FC Dallas Kicks Off the 2012 Major League Soccer Season
By Matt Barbour
Greetings fellow Dallas sports fans! My name is Matt Barbour and I will be covering FC Dallas and the broader soccer world for SportDFW.
FC Dallas opens their 2012 Major League Soccer campaign this Sunday, March 11, at 2pm (CST) at the newly christened FC Dallas Stadium (formerly Pizza Hut Park) in Frisco. They’ll be looking for a bit of redemption against the team that put a quick end to Dallas’ 2011 playoffs, the New York Red Bulls. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that this game will be the first broadcast by NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) since MLS signed their landmark deal with NBC during the offseason.
A regular season win never makes up for a postseason loss, but the match should be a good early season test for the boys in red and white stripes as New York again features national team stars Thierry Henry (France), Rafa Marquez (Mexico), Joel Lindpere (Estonia) and Juan Agudelo (United States). There is also the possibility that the most popular name on the back of jerseys in the stands will be that of a Red Bulls player – that name being Cooper. Dallas native and former FC Dallas striker Kenny Cooper was traded to New York in the offseason after a one-year-stint with expansion side Portland Timbers.
FC Dallas does not feature the Broadway names of the Red Bulls, but instead they have a roster full of talented players who should once again combine to play some very entertaining soccer while continuing to be a force in the Western Conference. Dallas’ strength starts at the back with veteran keeper Kevin Hartman, who is still widely considered one of the best goalies in the league. Newly named team captain Ugo Ihemelu and fellow defender George John comprise one of the most experienced center back pairings in the league, so MLS teams should expect to earn any goals they score against FC Dallas.
Last year’s early season experiment with US National Team regular Brek Shea at center back looks to be officially over with George John opting not to make the jump to Europe. Expect to see Shea creating havoc from a wide midfield spot and possibly spending time at forward this season as well. Unfortunately, with success also comes challenges as Shea will miss large portions of the season playing for Jurgen Klinsman and the US National Team in World Cup Qualifiers early in the summer and, if the team qualifies, the London Olympics at the the end of the summer.
Columbian David Ferreira returns from the devastating ankle injury that saw him miss most of the 2011 regular season and the playoffs. His recovery has been far slower than expected – the original prognosis had him returning in time for last season’s stretch run going into the playoffs. Instead, Ferreira has only recently returned to full-contact action with the first team. There is no doubt that the Hoops are a far more creative, dynamic team with Ferreira quarterbacking the attack and it is probably fair to say that they will only go as far as his repaired leg will carry them.
Forward will probably be the most intriguing position to watch for FC Dallas fans this season. The team brought in Blas Pèrez from Panama after he lit it up against FCD in last year’s CONCACAF Champions League group stage. To paraphrase what they used to say about Chris Carter, all he does is score goals. The team will be hoping the same can be said in the near future of budding stars Ruben Luna, age 20, and Fabian Castillo, age 19. Each has shown moments of brilliance in training and some limited match action last season, but both are looking to bring more consistency to their games. Castillo in particular has shown exceptional individual skill on the ball, but his patience in allowing plays to develop so that he can find teammates in scoring positions or make dangerous runs has been lacking.
FC Dallas will also be wearing their new 2012-13 uniforms for the first time in this game. Expect them to look similar to the team’s familiar red-and-white hoop design, but with subtle changes that make the jerseys a bit more stylish. As of Monday there were only a couple of thousand seats still available and the front office expected to have a complete sell out by game time on Sunday. FC Dallas will be looking to kick off the 2012 Major League Soccer season in style with a victory over the New York Red Bulls in front of a packed house and a nationally televised audience.