Hyndman sees more accountability

FRISCO, Texas -- Before FC Dallas left the Lone Star State for a weeklong trip to Florida, several players stated that a big goal of the trip was to develop stronger team chemistry. FCD has played and won two games in the Sunshine State -- a 1-0 win over Colorado on Tuesday and a 9-0 victory against Florida International on Thursday.

"I think it's gone well," said FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman. "I think we had about 15 points in preseason and one very big area, which was team chemistry. What we've really worked hard on is developing a commitment to the team and acknowledging that we all make mistakes. We just have to recognize that mistake, regret that mistake and move forward."

For Hyndman, such camaraderie boils down to one simple concept.

"The big word is accountability," he said. "This is one of the big areas I noticed about the team last year -- that people didn't hold each other to high standards, hold themselves or their teammates accountable. So we're working on that but we don't want this to be a discipline environment where players are afraid to be themselves or scared to make mistakes. It's got to be something where everyone is accountable and working hard to get better. Hopefully, we can all reach the goals we want."

In Thursday's win over FIU, Brazilian midfielder Andre Rocha played about 35 minutes and got his first assist of preseason after he only played 20 minutes against the Rapids.

"We're trying to get him more time here and there," Hyndman said. "He came into training camp late and wasn't in very good condition, so that has been a high priority for us. I designed it for Andre to play the last 15 minutes of the half and then that would carry him into the first 15 minutes of the second half. So he got a chance to play 15 minutes with a 10-minute break and then come back with another 15 minutes. Then, he did another 20 minutes of fitness on the side of the field with Marco (Ferruzzi)."

One player who has yet to see any action in Florida is defender Adrian Serioux, who continues to recover from hip and knee injuries. He might or might not play on Saturday, when FCD faces Swedish side BK Hacken in their final game before returning to Texas on Sunday.

"He's not quite there," Hyndman said of the Canadian international. "The thing is that you don't want to play and not play well. You want to put a guy out there just at 50 percent when other people are at 100 percent or have been working the whole time. If Adrian plays, it will probably be a 20-minute situation."

The FCD coach expects a solid, competitive match from the Swedes.

"For me, it's not so much about playing a different opponent," Hyndman said. "What it is for me is evaluating my team and my players. Are they doing the things we want them to do? The better the opponent, the better we get exposed to our weaknesses and the more we have an opportunity to identify and try to repair or fix those.

"I think they're a good team that is coming in here for training. They have a little bit more of a direct style of play. So they will put our defense under some pressure. We've got to watch out for transitions and counterattacks, things that we didn't see a lot of with Colorado or FIU. It's a wonderful opportunity to evaluate ourselves and to improve."

One big bright spot for FCD in preseason has been the solid play of Steve Purdy at center back, who could very well start the year alongside Drew Moor in the first 11.

"Steve has been a real pleasant addition for us and also a pretty good surprise," Hyndman said. "We knew he was a good player coming out of college. He's 6-foot-4 and he can jump. The thing that I saw from him here that I did not see in college was how much more physical he's gotten. He's turned into a pretty strong defensive player, is getting more physical and that's really helped us a bit. He has technical ability, passes the ball well and has good range on his passes. He can make the 15-yard pass or he can make the 50-yard pass. He's strong in the air as you would expect and scored a header yesterday on a corner kick.

"He's a player that I think will make it more difficult for strikers. If they are checking back, he will check back with them. He's tough and has good timing on his tackles," Hyndman continued. "I think he's been a really nice addition, somebody who can help defend free kicks, attack free kicks, corner kicks and break up things. We've been working pretty hard on him taking free kicks. He's got a very good technique on distance free kicks. From 25 yards out, he hits the ball pretty well."