.
Of the four, Saragosa and Serioux appear to be the top two candidates to be moved. Saragosa is in his second year with FCD after being acquired in a trade last July with the LA Galaxy. The hard-nosed Brazilian midfielder actually played with Denilson when he was 15 and brings much-needed toughness to the defensive midfield.
Serioux brings a similar demeanor to the back line. A member of Houston's 2006 MLS Cup championship team, the Canadian international was then taken by Toronto FC in the expansion draft before being traded to FCD last November in a deal involving midfielder Ronnie O'Brien.
He had knee surgery after arriving in Frisco back in February and returned to the field on July 14 at D.C. United, when he played 66 minutes in the back before leaving the match midway through the second half.
Most recently, Serioux suffered a strained left hamstring and had to leave the game in the 20th minute of an August 11 3-2 win against Columbus. FCD head coach Steve Morrow held him out of last Sunday's 1-0 loss at Houston but Serioux returned to training this week with no issue.
When asked about the possibility of being traded again, Serioux said, "No, that's not something on my mind right now," he said. "It's just a matter of you trying to go out there and do your job.
"If it does come down to that, you have to take it in stride and understand that this is a business and trades are going to be made and people are going to be shifted around. Hopefully, you can keep your spot and be settled somewhere."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
