With the eighth overall pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, FC Dallas took Josh Lambo, a 17-year-old goalkeeper who played in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup last summer and is now a member of the U-20 national team. While FCD already had two goalkeepers in place, Lambo has certainly received a chance to show what he can do this preseason -- and has taken that opportunity with both hands.
The Hoops came into the offseason with two goalkeepers on the books -- Argentinean veteran Dario Sala likely commanding the top spot, while Ray Burse, entering his third season, also made a push last season.
This spring, Lambo has played in three of FCD's first six preseason games. Currently with the Hoops on a nearly two-week trip to Brazil, he started in goal for FCD on Tuesday in a match with South American partner Clube Atletico Paranaense's under-20 team and allowed his first goal of the preseason but made several great stops late in the opening frame to keep his side within a goal.
Lambo has been getting some great on-the-job-training from Burse and Sala.
"Dario (Sala) has been helping me out a lot by teaching me little tricks of the trade," Lambo said. "He teaches me what to look for. Arturo Alvarez has also helped me out a lot. I've been asking him as a forward what to look for in certain situations and what would make it more difficult for them. Everyone is giving me little pointers and it's been really helpful."
While Lambo has been impressed with Burse and Sala thus far, the young rookie has also left a strong first impression with his fellow 'keepers.
"He's good," Burse said. "Sometimes I forget that he's only 17, which is definitely a compliment to him. He's a bit hard on himself at times and that can be good. He knows that he needs to continue to push on and get better."
Added Sala: "He's got a lot of skill and talent," he said. "He puts a lot of effort into practices because he has a desire to be a good professional."
Both 'keepers have also taken advantage of every opportunity to impart some lessons onto their younger counterpart, which has made Lambo better already.
"I talk to him when he gets hard on himself and tell him to erase it from his memory," Burse said. "I tell him to just do better the next time. I think if he continues to do that, then he will keep improving and get better."
Sala's lessons are a bit different.
"I tell him that he has to be himself and have his own style as a 'keeper," he said. "I told him that he doesn't have to look nervous out there. The 'keeper needs to have a personality that can calm down the defense and talk to them. When you're hysterical or a nervous 'keeper, you're out of position and you don't give the defense the confidence that they need."
Recently-hired FCD goalkeeping coach Drew Keeshan has also been impressed by what Lambo has shown him in such a short time frame.
"He's done very well," Keeshan said. "His attitude and his work ethic are great. Knowing where he's come from and who he's worked with, I wouldn't expect anything less.
"He's hard on himself, which is good because it helps him push himself. He's always practicing on the weaker parts of his game rather than his strengths. It's good that he recognizes that. At his age, it's a maturity that you don't often see, not for a 17-year-old."
Not surprisingly, Lambo already feels quite comfortable in his new surroundings.
"Everything is really good here. I couldn't have gone to a better club and it's a perfect suit for me. This is a really young team and everyone is really close with each other. Everyone has been treating me really well and not treating me too much like a rookie," he said.
"It's an unbelievable environment to be in. The training facilities that we have are remarkable and everyone works their tails off day in and day out and does the right things. That helps me out by teaching me a few things like how to be responsible. It's great to see everyone focused and wanting the same goal."
While his adjustment thus far is going well, that doesn't mean that the young Wisconsin native didn't have to get acclimated to the higher level of play once he arrived in Frisco.
"The biggest adjustment for me as far as the game goes is the pace of the game," Lambo said. "The game is so much quicker, so much more intense and the shots are coming in 10 times faster than what I've seen. That's probably been the biggest adjustment for me."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
