FRISCO, Texas -- Entering the 2009 season, one of the priorities for FC Dallas was identifying and signing a central attacking midfielder. But even if that quest proves to be fruitless, it's not like the cupboard is bare in Frisco. FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman has two options in his squad at the No. 10 spot -- Eric Avila and Bruno Guarda, both of whom recently completed their first season in MLS.
Avila, a second-round pick in the 2008 Super Draft, played in 14 games a season ago, three of those starts and registered two assists. One reason he didn't log more playing time was because he wasn't the two-way player that Hyndman wanted in the role.
Guarda didn't join the team until late July after being acquired in a trade with Colorado, who took him in a weighted lottery after he decided to leave Southern Methodist University early, where Hyndman coached him before coming to FCD. The young Brazilian made his MLS debut on Aug. 3, 2008 at Toronto FC by playing 26 minutes. He appeared in 12 games as a rookie, including nine starts and finished with one goal and one assist.
Both players have had similar offseasons. Avila and Guarda were among a four-player FCD contingent that traveled with the league's Generation adidas team to England in early December. The young duo also ventured to Brazil earlier this month for training with FCD's South American partner, Clube Atletico Paranaense.
"They went on the Generation adidas trip to England where they played against some pretty good teams," Hyndman said. "Then, they went to Brazil, where Blake (Wagner) joined them. They were down at Atletico Paranaense for about eight days or so. They went to fitness training down there, did some testing and were training with the first team twice a day. Immediately when we started preseason, I noticed how sharp they were. They are fit and their speed of play was very good. I drew up programs that I wanted CAP to work with them on.
Both players regard their experiences in the winter months as invaluable to their continuing development.
"My offseason didn't have much rest but it was good for me," Avila said. "Went to London and took a couple of trips, which was good for me. I just kept myself busy by playing and it was good. I think I accomplished a lot of things. I played a lot of games and worked on the things Schellas (Hyndman) wanted me to work on."
Guarda agreed. "It was a great experience," he said. "I think we had four players over there in England -- me, (Anthony Wallace), Josh (Lambo) and Eric (Avila). We got three games down and it was good. We got some good experience and learned a lot. Then, I went to Brazil with Eric and Blake. It was also a good experience. We worked on fitness and the experience of being with another professional team helped a lot."
After the Hoops missed the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs, Hyndman came up with specific things he wanted each player to work on heading into 2009. He has been pleased with the results.
For Avila, he wanted him to focus on becoming a better defender. "I think we all recognize what a talented player he is with the ball on his feet and he's also a very talented player running off the ball who very active and makes good decisions," Hyndman said. "I wasn't sure that I could count on him and trust him as a defending player. That showed in some of the games last year when people ran by him and ended up either scoring goals or assisting on goals.
"He's really worked hard on it and I see some tremendous improvements. I see a vote of confidence in him building my trust and getting my confidence in what he's doing," Hyndman continued. "Defending is an attitude. You have to first accept it mentally. I don't know if he understood that during that past season, but now, I'm very pleased with him. So he's sharp, playing well, playing with confidence and defending. I think he's really put himself in a great position."
Avila has noticed these big changes in his game. "A lot, sometimes I go on the field now and feel like I'm a defender," he said. "I worked on it a lot, especially in England and in Brazil. Schellas (Hyndman) has given me a good compliment by saying that I have improved well. I'm going to keep going with that and try to become even better with my defense."
For Guarda, Hyndman wanted to see his young Brazilian raise his fitness level.
"Bruno came in not in the best shape because we picked him up in the lottery draft," he said. "So when he came in, I really wasn't expecting a lot out of him early. I thought he needed to get fit. I thought he needed to get sharp and needed to learn the professional way."
"As we move to this level, he's now sharper, he's carrying less body fat, he's physical and isn't in awe of all this. He's been in England playing against some good teams and has been in Brazil training," Hyndman added. "Like Eric, he's come in very sharp. Not only do I think the two of them are fighting to get on the field, but they're also fighting each other to get on the field. It's really a competitive battle."
Fitness is one thing Guarda isn't worried about in the least.
"I think the fitness will come along," he said. "That's what we have preseason for. (The offseason) was more about learning the next level of soccer, which is the professional game. Since I came to FC Dallas, I have learned a lot, but I still have a lot more to learn. You can't just learn in three months how to be one of the greatest soccer players. But, with time and being around the older guys, we will learn every day."
Training with CAP was nothing new for Avila, who experienced it during the 2008 preseason as a rookie. However, he did admit the vibe was a little different with just two of his teammates there compared to the entire roster.
"It was really different," he said. "I felt like I was on a different team. It was a great experience. We trained with the first team twice a day. It was in their preseason. So we came in and did all the tests, the fitness and the technical work. They even pulled us aside to do extra work. Just being with those guys and seeing the way they do things was unbelievable. The way they treated players was an eye opener for us."
For Guarda, who grew up in Curitiba, Brazil, training with CAP was a dream come true.
"I was honored to be next to a team that I had been watching since I was living," he said. "It was good. I was very happy to be next to players I had been watching for my whole life."
Both players agree that another great source of learning during the preseason will be newly acquired midfielder Dave van den Bergh.
"He's a great player," Avila said. "In practice, he has been helping me out and some of the young guys as well teaching us how he plays and what to expect, which is really cool. After just a couple of days with him in preseason, he has already helped us a lot. I think he'll come out and carry himself well like he always does. We'll just follow that."
Said Guarda: "He's a great guy and a very good addition for us. He's going to help us a lot on the left side. His left foot is great. His experience of being in Europe and with other teams will help us a lot, especially with the young guys."
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