Just two days removed from returning from an 11-day trip to Brazil, FC Dallas takes to the field once again on Thursday afternoon when they will face the University of Tulsa at Pizza Hut Park (2 p.m. CT). But with a game against David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy looming on Saturday, FCD head coach Steve Morrow will use this match to gauge how far his second unit and younger players have come since the start of preseason.
"I wanted to get an extra game in this week because we will be looking to push most of the guys on Saturday against L.A. for 90 minutes," Morrow said. "So, we wanted to get a game for the second group who won't start on Saturday. It's a good workout for us."
FCD last hit the field on Saturday when they fell 3-1 to Brazilian side Avai FC in Florianapolis. The Hoops fell victim to some questionable officiating and veteran midfielder Pablo Ricchetti was sent off for a hard tackle some 20 yards from the visitors' box.
As for Thursday's opponent, Tulsa comes off a season where they finished 15-3-2 overall and captured both the regular season and Conference USA Tournament titles. The Golden Hurricane fell to Central Connecticut State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last fall but return a lineup featuring defender Chris Clements, a native of Dallas-area suburb Allen and a third-team NSCAA All-American last fall.
Midfielder Chris Taylor, who last fall, was a member of the C-USA all-freshman team and has attended camp with the U.S. under-20 national team, is another player to watch for Tulsa.
"They're a good program," said FCD defender Bobby Rhine. "There are a few guys in MLS who have come from Tulsa and that speaks well for their program. We know that it's a pretty athletic group. Any time we play a college team, we know what their mentality will be. We don't necessarily concern ourselves with what they do, it comes down to what we put into the game, what we're trying to work on and what we're trying to get out of it."
FCD rookie midfielder Brek Shea admits that he doesn't know a lot about Tulsa but is looking forward to playing yet again. "I don't know anything about them," he said. "I just want to play. I think it will be fun."
He and Rhine both admit that playing just two days after returning from South America is tough but all part of preseason. "It's hard but that's preseason and it's supposed to be hard," Shea said. "I like having games. It's better having fitness in games than doing it in practice. I like it."
Added Rhine: "That's how this preseason has gone. We've had a lot of games, which is good because everybody is getting a look and we're trying different formations here and there. It's important for us to work through the good and bad. It's good that we get to the games because that means less practice. From a player's standpoint, we enjoy that more."
After a two hour-plus training session on Wednesday afternoon, Morrow took some time to comment on how negotiations are going with Chilean striker Reinaldo Navia, who currently plays for Racing Club in Argentina.
"Talks are still ongoing," he said. "That's about as much as we can say right now. I wouldn't say it's dead or that we've moved on from it, we're still talking."
Following Thursday's match, FCD will have just two preseason matches remaining before they open the 2008 season. After Saturday's affair with the Galaxy, they will face South American partner Clube Atletico Paranaense next Saturday in the second leg of the USA/Brazil Challenge. FCD captured the first leg 2-0 last week in Curitiba and could capture the trophy for the first time in next weekend meeting at Pizza Hut Park.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
