A day after signing former Club America center back Duilio Davino to a contract, FC Dallas now turns their attention to the next step in building the Hoops' roster for the 2008 season when the annual MLS SuperDraft takes place.
On Saturday, FCD director of team administration Bobby Hammond, head coach Steve Morrow plus assistant coaches Marco Ferruzzi and the newly added Jorge Alvial will be present as the annual adidas MLS Player Combine begins in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
FCD will have two picks in the first round of the 2008 SuperDraft, which will be held on Jan. 18 in Baltimore.
"We think there are some useful picks there positionally speaking," Ferruzzi said. "We're very happy and satisfied with the signing (Davino) that we've made but there's always room for young players to come in and to add to the roster."
Ferruzzi wouldn't tip his hat as to what needs the Hoops have and are looking to fill in the draft but with the departure of striker Carlos Ruiz likely imminent before the start of the regular season, building the attack is one area likely to be looked at.
"We're looking for quality for sure," he said. "We have a look toward positional needs, but first and foremost, you're looking for quality. That might not be an immediate need but it's something for the future. We're not going to give up much in terms of what our first target is."
Ferruzzi and Morrow have seen many of the players in this year's combine over the past several years but this will also mark their first in-person look at many of them.
"Over the past few years, we've probably seen about half of them," Ferruzzi said. "We have to rely a lot on our coaches network -- speaking to their coach and others who have seen them play to get some background on the player. Of course, then, you get to see them live."
Still, the FCD assistant is expecting to see big things from some of the players he, Morrow and the rest of the Hoops contingent have yet to see in person.
"You don't want it all to hinge on how they do this weekend," Ferruzzi said. "But we go in there with a lot of information on all the players and we're looking to be impressed or surprised. You go in there with the information and hope for them to have an impressive weekend. Then, maybe you have something that you weren't expecting."
The Hoops will also have a new face joining them at the combine in Alvial, who most recently was Chelsea's FC chief scout for Central, North and South America.
"Jorge is going to meet us down there," Ferruzzi said. "He's been doing other duties for the last few years that haven't involved the college game in particular. He's going more to see how we do the combine and the college draft system more than anything else."
Once the combine concludes on Tuesday morning, the group will return to Frisco, do some late preparation for the draft and depart for Baltimore on Thursday.
Ferruzzi knows that an option for at least one of those first-round picks is to take another Generation adidas player, a program which FCD has a good history with. The Hoops currently have three Generation adidas players on their roster: Abdus Ibrahim, Blake Wagner and Anthony Wallace. Midfielder Dax McCarty and starting defender Drew Moor are former Generation adidas players.
"It (taking one of them) is always a good option for a number of reasons. You have young players coming from a strong program that are focused on beginning their professional careers. The fact that they're Generation adidas serves MLS rosters in an important way," Ferruzzi said. "You're able to have a young player getting used to the professional life and it doesn't impact your 18-man roster. They're certainly attractive picks and we have had some good ones in recent history."
Even with FCD holding two of the top eight picks in the draft, Ferruzzi did admit that they have yet to receive any phone calls about possible trades for either, or both picks.
"No, this is kind of a quiet time just before the combine," he said. "Once you get down there with all the coaches and see guys face-to-face, things start happening before the draft."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
