FCD AGAIN IMPRESSIVE FROM THE START:
For the third consecutive season FC Dallas is off to a 2-0-1 start through its first three games of the season. The team currently sits atop the Western Conference with seven points, three ahead of second place Los Angeles and Colorado, and two ahead of the team's next best start to a season. Prior to 2004, Dallas' best start to a season was six points through the first three games, compiling a 2-0-1 record in both the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
In 1998 Dallas began the season with a perfect 3-0 record, but two of those wins came by way of the shootout, giving the team five points.
HOOPS HOPE FOR UNHAPPY RETURN FOR EDDIE: When he was traded to Kansas City in February, Eddie Johnson ranked fifth on Dallas' all-time scoring charts. He still stands there today and will be looking to put his name into a very select group in his first game against his former club on Sunday.
Of the top 30 goalscorers in FC Dallas history, only three have ever scored a regular season game against the club after leaving it. Ronald Cerritos tallied one goal in four games against the Hoops after leaving Dallas in 2003. Joining Cerritos on that list are Dante Washington who scored three goals in seven games versus Dallas after playing for the club from 1997-1999 and Ariel Graziani, the second leading scorer in Dallas history, who tallied a pair of goals in games against Dallas in 2002 after spending the previous three years in Dallas.
While with FC Dallas in 2005, Johnson appeared in just four regular season games at Pizza Hut Park, as well as the U.S. Open Cup Semifinal against Chicago. He failed to score in all four of those games but did tally his first goal at Pizza Hut Park on February 19, 2006 with the U.S. National Team in its 4-0 win over Guatemala.
TRAINING ROOM UPDATE: Three players that were unavailable last weekend for the Colorado game because of injury were upgraded today from Out to Questionable after participating in the team's training session this morning. Forward Carlos Ruiz, goalkeeper Jeff Cassar, and defender Alex Yi all took part in drills and conditioning training today and will continue being evaluated over the course of the next three training sessions before a decision is made if they are available for selection on Sunday versus Kansas City. Ruiz and Yi each suffered a strained right hamstring against Real Salt Lake on April 8 and 9th respectively, while Cassar has been out of action since March while dealing with an arthritic right hip.
While these players have progressed, one regular starter will be out of action on Sunday. Left-sided midfielder Arturo Alvarez, who scored the first goal of the season for the Hoops against the Chicago Fire on April 1, suffered a sprained left ankle against Colorado on Saturday, April 15. He has been ruled out for the game against Kansas City on Sunday.
MINA AND VANNEY UP FOR AWARD: Both Greg Vanney and Roberto Mina's long range strikes from Saturday have been nominated for Sierra Mist Goal of the Week at MLSnet.com. In the fifth minute, Vanney curled a freekick past Colorado 'keeper Joe Cannon from nearly 30 yards out for his first career goal with the club.
Twenty minutes later it was 2-0 FCD as Mina scored his second of the season with a right-footed blast from 25-yards out on the right wing.
All of the nominees for the Goal of the Week can be seen by clicking here:
GET THAT MAN A GOAL: For the second time this season, FC Dallas forward Roberto Mina got his name on the scoresheet with a fantastic goal midway through the first half of the Hoops' 2-2 draw in Colorado on Saturday. Mina now has nine goals in his MLS career, with those nine goals coming in seven games. In those seven games, FC Dallas has never lost, compiling a 6-0-1 record.
FCD LEFT SEEING YELLOW: After being issued just three yellow cards in its first two games of the season, FC Dallas players were booked a season high six times in Saturday night's draw with the Rapids. In addition to the six cautions being a season high, they also rank as the third most bookings the team has accumulated in a single regular season game.
The most yellow cards Dallas has ever been shown in a single game is eight, a feat that occurred on July 21, 2001 in an overtime loss in Chicago. Just more than two years before that on July 2, 1999, Dallas was issued seven yellow cards in a game that it would go on to lose in Chicago.
The only other time a Dallas team was shown six or more cautions in a single game was on September 20, 2001 in Game One of the MLS Quarterfinals, also in Chicago, when six players were booked by referee Gus St. Silva.
TIGRES MOVES CLOSER TO CLAUSURA PLAYOFFS: Tigres UANL, the Mexican First Division partner club of FC Dallas, picked up a much needed win over Chipas on Saturday, improving its record to 4-3-8 and moving it into a four-way tie for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Clausura. With two games left in the Mexican regular season, Tigres is level on 20 points with America, Atlas and Pumas, the team that Tigres will face on Sunday.
Priori to that game in Mexico City, Tigres will host Universidad Catolica of Chile in its final Copa Libertadores group stage match. A Tigres win, combined with a will ensure that it will finish in the top two positions in Group 4 and advance to the tournament's Round of 16.
FCD COACHES TRAVEL SOUTH: FC Dallas Head Coach Colin Clarke, Assistant Coach Steve Morrow, and President and General Manager Michael Hitchcock, will be in Mexico on Wednesday for the Tigres-Catolica match, as well as a match between Tigres' reserves and its Second Division team. As part of the partnership between the two sides, Tigres set this game up in order to give Clarke and Co. a chance to scout some of Tigres' most exciting young talent ahead of the July transfer window.
RESERVES NOTCH BIG WIN: A five goal first half blitz paved the way for the FC Dallas reserves to come away with a convincing 5-1 win over West Texas A&M on Saturday at Pizza Hut Park. Blake Wagner had a pair of goals while Peter Louis, Dominic Oduro and Mario Torres all added tallies for the Hoops who dominated the entire match.
With the first team in Colorado, and Jeff Cassar, Carlos Ruiz and Alex Yi all unavailable through injury, FCD coaches Marco Ferruzzi and Oscar Pareja had only seven roster players at their disposal against the Buffalos. In addition to those seven, the coaching duo also got their first look at Marcos Charras, the left-sided Argentine player who arrived in Dallas a week ago.
It was one of FCD's guest players who got it on the board first as Peter Louis scored from close range off a pass from Blake Wagner to give Dallas a 1-0 lead. Just minutes later Wagner was in the middle of it again as he slotted home the rebound of a Dax McCarty free kick to double the Dallas advantage.
It was soon 3-0 as Louis set up Oduro for his first goal of the game to make the score 3-0. It was 4-0 when Mario Torres curled home a free kick from 20 yards out before Wagner rounded out the first half scoring with a well placed shot late in the opening 45 minutes to give his team a 5-0 advantage.
Tommy Nutter would pull one back in the second half with a penalty kick for West Texas A&M, but that would be all the scoring for the game as FCD was able to finish off the game to earn the 5-1 win.
Scoring Summary:
FCD: Peter Louis (Blake Wagner, Dax McCarty)
FCD: Blake Wagner (Unassisted)
FCD: Dominic Oduro (Peter Louis)
FCD: Mario Torres (Unassisted)
FCD: Blake Wagner (Peter Louis)
A&M: Tommy Nutter (Penalty Kick)
FC Dallas Lineup:
Zia Ali, Miguel Guante, Michael Dello-Russo, Josh Greenleaf, Marcos Charras (Dennis Benitez 65'), Michael Uremovich, Dax McCarty, Mario Torres, Blake Wagner, Dominic Oduro (Adrian Chevanes 70'), Peter Louis.
TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, April 19: DAY OFF
Thursday, April 20: 10:00 a.m. at Pizza Hut Park - adidas Field #1
Friday, April 21: 10:00 a.m. at Pizza Hut Park - adidas Field #1
Saturday, April 22: 10:00 a.m. at Pizza Hut Park - adidas Field #1
Sunday, April 23: GAME - FC Dallas (2-0-1, 7 points) vs. Kansas City Wizards (3-0-0, 9 points), 4:00 p.m. at Pizza Hut Park, live on ESPN2.
RESERVE GAME - FC Dallas (0-1-0, 0 points) vs. Kansas City Wizards (0-0-0, 0 points) at Pizza Hut Park (30 minutes after the conclusion of the first team game.)
- Practice schedule is subject to change. All times Central.
