Three Hoops headed to Brazil

FRISCO, Texas -- With the start of preseason less than two weeks away, three FC Dallas players -- midfielders Eric Avila and Bruno Guarda plus defender Blake Wagner -- headed to Brazil on Jan. 6 to train with the Hoops' South American partner, Clube Atletico Paranaense for 10 days. The three will return ahead of FCD's preseason camp opening on Jan. 21.

Avila, a second-round pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft who played in 14 games, three of those starts and had two assists, was excited when asked about the trip.

"I think it's something that will be great for me," he said. "We're not doing anything in the offseason and I have no plans to go and play. So when this came up, it was perfect. I will be training with the CAP first team twice a day and getting ready for the season. After that, I think I will be ready to go."

Guarda, who was born in Brazil, comes off a rookie season where he played in 12 matches, including nine starts and had one goal and one assist. After coming to FCD in late July, he played for his former collegiate coach at SMU, Schellas Hyndman, who took the Hoops' coaching job in mid-June.

"I don't think (my first year) was good enough because if it was good enough, we would be in the playoffs," Guarda said. "We could have done better and I could have done better. Hopefully next season, we can do better. It's very disappointing (to not make the playoffs). I play to win and always to my best. This time it didn't happen. Next season we've got to make it happen."

The young Brazilian added that he didn't feel like any one event from his first year stood out over all others.

"I don't think I had a best moment," Guarda said. "I had good moments, which was my goal and assists but the best moment, it didn't happen."

Wagner, who just completed his third season in MLS, finished 2008 as FCD's starting left back. He too summed up his performance in pretty basic terms.

"This was my real first season getting some playing time," he said. "I thought I did well but think I can do even better next year. So, I just have to work on some things in the offseason to be stronger heading into next year."

Like the rest of his teammates, he couldn't help but comment on what turned out to be a season of upheaval for FCD.

"There were obviously a lot of changes that affected the team tremendously," Wagner said. "But everyone didn't really change their mindset. Everyone still wants to win and to make the playoffs. Obviously we didn't but there were a lot of different things that happened this year. But what can you do besides move on? I think we're getting better and better. I think things are looking forward."

Just after the end of the 2008 season, Hyndman, who feels the experience of training at CAP will prove invaluable to the trio, offered his own evaluation of each player's season.

"Eric is a good young player but another young player that didn't really know that there were two sides of the ball," Hyndman said of Avila. "He would run with a player but never really get close enough to tackle and would let guys run by him. On the positive side, being a young player and his mental approach right now is how can I get better? I have encouraged him to be a defender more often. I'm telling him straight, this is what's stopping you from getting on the field, with this coach. As soon as he learns the defensive phase and embraces it, he could be a center midfielder but he could also be a flank midfielder."

He also offered his thought's on Guarda's first half-season in MLS.

"Bruno is a player that I know very well," Hyndman said. "He got better as the year went on with playing time with his sharpness and his conditioning. If we would've stayed in the 3-5-2, I don't think he would've been on the field as much as he was."

As for Wagner, Hyndman said: "He's been solid. He really wasn't playing with a lot of confidence. We spoke a lot about his game, reviewed it with videos, match analysis and tried to get him to simplify his game a little bit and also try to get him to get a little bit quicker on his recovery. There were times where he wasn't recovering as quick but he has put it all together. He's still got a ways to go to be as good as he potentially could be but I think he was a solid player for us the last six weeks (of the season)."