In a SuperDraft that saw few trades made by teams looking to improve their lie in the pecking order, FC Dallas made one of the bigger swaps on draft day when they sent eight-year veteran defender Greg Vanney to the Colorado Rapids.
Vanney went to the Rapids, along with a third-round pick in next year's draft, for Colorado's second-round selection this year (No. 18 overall) and a second-round pick next year. With the pick, the Hoops selected Brown University forward Andrew Daniels, the third player the Hoops chose on the day.
Throughout parts of last season, Vanney often became the lightning rod for an FCD back line that was often porous and perceived as being soft. Then-head coach Colin Clarke even sat the veteran down for a few games in late August to help get his head right.
Shortly after the Hoops' early dismissal -- ironically, by the Rapids -- in the MLS Cup Playoffs, Clarke was relieved of his duties and former assistant Steve Morrow put in charge. One of Morrow's immediate priorities, he said shortly after taking the job, was to instill more toughness and fire in his team, especially in the back.
"Greg is a player who I respect a lot," Morrow said. "He is a good player with a lot of quality and a player that I respect in this league. We made the deal for a couple of reasons. First of all, we needed to clear out a little salary cap room and Greg was a big number on our salary cap.
"It also gives me the chance to progress some of our other players, our other young center backs like Clarence Goodson, Alex Yi and Drew Moor," Morrow added. "We have Adrian Serioux who can cover there as well. I felt like we had a lot of cover at that position. I think what we got back from Colorado made a lot of sense for us."
Under Clarke, Vanney started 28 times last season and the veteran was at times exposed by faster attacking players. His consistency in the lineup left little or no playing time for fellow center back Yi, who played in 11 matches last year, starting six, though the UCLA product showed a great deal of promise in his limited time.
That should change under Morrow as he has a lot more faith in the FCD center backs than his predecessor did.
"I have a lot of confidence in the young guys," he said. "We're not talking about guys in their first year here. Clarence (Goodson) has been around for a few years and so has Alex Yi, who has also played abroad. Drew (Moor) played a full season last year and we have someone very experienced in Adrian Serioux coming in as well. We have four very experienced center backs, which I am very happy to have."
Goodson began 2006 as one of the starting center backs, but lost his job just three games into the season after a disastrous performance at Colorado. He fought his way back to re-enter the rotation late in the year and finished on a high note by scoring an overtime goal for the Hoops in their season-ending playoff loss to Colorado in the second leg of the MLS Western Conference Semifinals.
On the other hand, Moor started last season on the bench even after a strong preseason. But he didn't stay there long as he got his first start in the fourth week of the season against Kansas City and was in the starting 11 for the next 21 consecutive games before having to serve a suspension for yellow card accumulation and miss the Sept. 2 game against Houston. The former Indiana University player then got a breather but returned to the fray and started every match the rest of the way.
But in the end, moving Vanney boiled down to one thing -- toughness.
"Greg has a lot of qualities and he is someone that I have great respect for," Morrow said. "But I was looking for something a little different back there and I wanted to add a physical element to our team. I didn't see Greg fitting in too much with the other center backs that I've got."
The entire FCD back line could be different this year. Starting left back Chris Gbandi recently had a trial with a team in Norway and his status is uncertain. The starter on the right side, Bobby Rhine, who was FCD's longest-tenured player being with the club since 1999, had his contract expire and has yet to be offered a new one.
In this year's SuperDraft, FCD selected 17-year-old Anthony Wallace in the first round, ninth overall. Morrow projects the University of South Florida and U.S. under-20 national teamer as a right back, and even went so far as to say he felt that the young rookie might be ready to play this season.
Justin Moore, who was a second-round pick of the Hoops last year out of Clemson, had his contract voided after the season and his status is also uncertain. Before the start of the 2006 season, many thought that Moore would challenge Rhine for the starting job at right back, but that battle never materialized.
Also in the mix in back are David Wagenfuhr, a third-year player and left back by trade who saw time on the left in midfield for most of 2006. Michael Dello-Russo, a fourth-round pick in 2006 out of Maryland, saw time at right and center back last year with the FCD reserves, playing in a team-high 12 games.
The wildcard in all this could be Serioux, who was acquired by FCD last year in a trade with Toronto FC for all-star midfielder Ronnie O'Brien. Serioux, who spent last season playing for MLS Cup champion Houston, brings a mean streak and a toughness to the center back position that Morrow wants and craves. The Canadian veteran could very well be one of the starters at that spot as a guy who sets the tone for the rest of his side.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
