COLIN CLARKE OFF TO ARGENTINA AND BRAZIL, WHILE JOHN TRASK TAKES IN COLLEGE CUP IN LOS ANGELES
On Wednesday of this week, Head Coach Colin Clarke boarded a plane and flew to Argentina. The FC Dallas head coach will be in Argentina for three days, will head to Brazil for a couple of days and then back to Argentina to finish his scouting trip before returning to Dallas next week.
"There are probably a good eight players that we have identified down there," said Clarke. "I'm going down to Argentina first, then to Brazil for two or three days, and then back to Argentina to finish up. I'm excited about the trip and looking forward to it. I'm hoping that something good will come from it."
Assistant Coach John Trask left Friday for Los Angeles to scout the 2004 College Cup. Trask will be watching the final four teams of college soccer battle it out tonight with the championship on Sunday. Maryland and Indiana will play the first match of the doubleheader at the Home Depot Center tonight beginning at 7 p.m. CST, while U.C. Santa Barbara and Duke will play the nightcap at 9:30 p.m. The NCAA Championship Match will be on Sunday at 3 p.m. CST.
Trask spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach with Indiana University from 1991-2000 after graduating from Indiana in 1989. During his coaching tenure at Indiana, Trask helped guide Jerry Yeagley's Hoosiers to the NCAA Championship in 1998 and 1999 and five trips to the NCAA Final Four.
LUXURY SUITES GO ON SALE
FC Dallas announced on Tuesday that luxury suites for the new Frisco Soccer & Entertainment Center (FSEC) went on sale. The initial plan calls for 18 suites to be built with the ability to add eight additional suites at the club's discretion. At $35,000, the suites are the most affordable sports team luxury entertainment option in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The suites are approximately 500 square feet in size and are located on the West side of the stadium. All suites are positioned along the full sideline.
FSEC suite features include: Indoor/outdoor seating with climate control, flat-screen television with cable/satellite access, full wet bar with refrigerator, VIP parking, full-service catering, access to the private Stadium club on event day, option to purchase additional tickets within the suite or in the stadium bowl area for various events.
Charter Suite Holders will have the right to their suite for virtually every event that takes place at the facility, including but not limited to: all FC Dallas matches, major concerts (six to eight per year), International soccer matches, United States Men's and Women's National Team soccer matches, High School football and more.
FC DALLAS STAYING IN WESTERN CONFERENCE
Major League Soccer (MLS) announced on Tuesday the 2005 conference realignment, having the two expansion teams join the Western Conference and moving the Kansas City Wizards to the Eastern Conference. FC Dallas will remain in the West. With FC Dallas in the Western Conference will be the Colorado Rapids, CD Chivas USA, Los Angeles Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, and the San Jose Earthquakes. The Eastern Conference will feature the Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, Kansas City Wizards, MetroStars, and the New England Revolution.
"In addition to making geographic sense, our continued placement in the Western Conference allows to build on our rivalries with the likes of the Galaxy, Earthquakes and Rapids, while establishing new rivalries with CD Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake," said Elliott.
It may be good fortune for FC Dallas to be in the Western Conference with the two expansion teams and a combined record last season from the remaining Western teams of 40-42-8. In the East, they have the best record from the Eastern Conference last season (Columbus), the best record in the Western Conference last year (Kansas City), and MLS Cup Champion D.C. United.
