FC Dallas made a number of moves during the 2011 season to bolster their talented roster. This offseason, they have made significant strides to erase those transactions.
Among the pieces acquired during the campaign were defender Jeremy Hall and forward Maicon Santos. One is already on his way out and the other could soon join him.
On Tuesday, FC Dallas traded Hall to Toronto FC for a second-round pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft. The team acquired Hall from Portland in August for midfielder Eric Alexander to add depth to the back line. During a period when it looked like George John was leaving for England, the team brought Hall in to play a key role and provide valuable relief to an exhausted back line.
But John stayed and Hall made little impact on the team, appearing in four MLS games for Dallas and logging only two starts.
WATCH: Santos buries a Shea cross
“Jeremy came in and unfortunately had a groin strain, so we never really got to see him at his best,” FCD manager Schellas Hyndman told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday. “But he was still able to do the things we wanted him to do. He was able to give us some coverage, especially when Zach Loyd was injured.”
While Hyndman remembers admiring Hall and considered drafting the prospect out of the University of Maryland in 2009, the team’s chief concern was losing Hall without compensation.
“The opportunity of getting a roster spot and a draft pick from Toronto was too tempting, especially with the whole concern that he might not have signed the new contract offered to him,” said Hyndman. “We felt like we were going to lose him in the Re-Entry Draft, so for us, we figured we should get something for him.”
The club has also allowed for the possibility of losing Brazilian striker Maicon Santos, who on Wednesday was made available for the Re-Entry Draft on Dec. 5 after FCD chose not to pick up his contract option for 2012. Santos was acquired from Toronto in August in exchange for Eric Avila, but never provided the scoring punch that Hyndman was searching for.
“Maicon is a very talented player,” praised Hyndman. “He’s very technical, a good passer of the ball, and he holds the ball well. [But] I don’t think he got into the positions that he needed to get to as much as we’d like for him to. Playing for us was an adjustment for him, especially with us going with mostly one striker.”
Declining his contract option doesn’t rule out a possible return to Dallas for Santos – that is, if the price is right. After all, the Brazilian might just be the best attacking option currently on the roster, having collected 14 goals in 62 career MLS games.
“He had tremendous opportunities this year to score more goals for us and I think he … scored just two, though they were big goals,” reflected Hyndman. “This has nothing to do with his value or abilities, but for our salary cap, we have to look at the team first.”
