After last Saturday's 3-2 comeback win against Columbus at Pizza Hut Park, FC Dallas was riding high. But once the luster of that win faded, one which allowed the Hoops to leapfrog Houston in the MLS Western Conference standings and take over first place, FCD head coach Steve Morrow faced the prospect of putting together a makeshift midfield for Sunday's match against Houston Dynamo.
Defensive midfielder Marcelo Saragosa was sent off in the 81st minute after delivering an elbow to the throat of the Crew's Ned Grabavoy and will miss Sunday's game due to suspension. Pablo Ricchetti left the match with an injured left Achilles in the 77th minute and all-star midfielder Juan Toja was also out after suffering a high ankle sprain earlier in the week in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal.
However, when it looked like doom and gloom for the FCD midfield, Morrow got some good news early in the week, when he learned that Ricchetti's injury wasn't severe and the Argentinian midfielder returned to training on Wednesday.
"To lose him as well would have been a big blow for us," said a relieved Morrow. "He's been fighting hard the last few weeks and has shown a few signs of a little bit of tiredness as well. I'm glad that injury wasn't too serious. We should look at giving him a rest at some point as well."
The cupboard isn't exactly bare in the FCD midfield. Second-year midfielder Dax McCarty has played well since returning to the lineup after playing for the U.S. in last month's FIFA Under-20 World Cup. Other options are Aaron Pitchkolan, Bobby Rhine and rookie Anthony Wallace.
"I think we've got enough strength and depth in that area," Morrow said. "Marcelo (Saragosa) is a big loss to us, especially going into a game like Houston, where I think, it would have suited him. We're missing Juan (Toja) as well, so that's a big part of our midfield.
"Dax (McCarty) has been playing great of late and we still have Pablo (Ricchetti) in there," he said. "Bobby Rhine has played in there before and did a great job for us, especially in D.C. and we also have Anthony Wallace and (Aaron) Pitchkolan to step in. We have enough options and I feel confident that whatever guys we put in there will know what they need to do on Sunday."
Besides McCarty (FCD-high six assists) and Ricchetti (three assists), another fixture in the midfield recently has been Houston native Arturo Alvarez (two goals, three assists). He netted three goals during SuperLiga plus one against the Crew, and is eagerly anticipating his first start in his hometown this Sunday.
Entering into the equation is the back four. With center backs Adrian Serioux and Alex Yi likely not ready for Sunday, normal right back Drew Moor could move into the middle alongside Clarence Goodson with Rhine taking Moor's spot on the right side.
The biggest question is whether Serioux can play. He left last Saturday's match with a left hamstring strain and did not train on either Wednesday or Thursday but Morrow wasn't yet ready to rule him out for Sunday.
"We're not too sure at the moment," Morrow said. "He's one of those guys who wants to fight through it and wants to play. We're trying to be sensible and conservative with him. We're going to see how he is tomorrow and Saturday and then make a decision on Sunday if he's fit enough to play. He's questionable."
If Serioux can't go, then his spot in central defense would be filled by either Moor or Pitchkolan. If it's Pitchkolan, Moor will stay in his normal spot on the right but the more likely scenario will see Pitchkolan take Saragosa's spot, Moor move inside to replace Serioux, and Rhine start at right back. Wallace is an option to take Saragosa's place but likely isn't quite ready to make his MLS debut.
Earlier in the week, FCD also shipped disgruntled midfielder Ramon Nunez, who had three goals and two assists this year but hadn't played since July 4, to Chivas USA for a first-round draft pick in 2009. Last month, Nunez had said that he wanted a trade and since then, Morrow has been working to grant his wish.
"I don't have too many thoughts on Ramon's departure," Morrow said. "If somebody doesn't want to be here, it's not really too big a loss to me. If they don't think their future is here with FC Dallas, that's not a big loss to me or the team. It's important going into the final stretch that we have guys who want to be here and want to fight for FC Dallas. I need all 28 guys on the roster going in the same direction. That one's no big deal for me."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
