FCdallas.net had the chance to sit down with FC Dallas midfielder Oscar Pareja to speak with him about his playing future, the best Dallas Burn team he played on and which younger player has impressed him this spring.
FCdallas.net:
Scott Garlick told FCdallas.net last week that retirement was coming soon for him. Have you put any thought into this being your last year playing?
Oscar Pareja:
"Obviously at this point of my career I've tried to see when the right moment would be for me to leave soccer and move on to another activity. I've even put thought into getting into coaching. The moment is going to come soon, but right now I can't tell you when. The reason why is because this preseason I have been feeling great. I was thinking at the end of last year that this could be me last year and I still think that it could be, but I want to wait and make sure that I don't have any regrets when I do say goodbye."
FCdallas.net:
Have you tried to step back this spring and soak everything in like going to Spain and spending time with your teammates?
Pareja:
"I think that's something that is natural and has definitely happened with me. When you feel like it could be your last year as a soccer player, you try and enjoy it more and try to spend more time with the guys. This year I have been really enjoying my time with the guys. I look at it as trying to take advantage of the time as a player."
FCdallas.net:
You have been the heart and soul of this team for a long time now. How do you feel your role will be different this year?
Pareja:
"At the end of last year, I had a meeting with [head coach] Colin [Clarke] and [general manager] Greg [Elliott] and they showed their desire to bring me back. They explained to me what my role would be for this year. Along with being a player, they wanted me to be somebody coming off the bench and helping guys during practices. They wanted me to lead, but in more of a supporting role. I completely accepted it and said that it was okay because I knew what my role was turning into. The first thing I did tell them though was that I would be ready because the team may need me at some point in the season. Maybe it would be in the first game or maybe in the last game, but I told them I will be ready. I still love this job and still can play. If I feel like I can't play, I would not be here."
FCdallas.net:
Which Dallas Burn team is the best you have played on during your tenure here?
Pareja:
"That's hard to say, but I would have to say that it was the 2000 team with Ariel Graziani was here. We had a great squad, we fought hard in every game and we had a lot of fun too. I think that was a good group, but I always say that the best FC Dallas-Dallas Burn squad is still to come. That's going to be the one that gets us the ring."
FCdallas.net:
When the team had their trivia contest on Saturday night, your team was the only one of four to miss the question about which team you played for before Dallas. How did you miss that one?
Pareja:
"That happened because I was rushing my answer (laughing). I thought the answer was going to be my old team from Columbia. It was funny because everybody looked at me for the answer and I said Deportivo Cali. When the coaches gave the answer of New England Revolution, everybody looked at me and we started laughing so hard. Yeah, I don't know what to say because we were the only group to not answer the question about my own team."
FCdallas.net:
Which younger player(s) on this team are you impressed by?
Pareja:
"I like the way Ronnie O'Brien plays, but I don't see him as a younger player anymore. He is a professional and plays the game right. Of the younger players, there is one guy that has impressed me this preseason, the way he plays the game and the way he respects the game. His intensity is growing and he is still feeling his way around. That player is Aaron Pitchkolan. That's the way I like players."
