Four days removed from a deal that sent him from Toronto FC to FC Dallas, Jeff Cunningham trained with his new club for the first time on Tuesday and is already getting acclimated to his new surroundings -- which includes impressing his new coach.
"He's a proven goal scorer," FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman said. "I think in our little scrimmage here that we went for 22 minutes, he picked up two goals. So, I think he's got the speed, he's got the experience and can hold the ball as well as anybody on our strike force. I think he could be that player that we need to make a difference."
Whether it's deserved or not, Hyndman is well aware of the reputation that Cunningham has for being a locker room distraction, but doesn't see that as an issue with the Hoops.
"With Jeff, whatever issues that he might have had in the past with others, again, it's a breath of fresh air and this maybe the right environment," Hyndman said. "(Assistant coach and ex-Real Salt Lake coach) John Ellinger and I are close. On the first day of my job, John said that we need Jeff Cunningham in here. So, it's taken us about six weeks to get him in here.
"I don't foresee any issues with Jeff as long as he does his role and his job," Hyndman continued. "Even if he's not scoring goals, as long as he's doing his job and his role with other people finding ways to score goals and win. That should be the thought that he should be getting, is how to help this team win, not so much how to help Jeff score."
Cunningham's new teammates are glad to welcome him to the fold.
"He brings experience and has scored many goals," FCD midfielder Marcelo Saragosa said. "I think he has 99 goals in this league. He will score some goals for us. He's very quick and someone you can't give much space to. If you do, he will go in and try to score. That's what was most difficult for us when we played against him in the past."
For FCD forward Kenny Cooper, who is tied with the league lead with 13 goals, the addition of Cunningham gives the Hoops another viable option up top.
"Obviously, he's scored a lot of goals," Cooper said. "So I'm excited that he's going to be on our team now. He's a great player and is coming into a great locker room. We'll embrace him like we have every other player. We've got great guys here and I'm sure that he'll fit in really quickly. He has 99 (goals) in MLS and that's an incredible stat. Hopefully he will come here and do what he's been doing for his whole career."
In 2006 while with Real Salt Lake, Cunningham won the Budweiser Golden Boot, netting 16 goals. One current FCD player, Jamie Watson, was also on that team and knows the veteran striker very well.
"I think it was a good pickup, especially before we make a playoff run," Watson said. "Schellas (Hyndman) was pretty adamant about wanting to find another goal scorer. We've got two goal scorers in Dominic (Oduro) and Abe (Thompson) as a second forward to Kenny (Cooper). But you can't argue with Jeff (Cunningham) and his 99 goals. People can say what they want but at the end of the day, when you have put the ball in the net close to 100 times, it's tough to argue with what he does."
Knowing Cunningham well, Watson feels he should thrive under the tutelage of both Hyndman and Ellinger.
"Playing for the types of coaches that we have here will push him because he needs to be in a situation where he's encouraged and motivated," Watson said. "When he wants to play, you saw it in Salt Lake when he had 16 goals and was the Golden Boot winner. He's motivated again to prove a lot of people wrong after things didn't go well in Toronto and he's got broad shoulders to handle the pressure."
Watson also believes that Cunningham's reputation as a locker room distraction is more than a little overblown.
"When Jeff is on, he is one of the most dangerous scorers in the league," Watson said. "I would sit next to Eddie (Pope) in training (with RSL) and when Jeff would go off, Eddie would come back in and say that he hated playing against guys like that. And that's Eddie Pope, one of the best defenders in U.S. history.
"When he's on, is motivated and wants to do well, there's no stopping him. Now it's just a matter of making sure he finds the right situation of on-field success and off-the-field where he's somewhere that he wants to be. He's a warm weather person and I think this will suit him better than being in the mountains."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
