There weren't many positives for FC Dallas on Saturday night in their 4-2 loss to the New England Revolution. But one bright spot for the Hoops was the MLS debut of 18-year-old rookie Anthony Wallace on the left side of the midfield.
The ninth overall pick in the 2007 SuperDraft, Wallace started and played 69 minutes before leaving the match for Arturo Alvarez. Wallace performed well in the first half but the Generation adidas player ran out of steam in the second half. Still, FCD head coach Steve Morrow likes the huge upside the young Floridian offers.
"We thought he was good in the first half, confident, mature, did the simple things well, did his job defensively and kept the ball nice and simple when he had it," Morrow said. "Then I thought he ran out of steam a little bit midway into the second half. Maybe his confidence started to drop a little bit with that as well but that's normal for a young player. I think he's shown that he's got a big future."
Before Saturday's match, Wallace, who played for the U.S. in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup earlier this summer, had started six reserve games for FCD. He started getting work in training with the first team last week but had no idea he would be starting until the last minute.
"I thought it (training with the first team) was a sign of me probably at least getting into the game but I didn't think I would start right away," Wallace said. "It came as a surprise to me. I found out the morning of the game. I had butterflies going into it and didn't think I would end up starting at the end of the day. But I was excited once I found out that I was (starting)."
Once Wallace found out he would be making his MLS debut against the Revs, he had one person he had to call.
"I called my dad," he said. "He has MLS Direct Kick in Florida and watches our games. He gave me some feedback (after the game). He told me that I did well, but like all parents say, he said that I could do better. He said I was nervous, which was true."
Wallace became the 11th first-rounder from this year's draft to see action this season, leaving only Amaechi Igwe of New England and Houston's John Michael Hayden as those yet to make their league debuts.
"I did well in the first half even though I was so nervous," Wallace said. "But I guess those nerves came back in the second half and didn't do as well that I did in the first."
Getting to play alongside fellow midfielder Dax McCarty, who leads FCD with seven assists and was a teammate of Wallace's at the U-20 World Cup, was another highlight for the Hoops rookie.
"It was good to play with him once again since I played with him in the 20s," Wallace said. "It felt good to have somebody close to my age on the field. Everybody was really supportive before the game and throughout the game."
Making his debut against the Revs was extra meaningful because of who Wallace found himself matched up with on the other side.
"They're a really good opponent," he said. "The person I was defending the most throughout the game was Steve Ralston, a person that I grew up watching (in St. Petersburg, Fla.). I used to go to (Tampa Bay) Mutiny games watching him play. It was kind of overwhelming at first but I got over it."
Morrow likes the comfort level that he sees in Wallace in the midfield. For the U.S. national team, Wallace played as a left back, but the FCD braintrust has just been trying to find the right place for him.
"I've always seen him as a two-way midfield player," he said. "He's got great defensive qualities with the athleticism that he has and he's able to get forward too. I see him most comfortable as a central midfield player who can get up and down the field."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
