When FC Dallas closes out their preseason schedule Saturday evening in the second leg of the USA/Brazil Challenge against South American partner Clube Atletico Paranaense (CAP) at Pizza Hut Park, the match will have added meaning for two members of the FCD roster, forward Ricardinho and midfielder Andre Rocha.
At this time a year ago, both were playing for CAP, and in fact it was Ricardinho who netted a goal for the Brazilian club in a 1-0 win against FCD that allowed them to clinch the inaugural USA/Brazil Challenge last March.
"I'm going to play just like I did last year," Ricardinho said. "I want to score goals. It doesn't matter to me who I'm with because that's my responsibility. Now, I'm with FC Dallas and my responsibility is to score goals for them. I respect my former teammates but I look to do all I can to help FC Dallas win on Saturday."
Rocha is also looking forward to facing his former teammates.
"The game is really complicated," he said. "Last year, I had the mentality of trying to win with them but since I'm living here now, I want to help FC Dallas win. I'm going to train a lot to help us win against CAP on Saturday. We've been training really hard and it has gone well. I want to play fast and for us to compete for the MLS championship this year."
This year is Ricardinho's first full season in MLS. He came to FCD from CAP on loan last July and played in eight games for the Hoops last year and had one assist. He is a candidate to start on the FCD front line alongside Kenny Cooper and maybe even Arturo Alvarez.
FCD head coach Steve Morrow lauded the 19-year-old striker for a solid performance on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Galaxy and admits that those kinds of showings are what he expects from Ricardinho every time he hits the field.
"We know he's got that ability," Morrow said. "I've said to him several times that it's all down to him to perform at a high level on a consistent basis. If he can do that, we all know what he's capable of. He's got to have that level of consistency in every game now and has to be dangerous in front of the goal. He has to get forward and score goals for the team. He understands that and hopefully, he can keep performing at the level he was at last Saturday."
Rocha came to FCD under similar circumstances, acquired on loan in February. The 6-foot-1 midfielder began his soccer career with Sao Paolo FC, where one of his teammates was FCD midfielder Marcelo Saragosa. He admits that the soccer atmosphere in the USA is different but still good.
"There (in Brazil) I would have a lot more pressure to win (this game) but here, the fans are a lot easier on you," Rocha said. "I'm adapting to things here really well."
Although he has only played in a few preseason games, Morrow has been impressed with what Rocha has shown him thus far.
"He's a quality player and hasn't had any problem transitioning into the team," Morrow said. "He's very happy with the way everyone has treated him. He's been able to settle in quickly and likes his teammates. He's a great guy off the field as well.
"On the field, he understands the game well and has played at a high enough level that he seems to just take everything in stride. I think he's just going to continue getting better as the season goes on."
Ricardinho admits that it will be a bit strange playing against his former CAP teammates but that won't distract him from his focus of scoring as much as possible for FCD. "Those are my former teammates but FC Dallas are my current teammates," he said. "I don't think of CAP as my teammates right now and I know that they respect that from me."
Both agree that preseason has gone very well and feel good about where they and FCD is at less than two weeks before their 2008 MLS season opener against Chivas USA on March 30.
"I see myself very good," Ricardinho said. "I feel very good and have had very good work with FC Dallas so far in preseason. We have had an excellent preseason. I think this could be a good year for us since we're working so hard right now."
Rocha echoed his teammate's thoughts. "It's going really well here and I'm happy," he said. "I lost a little bit of fitness last week due to an injury but am good now. I've been training hard the last three weeks, so I will be fit and ready to go against CAP."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
