FRISCO, Texas – In terms of midfield depth, the rich just got richer.
When FC Dallas officially signed Panamanian midfielder Rolando Escobar from Venezuelan first-division side Deportivo Anzoategui SC on Tuesday afternoon, the depth at midfield, which holds the likes of Fabian Castillo, Mauro Diaz, Ryan Hollingshead, Tesho Akindele and Michael Barrios, received yet another boost.
But while the supply of midfielders seems endless on paper, injuries have been a concern at the position over the last two seasons. For one, Diaz’s struggles with staying healthy have been well-documented since the Argentine joined MLS in 2013.
Additionally, the explosive Castillo left training early Tuesday and missed all of training on Wednesday, putting his status for Friday’s game against Sporting Kansas City (9 pm ET; UniMas) in jeopardy.
Fortunately for the club, technical director Fernando Clavijo and head coach Oscar Pareja expect Escobar’s P-1 visa and international transfer certificate to be ready, giving them optimism that he will be available against SKC.
“He’s another player that can give us that temporization, calming things down in the middle,” Pareja said of his new midfielder. “When he gives you those feet in there, he knows the game and is experienced enough to carry the game when he’s under pressure.”
While he would ideally fit in the middle of the midfield, he has the ability to play on the wing as well, which could potentially solve a couple of recent problems for Dallas – Castillo’s injury being one and the other being the right-wing-by-committee approach featuring Hollingshead, Akindele and Barrios.
None of those three have been able to permanently seize the job thus far, giving Escobar another potential spot to crack into the lineup sooner rather than later.
“He can play [at the wing], he can play underneath, he can even play in a diamond if we want,” Pareja said. “So he’s pretty versatile.”
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At 33 years old, Escobar, nicknamed “The Snake,” is tied for the second oldest player on the team behind fellow Panamanian Blas Perez. In fact, it was The Snake’s connection to Perez that helped him find his way to Dallas.
Escobar played with Perez during their younger days in Panama, including on the national team, for which Escobar has appeared in 33 matches. So when FCD was on the lookout for more midfield depth, they consulted with their star forward about what Escobar brings to the table, both on and off the pitch.
After Super Raton gave the club his blessing, Escobar was signed and introduced to the team. That previous relationship, according to Pareja, is a major asset in terms of Escobar’s adaptation to a foreign locker room and league.
“When you have players coming from abroad, [it is] difficult to establish themselves into the locker room and into the team and to the rhythm of the league,” Pareja said. “Our league is unique. It’s pretty physical, and now becoming not just physical, but technique and speed of the game is high here – something that we should be proud of. So the adjustments for these guys are not easy.
“And having Blas here to help him gel into the group, that helps. In other circumstances, it takes more.”
And even though Escobar is entering a locker room full of young, up-and-coming players, he realizes the potential of his new club.
“[There are] a lot of younger players are very good and very competitive,” Escobar said. “I feel that the team really wants to win a championship, and that’s why I’m here. Hopefully I can add as much as I can to make sure we win a championship.”
