Hands down, all-star midfielder and Colombian import Juan Toja has been the most valuable player thus far this season for FC Dallas. But the contributions of a fellow South American in that same FCD midfield, those of Pablo Ricchetti, have not gone unnoticed.
Ricchetti was signed by FCD from Quilmes in his native Argentina just before the start of the season. His MLS debut came on May 12 at Kansas City and so far he has started 13 games for the Hoops and has three assists, including the game-winner in a 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake on May 20.
Since making his debut, Ricchetti, who mans one of the two deeper midfield spots, has helped FCD improve in an area that was an issue for them at times last year -- controlling possession. Defensively, Ricchetti has also been breaking up passes and causing havoc for opposing attackers.
"He plays a great role for us. He's very experienced and is a great team guy off the field," FCD coach Steve Morrow said. "He is one of those guys who gets on great with everybody as well. He brings great composure on the field with his passing and technical ability. He has made a quiet contribution this year but I would say he made it more in a quiet way than Juan (Toja)."
The adjustment from Argentina to MLS has been a smooth transition for the 30-year-old midfielder.
"I'm happy here," he said. "It's a great organization. We are playing well and have had a good season so far. We can do better but so far, we have done pretty well."
Before his one season at Quilmes, Ricchetti had previously played in Italy, Spain and also for two other clubs in his homeland. He was also a member of Argentina's under-20 national team in 1996 and 1997 and also played in the Copa Libertadores while with River Plate. While in Spain, where he played for Real Valladolid, he was teammates with Mexican legend and current Chicago Fire star Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
The well-traveled veteran has played around the world but admits he has been impressed with the quality of play in MLS thus far.
"The soccer here is newer because the leagues here haven't been around as long. In Europe, you have better players because you have more money and more TV. But the players here are very good," Ricchetti said. "It's a good league and you have seen that in SuperLiga and against Celtic. MLS can play against any other league in the world -- either in Latin America or Europe. The level of play here is really good."
In the offseason, FCD did not re-sign Finnish hardman Simo Valakari, which had some wondering who would fill his place in the 2007 version of the Hoops. But Ricchetti has done that and more, while adding to a solid midfield corps that also includes Arturo Alvarez, Dax McCarty and hard-nosed Marcelo Saragosa.
"I like playing with them," Ricchetti said. "We play well as a team. We have a really good group of players in the middle."
That midfield corps got even better late last week when FCD announced it had signed FIFA World Cup-winning midfielder Denilson to be its designated player. His debut is likely more than a week away but the talented Brazilian makes a good group even better.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
