In Sunday's 2-2 draw with San Jose, there was a pair of firsts for FC Dallas. In the opening half, midfielder David Ferreira netted his first MLS goal to give FCD a 1-0 lead. And three minutes from full time, Brek Shea got his first career assist as Kenny Cooper scored the equalizer that allowed FCD to salvage a point on the afternoon.
"I remember I saw [Anthony Wallace] play the ball," Shea said about the play. "I saw Andre (Rocha) running with a man on him and told him to flick the ball. I don't know if he understood, but he did it. When the ball came to me, I heard Kenny (Cooper) calling for it. So I laid it across to him. He did well to get around the 'keeper and scored to tie the game. It was pretty exciting."
It was the second consecutive week Shea had entered the match as a late-game substitute and made things happen. In a 3-0 win against Chicago last Sunday, the big Texan came on late and drew a yellow card, drawing a free kick which Cooper put in the back of the net for his fifth goal of 2009.
FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman has noticed Shea's contributions each of the last two weeks and has been impressed with the 19-year-old's play.
"He's been great," Hyndman said. "He brings a lot of size. He brings a lot of energy and some pure speed. He's been adding a lot to our team. What a great ball he laid off to Kenny. He was under a lot of pressure and could have gone to the goal himself. Instead, he finds an open player, plays it across and Kenny ends up putting it into the goal. I think he's going to continue to blossom for us."
Like every player, Shea would rather be in the first 11. However at least for now, he is happy to contribute any way he can even if it means coming off the bench to give his club a late-game shot of adrenaline.
"That's two assists," he said jokingly. "Whenever I come into the games, I want to bring a lot of energy and make things hectic for the defense. I just want to make myself busy and give everybody options to help us win the game or make something happen."
The second overall pick in last January's MLS SuperDraft, Shea spent much of last year getting adjusted to the professional ranks before having knee surgery late in the year. The rangy striker has appeared in four games this year, including one start and has one assist to show for his efforts.
A regular with the U.S. under-20 national team, Hyndman kept Shea back in Frisco when the U-20s faced Costa Rica in a pair of matches in late May.
Shea admits it would have been great to play for the under-20 side, but having Hyndman want him to remain with FCD is something he calls a huge positive.
"They said it was a good thing, staying since I had a chance to play here," he said. "That's good because the U-20s are only every once in a while. I like to go to the 20s every time that I can and every time they have a camp, but if coach says he needs me here, I'm happy to stay here."
Almost since the day he arrived in Frisco, Shea has always been one of the last players off the training field each day. In fact, he and Cooper can usually be seen working on their finishing long after their teammates have retired to the locker room.
"I like to stay after and work on something I need to work on or something we didn't work on that day in practice," Shea said. "I think it's helped me tremendously and that's why I keep doing it."
That extra work has allowed him to pick the brain of Cooper, who has 39 career goals in his first three-plus seasons in MLS.
"He has helped me with finishing and composure," Shea said. "He has shown me that when you get the ball, you don't want to freak out in front of the goal. You just want to be composed and put it away."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
