ORLANDO, Fla. – The “Ferreira Watch” continues.
After playing in his first three preseason matches since an ankle fracture suffered in April 2011, FC Dallas playmaker David Ferreira showed up on Thursday night for his team’s Disney Pro Soccer Classic Group 2 showdown against Toronto FC with a visible limp and a boot on his right leg.
But it’s not as bad as you might think.
“It wasn’t the [fractured] ankle that was hurt,” FC Dallas manager Schellas Hyndman told MLSsoccer.com after his team’s 3-0 loss to Toronto FC. “It was the Achilles because he kept on getting kicked so much in the back [against Orlando City].”
Hyndman had been critical of the “beating” that Ferreira received against the USL club in a 4-0 win on Tuesday night. Now the 32-year-old is relying on anti-inflammatory medication and an immobilizing boot to help with a potential recovery for First Kick on Sunday, March 11 against the New York Red Bulls (3 pm ET, NBC Sports). Ferreira declined to comment after Thursday night's match.
“I think he’s really frustrated the fact that he got kicked so many times and it continued,” Hyndman said of the match against Orlando City. “He’s in a lot greater pain than he lets on. My comment to him is that we’ve got a week and hopefully he’ll be ready to go in a week and his goal is to be available for the season opener. It’d be a shame if he’s not making it because of this [tournament].”
Meanwhile, FC Dallas dropped into the consolation match by virtue of their loss to TFC on Thursday night. It sets up a succulent third-place matchup against Texas rivals Houston Dynamo on Saturday (6 pm ET, ESPN3.com).
Hyndman fielded a squad of reserve players against Toronto FC after originally planning to use his first-choice lineup. The likes of midfielder Brian Leyva and defender Matt Hedges stood out on a night in which decent passing combinations were spoiled by lack of sharpness in attack and naiveté on the defensive side of the ball.
“The goals that were scored [by Toronto FC] were stoppable,” Hyndman said. “I would say not enough shots on goal, not enough quality services [by FC Dallas]. … We did a lot of good things but just didn’t hit the chances.”
