FRISCO, Texas -- FC Dallas conclude the opening portion of their preseason training camp Saturday when they take on the University of Memphis at Pizza Hut Park.
FCD's two preseason games have been somewhat of a mixed bag: a January 31 intrasquad scrimmage aside, the Hoops were soundly beaten 3-0 at Houston last Friday before rebounding for a scoreless draw at home on Monday. Saturday's game is the club's final outing at Pizza Hut Park before heading to Florida on Monday for six days.
"We had the intrasquad game, which was basically a kick around," FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman said. "I thought the first game with Houston showed how far behind we were and that some of the players we were trying are behind. Getting Dario (Sala) into goal was a big change for us in the second game. Getting Marcelo (Saragosa) back on defense, I thought was a big help for us. I thought Dax (McCarty) had a very good game at attacking midfield. Already we have made some improvements. With Andre (Rocha) and Danny Torres fighting for spots, I think we will put ourselves in a pretty good shape for preseason."
The FCD coach clearly wants to see one thing from his team against the college side.
"What we have concentrated on the last week was the principle of attacks, which is penetration," Hyndman said. "I thought we did a pretty good job of that against Houston in the second game. This week, we're concentrating on a different principle -- width. So the exercises are designed to get the ball out wide, to play combinations on the flanks, to get crosses and to get people forward. So we'll continue that for the next few days. So what am I looking for in the Memphis game? I think all I'm looking for is continuing improvements in the area we're working on."
Saturday's match should mark the preseason debuts of midfielder Andre Rocha and defender Danny Torres, both of whom arrived in camp this week. Rocha had been in Brazil with visa issues while Torres was playing for the Costa Rican national team.
"I think all the players we're counting on need to play," Hyndman said. "As a coach, I don't think I want to be in a position saying that you're late, so you're not going to play. He (Torres) was away with the Costa Rican national team and I don't think we want to punish him for that like we didn't punish Kenny (Cooper). I don't think Danny is ready to step in and be in the top 11. He's going to have to go through training and put himself in a position maybe to beat somebody out. I think Danny can also compete as a left back. He's naturally left footed, so we'll be looking to see how he does there."
It's a similar story for Rocha, who last year, led FCD in assists.
"I think he'll play in the game but right now, Andre is going to have to work a little bit to regain his fitness level," Hyndman said. "We haven't measured it. And then, I think he has to work his way back into the team. I think Eric (Avila) has worked so hard for us from day one. It's not going to be an easy situation. It's got to be one where you can't be as good as Eric, you've got to be better because if not, Eric is going to get depressed, feel like he's not getting a fair shake and we don't want that. I think we've got time yet."
And there is still some question about where Rocha will fit. Last year, he played out wide but late in the year, got a look up top.
"I think Andre is more of a central midfield player," Hyndman said. "I don't know if that fits in well with our team with the 4-4-2. But I think Andre is also potentially a good flank player that comes into the center. And if you have a fullback on that side, he really creates opportunities. If you remember how well Adrian (Serioux) overlapped and got forward in the attack on Andre's side, it was because Andre was moving into the center. I think we got the best soccer we saw in Andre the latter part of the year. So we're hoping that it picks up from there and we can even encourage him to get forward more."
Monday's scrimmage with the Dynamo marked the first preseason action for FCD forward Kenny Cooper, who was away with the U.S. national team. Cooper is itching to get back onto the field this weekend.
"It's nice having another game and is nice to have a bunch of games in this preseason," he said. "Hopefully with every game, we can apply the things Schellas is wanting from us and can just continue to improve with every game."
Cooper is also looking forward to sharing the field with Rocha and Torres against Memphis.
"I'm really excited," he said. "I was really impressed with Torres when he was training with us last year. I think he brings great intensity to our team and I'm excited to have him here. I'm also excited to have Andre back. I really enjoyed playing with him last year and he provided me with some incredible service. The group is coming together now. It's nice to have a lot of the people in. Hopefully we can work hard and improve every day."
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