What has been a busy week for FC Dallas will conclude on Saturday, when they play host to the University of Memphis in their first preseason match of the 2008 season. Kickoff will be at 4 p.m. CT, and the game will be played on the adidas field adjoining Pizza Hut Park.
Despite only having a full squad together for four days of training this week, FCD head coach Steve Morrow feels that Saturday's match will be very important for his side. On Monday, the Hoops saw a number of players return from national team duty, then Tuesday, the club officially introduced its two newest players, Mexican center back Duilio Davino and Brazilian midfielder Andre Rocha.
"We wanted a couple of games early on as we start to work on our style of play and our system that we could translate that into games where the quality of the opposition isn't as strong as it would be later in the preseason," Morrow said.
Earlier in the week, Morrow said that he planned on every member of his roster playing at least a half on Saturday. Whether that includes Davino and Rocha remains to be seen but both new additions could make their FCD debuts this weekend.
"We'll start working them in this Saturday for sure," Morrow said about his veterans. "We want to have a good week of training and get them some minutes because we have a game against Tigres the following week.
"We want to start working on our shape a little bit and some team play. I'm definitely getting everyone some minutes on Saturday. But we also have some decisions to make on some of the younger players. We want to make sure they also get a good look."
FCD hits the field in competitive mode for the first time with a number of questions. One burning question is what formation Morrow will go with. It's speculated that the Hoops will play in either a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 this season, a sharp departure from the 4-4-2 played in years past.
There is also the question about who will wear the captain's armband. Earlier in preseason, Morrow said that issue will be addressed early next month but that he had three or four candidates in mind for the leadership role that last year was filled by Carlos Ruiz, who was traded to the LA Galaxy in January.
And Morrow also has a number of lineup questions to address. First is between the posts, where veteran goalkeeper Dario Sala is healthy but will be pushed heavily by third-year upstart Ray Burse Jr., who did well in limited action a year ago.
Then there is the matter of who will take Ruiz's spot on the front line. Kenny Cooper, who had 11 goals and four assists in 2006 but missed much of 2007 with a broken leg, is healthy and is expected to carry much of the offensive load.
But who will form the rest of the strike partnership is another question. Midfielder Arturo Alvarez, part of the U.S. under-23 team looking to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, is one option. Also in the mix is speedy striker Dominic Oduro, second-year Brazilian Ricardinho and workhorse Abe Thompson.
FCD could also bring back Ecuadorian Roberto Mina provided he is fit and fully recovered from a knee injury that sidelined him for the last year-and-a-half.
The Hoops players are clearly ready to hit the field for their first preseason contest.
"I'm definitely excited. It's good to come in, meet the new guys and see some old faces again. It's going to be good to get out there and play a game because that's what it's all about," said third-year midfielder Dax McCarty. "Training has been good so far and has been pretty intense with two sessions a day. But we're all looking forward to playing a game. It should be a good test to see where we are right now."
With a trip to Monterrey to face Mexican partner Tigres UANL looming on Wednesday. Morrow will clearly use Saturday's match against Memphis as a dress rehearsal of sorts.
"I think it will (be a dry run)," he said. "We see each game as a progressive step going through preseason. Saturday is the first one and we'll look to do the same thing in Tigres, get everyone 45 minutes again. We will look to improve with each game."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
