When FC Dallas and Columbus meet Sunday afternoon at Pizza Hut Park in the Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup (5 p.m. CT, FSC/E), it will mark the third time the Hoops and Crew have squared off this preseason. But the match will have extra meaning because it will honor Hunt, who owned both MLS clubs, and also because all proceeds will go to Dallas SCORES.
The significance of Sunday's game isn't lost on the FCD players and coaches.
"I said to the guys that it's a very special day and I want them to feel that," said FCD head coach Steve Morrow. "He (Hunt) is a very special person and that needs to be our motivation tomorrow, going out to play for him. The boys know that, can see it very clearly and I didn't have to say anything more about that. We're all looking forward to putting on a good game and a spectacle for him."
Two of his players echoed Morrow's sentiments.
"If it wasn't for Lamar Hunt, U.S. soccer wouldn't be the same," said second-year midfielder Dax McCarty. "He was an innovator and one of the true believers in the game to succeed here. This game is a testament to everything he did for the U.S. and MLS. We're really looking forward to the game and really want to win because it means a lot to us."
"Tomorrow is a very special day," agreed FCD forward Kenny Cooper. "Lamar has done so much for the game in this country and for this league. For the two teams involved and me personally, I love the man and will always be grateful to have played for him. It's a very special day and I'm really looking forward to it."
The Hoops have just returned from a 10-day trip to Curitiba, Brazil, where they trained and played with their Brazilian partner Clube Atletico Paranaense. The Hoops returned from South America a bit banged up as last year's FCD defender of the year, Chris Gbandi, suffered an ankle injury in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to CAP. His ankle isn't broken but did swell up on the trip back to Frisco.
Gbandi, tabbed as the starter at left back, missed Saturday's training session and was on crutches. An MRI was scheduled for later in the day.
"It's unfortunate," Morrow said. "We were devastated for Chris (Gbandi) on Wednesday night. We thought it would be something worse. We feared that he had broken his ankle. We hope it's a lot better. He's going to get an MRI [Saturday]. We know it's not broken, so hopefully the news isn't as bad as we first feared. It's disappointing to lose another defender after losing Adrian (Serioux), especially losing more experience. But it's not for too long. We have enough young talent on this team to cover for it."
Other injuries during the trip were Brazilian central midfielder Marcelo Saragosa, who suffered a sprained ankle early on but recovered enough to play 20 minutes on Wednesday. Saragosa did not train on Saturday, instead doing recovery work and will not play on Sunday.
Midfielder Arturo Alvarez also suffered a bruised toe in Brazil after his foot was stepped on. His injury is considered minor, but he did not train on Saturday and also will likely not play on Sunday.
In Gbandi's place, Morrow will start David Wagenfuhr on the left with Clarence Goodson and Drew Moor at center back spots and Alex Yi on the right. Shaka Hislop gets the starting nod in goal. Ramon Nunez, McCarty and Aaron Pitchkolan are the midfielders.
Up top, look for Carlos Ruiz to be flanked by Roberto Mina, who is fully recovered after suffering a knee injury in the middle of last season, and Cooper. Last year, Cooper played both striker and midfielder, but when asked about where the Dallas native will play in 2007, Morrow said that he saw him playing striker.
Earlier this preseason, Columbus won both previous meetings. A year ago, the Crew dealt FCD losses in both regular season meetings -- a 2-1 defeat in Frisco last June, which at the time was the first home loss of 2006 for the Hoops, then a 3-1 decision at Crew Stadium in late September.
"We should be (very familiar with them by now)," Morrow said. "Last time was a completely different game. We didn't have too many of our starters out there last time as we played a lot of the young guys. We're looking forward to setting that result right tomorrow."
Sunday's affair will be FCD's first game in Frisco since the disappointing season-ending loss to Colorado in the second leg of the Western Conference semifinals last November.
"It's an important game," Cooper said. "It's the first game here at home in over three months. It's nice to come out here and train. The field looks great."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
