FRISCO, Texas (August 31, 2007) - FC Dallas midfielder Denilson has received his work visa from the U.S. Government and is now eligible to play for FC Dallas. The Brazilian World Cup winner is expected to make his Major League Soccer debut on Saturday, Sept. 1 when FC Dallas hosts D.C. United at Pizza Hut Park (7:30 pm CT).
Denilson will occupy the team's fourth Senior International slot, which was opened when Brazilian midfielder Marcelo Saragosa was placed on the season-ending injury list. Saragosa, who initially injured his right knee on April 12 versus the LA Galaxy, re-injured the same knee again on July 4 at home versus Chivas USA. He returned to play ten days later in a 3-3 tie at D.C. United on July 14, and proceeded to play another six games with the injured knee.
After consulting with the coaching staff, the decision was mutually made to have the knee treated at this time. The 25-year old will undergo surgery to repair the torn meniscus on a date to be determined. This year, Saragosa had appeared in 13 of the team's 21 regular season games, the club's three SuperLiga games, and FCD's U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal win over Charleston.
Denilson is the fifth international star signed by an MLS team this year under the new Designated Player rule, joining England's David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Colombia's Juan Pablo Angel (NY Red Bulls), Mexico's Cuatechmoc Blanco (Chicago Fire), and the United States' Claudio Reyna (NY Red Bulls).
This is the second and final meeting between FCD and D.C. this season. On July 14 at RFK, the teams played to a wild 3-3 tie, in which FCD came back to earn the draw after being down by three goals early in the second half. The three goal deficit was the largest margin the team has overcome to earn a point in its 12 year history.
