FRISCO, Texas – FC Dallas may have identified their midfield target, but he has some unfinished business to attend to first. According to technical director Fernando Clavijo, their mystery man is involved in a high-stakes final ... somewhere in the world.
“[He is] a good player that we want to bring here.” Clavijo explained to MLSsoccer.com on Thursday after practice. “The needs of [his current] team are more important than the needs of FC Dallas at this time. They are ... trying to make a decision and finalize what they [started] and hopefully win the championship and allow the player to go.”
That doesn't exactly narrow the focus – leagues across the world, from Europe to South America to Mexico, are entering the final stages of their seasons and cup tournaments, including continental competitions. But it's an exciting piece of intrigue as FCD look to land an impact player from abroad.
READ: Will your team be making a deal prior to the close of the Monday's window?
“We know that we are really against the wall with this, so hopefully we can make some decisions," before the May 6 transfer deadline, Clavijo added.
If the timing can’t be managed before the transfer window closes, the other possibility is a name that FC Dallas fans may already be familiar with.
“We have an MLS player that we are interested in," Clavijo said, "but it’s up to the team and Dallas to come to terms and that’s another set of obstacles that needs to be looked through by us."
In either situation, Clavijo and head coach Schellas Hyndman (above) are very focused on not disrupting the harmony of their first-place team and have made this a priority when evaluating potential additions.
READ: FC Dallas using bye week, extra training, to clean up rough edges
“You don’t just watch tapes, which is about how good he is as a player, but it’s also about how good he is in the locker room," Clavijo said of their potential target. "And for that, you need to have your contacts, you need to have your people, you need to be there a couple of days to hopefully figure out, analyze this individual.
“We’re extremely happy with the way the locker room has come together and are concerned about bringing in somebody who doesn’t fit, so it becomes a little bit harder for us to make decisions. But they need to be made, you need to take chances, and hopefully the chances are good and the team is better.”
