As FC Dallas players convened at Pizza Hut Park last week in advance of the start of preseason training, there was a sight the club hadn't seen in some two years: a healthy Richard Mulrooney at full strength heading into camp.
At this time a year ago, Mulrooney was still working his way back from a torn right ACL that he suffered on May 12, 2005 in a match against his former side, the San Jose Earthquakes. The veteran returned to action almost exactly a year later, coming on as a second-half substitute on May 10, 2006 against the Los Angeles Galaxy. His first start came just three days later in a home match with Houston. All told, he played in 25 games last year, 23 of those starts in the central midfield, and had one goal and nine assists, second-most on the team.
On the advice of his doctors, Mulrooney took much of the winter months off and is now raring to go.
"I feel good," he said. "I was able to get the three months off that I wasn't able to get after my (arthroscopic surgery) last year. I was able to get three months off this year. I really didn't do anything from the last game of last year against Colorado until earlier this week -- I really didn't do anything impactful on my knee. I wanted to do that last year but really couldn't with all the impact and running on it."
The Hoops team that the eight-year MLS veteran is reuniting with in camp looks somewhat different from last year's group. Former head coach Colin Clarke is now gone, replaced by Steve Morrow. Ronnie O'Brien -- like Mulrooney a 2006 All-Star -- was traded to Toronto FC and fellow central midfielder Simo Valakari was not offered a new contract. Despite the changes, Mulrooney has already noticed a new vibe around the Hoops.
"I think everybody is happy to be back and ready to get that sour taste out of our mouths from last year," he said.
Morrow likes what he has seen from one of his most seasoned veterans so far this year.
"Richard is in great shape," he said. "I said that early on in the offseason that we wanted to make sure that we did the right thing with him. He took a good rest and really took the time to do a lot of strength and conditioning work to build up the strength around his knee and quads. If you ask him, he'll tell you that he feels the best that he's felt in years and that's a very positive sign. He looks great so far."
The Hoops will lean heavily on Mulrooney this year, especially with Valakari, who wore the captain's armband for the last two seasons, now departed. He will be a candidate for the squad's captaincy because of his experience in the league and the two MLS Cup championships he won while in San Jose.
But even Mulrooney admits that his fitness isn't quite where it was two years ago when he went through his last full preseason with FCD.
"I'm probably behind because I just took three months off," he said. "I didn't run on it or touch a ball but that was according to doctor's orders. My knee was 100 percent going into preseason in 2005 and last year was a different story.
"I'm a little behind, but that's why we have preseason. I stayed with my schedule of working my upper body and core but I feel behind a bit in my aerobic workout. We're working on that as a team and our first game is a ways off, so I'm not too concerned about it."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
