FRISCO, Texas – “Completely by surprise.”
That’s how the news he’d been traded came across to new FC Dallas midfielder Adam Moffat.
FCD addressed one of their major weaknesses by acquiring the defensive midfielder from the Seattle Sounders in exchange for Kenny Cooper’s negotiation rights. But for Moffat, the phone call letting him know he’d been traded only two months after moving to Seattle and days before his wife was due to give birth to their second child was a complete shock.
“It’s funny the way the league operates, you never have that much security in one place. There was no mention of it, there was no ‘this could possibly be the case’,” Moffat shared with media in a Wednesday afternoon conference call. “It’s a horrible position and it’s one I’d never wish on anyone else. I hope with the CBA that’s coming up next year, that we can kind of do something about that.”
Moffat said that when he first received news of the trade that he was unsure of what he’d do. Making the situation all the more quirky for Moffat is the fact that he was traded for one of his best friends in Cooper. But his family is supportive and realizes that athletes only have a limited window to play professionally. It also helps that he’ll be going into a situation where he’s familiar with the ownership – Moffat won MLS Cup in 2008 with the Columbus Crew when the Hunt family still owned the team – and the position where the team has a need for the skills Moffat brings to the table.
“It definitely helps that the team really, really wants me there,” said Moffat. “The team has been needing someone in that [holding midfield] position the last few years, it’s good to know that they’ll look at me for that...I’m looking forward to battling for the position, I know it’s there,” said Moffat.
The Scotsman shows a high work rate in the middle of the park and has a propensity for uncorking long range bombs, such as the stunning left-footed volley he unleashed against New England earlier this year. . But it’s his ability to win balls and mark creative midfielders that should quickly make FCD fans forget he used to wear Dynamo orange.
“I love to compete and in that position…you don’t get a lot of glory,” said Moffat of playing holding midfield. “But a lot of times, you’re going up against an opposing team’s best player, a guy who sits just behind the forwards. Sometimes maybe you don’t get as much credit for it as you’d like, but you can take those guys out of games and make it difficult for them.”
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Moffat has gotten over the shock of the trade, his wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy that they named Ethan, and he’s ready to start the next phase of his career in Dallas – and he hopes it’s the last move he makes.
“Hopefully this is it and I get to finish out my career here. I’ve been playing a long time and that’s kind of what you hope for every team you go to.”
