FCD news news news news

Grant Wahl wrote an article that covered both Brek and George John, so I decided to start a "General FCD News" thread instead of posting the link to both the Brek and John threads.

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It's good and bad news for Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman: he has two
rising young U.S. talents in Brek Shea and George John, who are both on
the radar of European clubs. John, a solid center back, is on loan with
West Ham, where he hasn't figured on the field yet.

"By
Feb. 28 or so, they're going to have to make a response on whether
they're interested in purchasing him," says Hyndman. "One thing they
said was he doesn't have any national team experience. Well, Jurgen
Klinsmann called him into national team camp, so he would have had
national team experience if he hadn't gone on trial with them. I think
it's going to be 50-50. I don't have a solid pulse on how it's going for
him, so it's difficult for us because we don't know if he's going to be
back with us. We hope he's back because he's such a good player. At the
same time, we want the best for him."

Hyndman had a
slightly different tone when I asked him about the chances Shea will
play the entire season in Dallas, especially if he turns heads during
the Olympics this summer.

"We all love Brek Shea," Hyndman
says, "and we take a personal pride in his development. He'll get more
and more exposure internationally, but FC Dallas feels right now: Break
Shea is important to the success of our team. He's important in our
community. We'll continue to explore and listen to offers, but I have to
believe there's too many positive things about Brek Shea, someone who
the whole league recognizes can be a great role model for so many other
American players. We've gotta find a way to keep our best American
players in this league."

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1. LOS ANGELES GALAXY
2. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
3. REAL SALT LAKE

4. FC DALLAS
2011 Record: 15-12-7, plus-3 goal difference
• Notable comings and goings:
Management at (newly renamed) FC Dallas Stadium has fingers crossed
that Panamanian striker Blas Perez can be the goal king so dearly and
clearly missed over the last few years in North Texas. Another
Panamanian newcomer, Carlos Rodriguez, has been unable to unseat Zach
Loyd at right back. On the other hand, young Colombian center back
Hernán Pertuz had a good preseason; he'll provide cover for George John,
who seems determined to move overseas and could do so in the summer.
The club traded speedy winger Marvin Chavez, then regretted the choice
almost immediately when utility knife Jackson decided to remain in
Brazil rather than return for a second season in Dallas.
• The good, bad and noteworthy:
David Ferreira made fans nervous during early preseason days, still not
fully recovered 10 months after last year's ankle injury. But the 2010
MLS Most Valuable Player gained form as February turned to March, so
hope persists that he can rise once again to former levels. ... Kevin
Hartman, 37, still looks up for the job. He shared the league lead in
shutouts last with 13. Hartman, by the way, has been around for 15 of
the 16 previous MLS seasons. ... Dallas' hectic summer in 2011 was the
very picture of fixture congestion, with 23 matches over a three-month
stretch, or two games a week for about 12 weeks. By October, FCD looked
like a tired team. This year, not having CONCACAF Champions League to
deal with might be a blessing for Dallas.
• The man who matters:
If Ferreira can provide the killer passes like before, and if Perez
supplies the 12-14 goals a decent MLS striker should, then the
difference between a good and a great offense will be down to Brek Shea.
The young U.S. international, now 22 years old, absolutely carried the
offense in 2011 after Ferreira's injury with 11 important goals. (He
struck in 11 different matches; no stat padding nights are included in
that total.) Shea, like the team, did wear down toward the campaign's
end, and the club's ability to manage another hot and busy summer for
the 22-year-old winger (World Cup qualifiers, Olympics, etc.) looms
large.
• Bottom line: Like other challengers to
the Galaxy throne, FCD's first 11 looks pretty good -- but quality depth
looks a little thin past the salty starters. So much depends on
Ferreira's ability to regain the mental edge. His touch and vision are
already back, but how quickly will be willing to face the tackles and
the clumsy clatterings that are headed his way?

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The usual suspects -- the top
four teams last year -- figure to battle it out for the upper tier, but a
campaign concentrated with more intra-conference battles could turn the
race into one of survival. Los Angeles, Seattle, Real
Salt Lake and FC Dallas all amassed more points last year than Eastern
Conference winner Sporting Kansas City, and only one can reach MLS Cup,
as all games leading up to the title contest will be
played within the conferences.

1. LOS ANGELES
2. REAL SALT LAKE
3. SEATTLE

4. FC DALLAS – The arrivals of forward Blas Pérez and defender Hernán Pertúz, plus a return to
health for attacking catalyst David Ferreira may push FCD higher up the conference standings; if both defender George John and winger Brek Shea
depart during the summer transfer window, it might struggle to finish
this high. Decades of experience in key positions – keeper Kevin Hartman, holding mid Daniel
Hernandez, and defender Ugo Ihemelu – are nicely balanced by precocious youths like Fabian Castillo, and outstanding outside backs Jair
Benitez and Zach Loyd. Still, the road back to MLS Cup looks a lot rougher than in 2010, when it lost to the Rapids, 2-1, in overtime.

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For a
team-to-team breakdown of the first-year imports and who has played well and who hasn't ...

FC DALLAS
IN:
180/180 (1 goal) Blas
Perez (Panama)
180/180 Hernan Pertuz (Colombia)
149/180 Carlos Rodriguez (Panama)
Perez has
filled a big need up front, where FC Dallas struggled last season. Pertuz has started ahead of George John, who just returned from his loan spell at West Ham.
Rodriguez has joined the Panama U-23s for Olympic qualifying.

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FC DALLAS

At long last, it appears that FC Dallas has found the star striker that the club hopes will lead them to MLS Cup glory.

In his second match for FCD, Panamanian forward Blas Perez tallied
his first goal for the club in Dallas' 1-1 draw against the Portland
Timbers. The charismatic forward has already earned rave reviews from
the club's coaching staff, but [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is yet to come.

“I feel good [about how I’ve played so far],” Perez told
MLSsoccer.com. “I know there are going to be difficult moments in every
game, but you have to be mentally and physically prepared. You have to
be mature in the sense that when difficult times come, you have to
overcome them. From a one to a five, I would grade myself at a 4.2 or
4.3. I’m working hard every day and hoping to get to a 5.”

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11. FC Dallas (1-2-1)
Dallas was without George John and Fabian Castillo, both day-to-day, and
Brek Shea will need time to recapture his form after Olympic
qualifying, but the all-around display the club showed against D.C. was
purely flat. If not for Blas Perez' continued efforts, the Dallas attack
would be lost. (Last week: 8 )

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FC Dallas defender Jair Benitez has been suspended for one game and
fined for violent conduct that endangered the safety of his opponent for
throwing an elbow at D.C. United’s Danny Cruz while battling for
possession in the 71st minute of the teams’ match last Friday night.

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9. FC DALLAS (3-3-3). Keeper Kevin Hartman sat out his third straight game because
of back spasms, and Chris Seitz took a shutout into stoppage time, when the Galaxy scored to snag a 1-1 tie at home. Blas Perez drew the penalty kick that
Brek Shea fired home for a 1-0 lead in the 61st minute,
but in the final seconds FCD couldn’t clear a loose ball and paid for
it. That would have been FCD’s first road
win; instead it collected its first road point (0-3-1). Last week: 10.

Posted by Dario Sala on twitter:

Passed my citizenship test! Officially sworn in a few weeks -- hopefully not the same morning that our new baby decides to arrive. #USA!USA!

Dana wrote:

Posted by Dario Sala on twitter:

Passed my citizenship test! Officially sworn in a few weeks -- hopefully not the same morning that our new baby decides to arrive. #USA!USA!

congrats Dario on both counts!!

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17. FC DALLAS (3-9-5). The 0-0 tie at home against Chivas USA extended its winless streak to 11 games, a team record, as it generated 13 shots without reward. Brek Shea was deployed as a lone striker in his first game for FCD in more than a month; he and Jackson got the best chances but were unable to put them away. Dallas gets a welcome break from league play this weekend and next faces Toronto FC on July 4. Last week: 17.

gwar0127 wrote:

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Club (2012 Rank)	Week 16	2012 Home	2011 Home
	Home Games	Average	Average (Final)
Columbus (16)	--	13,219	12,185
FC Dallas (17)	13,846	13,255	12,861
New England (18)	--	11,819	13,222
San Jose (19)	--	11,668	11,858

1. Our attendance is up from last year. That's the more important number.

2. How are we behind Columbus?

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FC Dallas has signed 16-year-old Plano native Kellyn Acosta as a Homegrown Player, the club announced today. Acosta will be available for selection at the start of the 2013 MLS season.

FC Dallas has now signed seven Homegrown Players to first team contracts since the inception of the Homegrown Player Rule; only Toronto FC has signed as many.

"FC Dallas is excited to sign Kellyn Acosta to a professional contract," said FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman. "Kellyn is a very gifted player. He was the youngest member of the U.S. Under-17 National Team last year and he has played a lot of different positions during his time with the U.S. Under-17 Residency Program. We see him as a player that may start off as a defender, but eventually he will make his way into the midfield. He brings a lot of athleticism. He is a two-way player and he seems to be a very courageous player."