When FC Dallas take on Houston Dynamo on Saturday night at Pizza Hut Park, the club's back four will look markedly different.
Right back Drew Moor is away with the U.S. national team at Copa America, left back Chris Gbandi will be serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation and center back Alex Yi's status remains uncertain after suffering a strained hamstring in a 1-0 win at Colorado last Saturday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
Yi injured his hamstring in the first half of the Rapids game and was replaced by Bobby Rhine to start the second half. He has yet to train this week and was on the sidelines with his hamstring wrapped during Thursday's training session. FCD head coach Steve Morrow called his status questionable for Saturday.
"We're waiting on Alex Yi to see how he recovers from his injury," Morrow said on Thursday. "If not, our choices are Andrew Daniels, Clarence (Goodson) and Aaron Pitchkolan. He (Yi) didn't quite stride out how he wanted to. That's not a good sign. We'll give him another 24 hours and see how he is tomorrow."
Should Yi not be able to go, then the likely replacement for him at center back is Pitchkolan, who has played in just four games this season. He played at the defensive midfield spot before the Hoops officially added Pablo Ricchetti to the roster in May. Pitchkolan has played in the back in the past and is a viable option in the middle.
One option not on the table is giving ex-Dynamo defender Adrian Serioux his first start of 2007 at center back. The Canadian international, who has been out since having knee surgery in February, is close to making his return but not quite there.
"He's close but I don't want to push him too hard too quickly at this stage," Morrow said. "We've brought him this far and he's done well. I think it's because we've pushed him and also because we've been a little conservative with him as well. I think Saturday is too early for him. I would rather he had a full week of training at an intense level. I think he needs to train at an intense level for a full week before we think about it."
Rhine will likely take Moor's spot on the right. He was FCD's starting right back last year after making the switch from forward in 2005. Second-year player Michael Dello-Russo has also been coming on in training and reserve games but Morrow would be unlikely to give the former University of Maryland product his first MLS start against the hottest team in the league in Dynamo.
Left back is not so clear cut. The logical choice is David Wagenfuhr, who has played in five matches this year and started there in Gbandi's absence on several occasions. But then again, Morrow could start second-year player Blake Wagner at the spot in what would be his debut with the FCD first team.
Morrow will make a decision on that spot after training tomorrow but both Wagenfuhr and Wagner are ready and realize the importance of Saturday's match against their in-state rival.
"However the team can use me, I will go out and do my best," Wagenfuhr said. "Whenever the opportunity comes, I will do all I can to prove myself and to get into games. It's just one game in a long season. But at the same time, it's an important game because they are our rivals and we haven't done well against them. We need to do well against them to prove to Dynamo that we can beat them."
Said Wagner: "It's his (Morrow's) decision and all I can do is go out there, play hard and hopefully, he chooses me. It's pretty close right now and I don't know who he will go with. It will come down to a gametime decision. That is always a good game (against Houston). It will be a pretty crazy game and one I would love to play in."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
