If you look up the word professional in the dictionary, one meaning is: 'CONFORMING TO THE STANDARDS OF A PROFESSION'. No one player in Major League Soccer (MLS) lives the definition better than FC Dallas midfielder Oscar Pareja.
The nine-year veteran plays with passion on the field and definitely carries that passion off the field as well. Pareja is truly interested in you as a person whether you're a fan, writer or a member of the FC Dallas staff.
The bad news for soccer fans is that this will be Pareja's final season as a player. On June 15 it was announced that the native of Colombia will hang up his boots after the 2005 season.
Pareja knows what it takes to win a championship. He tasted success early in his career in 1987 with Club America, which won the Colombian Youth Championships. Eight years later with Deportivo Cali, Pareja won his first championship crown on the professional level during the 95-96 season.
Pareja entered Major League Soccer in 1998 with the New England Revolution and 13 games into the season he was sent to Dallas in exchange for Damian Alvarez. The MLS Cup has eluded him since his arrival in MLS. Winning the trophy in 2005 would be a fitting end to a great career.
His most productive seasons with Dallas were 2000 and 2001. In 2000 his three goals and 10 assists helped Dallas to a 14-14-4 record. He registered two goals and 12 assists in 2001 as the Burn finished 10-11-5 and went to the playoffs for the sixth straight season. In 2001 and 2002, the local media voted Pareja the team's MVP. Other honors include being named to the MLS Best XI in 2002, the Inferno MVP in 2000 and 2002, and the Napalm award (3rd Degree's Most Valuable Player) in 2001-02.
Pareja has gained the respect of those who have played with him as well as the management of the Dallas organization.
"With Oscar, it's a case of what he does everyday," said FC Dallas head coach Colin Clarke. "He works hard, helps the young kids and does all the little things very well. That's a testament that he is still playing at his age (36)."
Greg Vanney says: "He is dangerous when he has the ball, not just for himself but more so for the players around him and putting other players around him in good position to score goals and things like that."
I talked to Oscar about this being his final season and he told me, "I'm just trying to live it and enjoy it the best I can. Every game will be sad as I think, one less game, one less game. It makes me happy that I can still do good things and this season will be a good memory for me."
On June 22 Pareja showed he still has something valuable to contribute. He looked more like a 26-year-old as he played 59 minutes recording an assist in FC Dallas' 2-1 win over Chivas USA. Pareja was clearly the best player on the field in the first half of play.
I met Pareja three years ago at a youth soccer clinic. I liked how he took time to visit with me as we discussed soccer. I thought to myself, there's a guy who certainly could act better than anyone but he doesn't. He treated me, the parents and the kids all with respect.
In today's world where professional athletes are too busy for the fans, Oscar Pareja should be a model for all athletes. He is a "class act" and truly puts the "P" in professional. Oscar has left his mark on the Dallas franchise with or without the MLS Cup.
Ray Canevari is the English-language radio voice of FC Dallas. He also hosts FC Dallas Weekly, a radio program that airs on KFCD 990 AM every Thursday from 6-7 p.m. CT. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
