FC Dallas will be well-represented during a 10-day tour of England that will see a team of Generation adidas players face off against some solid competition beginning on Monday. Three FCD players -- midfielder Dax McCarty plus defenders Drew Moor and Blake Wagner -- will make the trip for the Hoops and they are excited about the opportunity to head overseas.
McCarty was FCD's first-round pick (sixth overall) in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft and played in two games this past season with the first team. The former North Carolina Tarheel played in eight reserve games for the Hoops and had three goals and two assists. He and Wagner both made several trips with the U.S. under-20 national team throughout the season.
"This one (trip) is a little different," he said. "It's a trip that I'm looking forward to and a lot of good can come from it. I'm preparing for the Under-20 World Championship Qualifying Tournament and am looking at this trip as a chance to get in shape and prepare for that. I want to go into it and have fun."
This season was Moor's second in MLS and he comes off a breakout year where he landed a starting role at center back in Week Four of the season and started 21 straight matches there before being forced to sit because of yellow card accumulation in early September. The former Indiana standout finished the year with one goal and one assist while playing in 27 games, 26 of them being starts.
"I'm looking forward to it," Moor said. "It's a great opportunity to get the young kids in the league together and get them playing over there. It should be a pretty competitive environment. It's good experience for us to go over there in an environment like that in the offseason and possibly catch the eye of anybody who could be watching."
Wagner is coming off a rookie season where he saw no time with the first team, at least in league play, but played in nine games for the FCD reserves, eight of those starts. The Florida native did play both legs of the battle with Mexican first division side Tigres UANL for the Rio Grande Plate, starting in the second leg held in Monterrey, Mexico, back in July.
The trip has the team leaving the States on Friday, arriving in London on Saturday and then training at Chelsea FC's academy on Saturday and Sunday. The squad will then face the Queens Park Rangers reserves on Monday plus have other matches against the reserves from Crystal Palace, Watford and Chelsea. The team will also see a UEFA Champions League match between Chelsea and Levski Sofia at Stamford Bridge and take in several English Premier League contests before returning to the States on Dec. 10.
One thing that appeals to both McCarty and Moor about this trip is the fact they will make it with several of their teammates along for the ride.
"It adds a little level of comfort to it because you've been competing with those guys all year," McCarty said. "Blake (Wagner) is my U-20 teammate and I live with him. He's a good friend of mine. I'm glad he's going on the trip with me because we're familiar with each other."
McCarty added: "Drew is a great guy in the locker room and a good guy to talk to. He pretty much came into the same situation that Blake and I probably did. He didn't play much his first year either. He's a great guy to talk to and to look up to because he's had a great second year and was one of our best defenders. He is great to get advice from and to talk to. Having them both on the trip is good for FC Dallas and for me as well."
"I think it will be nice," Moor said. "I'm four years older than both of them and look at them as my little brothers. I hope they get a good experience out of it too. They both just finished their rookie years and I remember that it wasn't easy. It's important what they do in their first offseason. I hope I can support them as well as myself and help us have a good, positive and effective trip there and help us all get ready for the preseason."
The trip marks the start of a very busy stretch for both McCarty and Wagner. Only a few days after returning from England, they will both head to the U-20 camp in Bradenton, Fla., which leads up to qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
"We get back on the 10th," McCarty said "Then, I have a day or two to relax and spend time with the family. Then, it's off to Bradenton to start the qualifying camps, which will run throughout December. We will have a few days off for Christmas, but will start back up in January and run all through qualifying."
Both Hoops are looking at the trip as a great opportunity to get some extra work in on their fitness.
"I think that in the modern game, if you're not extremely fit, then you're going to have a lot of problems playing at the highest level," McCarty said. "This trip is going to be my starting point for getting fit for the under-20s. I feel like I haven't lost that much fitness in just a week or two off from playing. I've always been naturally fit but this trip will help me exceed the fitness level I need to reach, not just for the U-20s, but for the MLS season also."
"I think it's going to help me in the big picture," Moor said. "Last year, I went with (FC Dallas teammate) David Wagenfuhr over to Middlesborough and we trained there for about 10 days. This will help me keep my fitness and maybe give me an edge when the season starts back up in February, when preseason begins."
