3rd Degree

May 11th, 2007 . By: Buzz Carrick

I guess there’s got to be a break in the monotony, but Jesus, when it rains how it pours. - Damian Kulash

This spring has demonstrated how nice the FCD training field is with all this rain.  It pored again last night, and the training surface is quite dry.  Hitchcock, who dropped by later in the session, says it drains up to 7 inches of rain an hour.  Which is an unbelievable amount.

Fairly short and straight forward session today.

News, Notes, and Observations

- Morrow confirmed that Ruiz will not start this weekend.

- Yi and Saragosa are both cleared to play.  Morrow says Yi is closer than Saragosa and it certainly looks like Yi is starting and Saragosa is not.

- Marco Ferruzzi is heading up the FCD efforts to organize their two (?) youth teams that MLS is requiring this season. Morrow says that FCDs teams will be ready to go when MLS gets around to announcing what the MLS version of the youth set up will be.  Both tournaments and a possible league have been mentioned and discussed.  The FCD teams are expected to operate within the FC Dallas Youth structure, although it’s unclear yet if they will be newly created teams or if FCD will use teams that exist already.

- The Pitchkolan at center back experiment is back on now that Ricchetti is active and Saragosa is healthy.  Center back may end up being a nice option for Pitch as he has some height is a good defender.  Plus his deficiencies, touch and passing, will not be as exposed in the back line.  Pitch could extend his career quite a bit if he can prove to be a valid option in the back.

- Ricchetti took a knock on the shoulder in training but he was fine to continue.

- Morrow said the move for Ricchetti is ready to go, but that they still needed to talk to one of the player involved before announcing it.  One of the players means Pitch is going down to developmental and someone else is being released.

- Morrow confirmed that Hislop is guaranteed through the end of this season but is not guaranteed for 2008.  There had previously been a couple of conflicting sources and reports on that.

Catching up with Morrow

Is Ricchetti ready:

Obviously not 100% at the moment.  We’re trying to get him as close as we can. He needs games, and he needs game fitness and match fitness just to sharpen him up a little bit.  The good thing is he’s come into this team for a couple months now I think.   He knows the players, he knows the system, and he know what to do.  He’s worked hard in training this week to get his fitness levels up, so we’re pleased with him so far and will look at him tomorrow to check on his fitness to see if he’s ready to start or some off the bench.

Buzz’s coach speak translator: Ricchetti’s starting.

On Ruiz absence:

Look, I don’t want to make anymore of it than it already is.  The simple situation is that he had a legitimate reason for not being here on Monday and the only mistake that Carols Ruiz made was not phoning me earlier to have that absence excused.  If he had called me on Saturday or something we could have talked through the situation and I would have agreed to let him stay because of the circumstances that he faced there.  He had a personal issue.  There is no doubt he’s telling the truth about that.  I know it’s a factor of when it went down and the only he did wrong was not communicating with me a little bit earlier and having that absence excused.  And if he had done that we wouldn’t have a problem. Consequently I don’t feel he’s in position to start for the team on Saturday after missing a couple days of practice.  It’s important to me to send a message to the other players.  Especially with disciplinary things and those are things I am not going to stand for.  Carlos is going to be treated like everyone else in the team.  He accepts that punishment and it hurts him not being able to play on Saturday and he’ll also be heavily fined as well.

Buzz’s coach speak translator: Rules are rules, Ruiz sits.

On supporting Dario:

I think I have a very good relationship with Dario.  We have an open and honest relationship like I have with all the other players.  I told him I believe in his ability, I think he had a great year last year.  But I also told him there are things that need to get better in terms of his professionalism, looking after himself, and getting fitter and being able to push himself harder.  That’s going to make him a better goalkeeper.  Jeff Cassar has done a great job in training every day pushing him harder.  Dario has responded very well and he knows I believe in him and I have a lot of confidence in him.

Buzz’s coach speak translator: Dario is the man.

On MLSPA releasing salaries:

I don’t think it’s a good thing.  I understand the reasons for doing it and I think reasons that are put out there are very legitimate reasons.  Some of the base salaries could be higher, but they also comparable to the other major sports in this league and they are certainly comparable to what I started out on.  I started out as an apprentice at Arsenal and earned 35 pounds a week.  So it’s a situation this young players have to go through and they have to give a lot of commitment to try and push their career further on and show how much they want to be involved in professional soccer. You have to work you way though that early in your career.  The other side of it is I know the league is working on it, and I know they are working on it hard, and that’s the gap between the highest paid player and all the rest.  I think that needs to get better.

Buzz’s coach speak translator: The pay sucks, deal.

On a FCD PDL team:

I think it would be great. I really do.  I think that’s what’s missing, a step between where the players get to at the college level, and even before the college level, and the first team.  I think it would be another option to increase your player pool and give players a chance for meaningful game.  So I’d be very much in favor of a PDL team.  There are certain rules and regulations about how many PDL teams you can have in a certain area.  So we have had preliminary talks with [DFW Tornados] and it’s a situation we are still working on.

Buzz’s coach speak translator: We need a PDL team.

On Jason Kreis, RSL coach:

I was delighted for him.  Jason and I talk regularly and I think he’s going to be a good coach.  He impressed me as a player and I know how he thinks about the game.  He’s very professional and an intelligent guy as well.  I think he’s going to be a very good coach.  I hope he doesn’t do too well though.

Buzz’s coach speak translator: Yeah for Jason.

Training

After the warm up and jogging, Morrow made the players do some relay races with and without the ball.  Players were in four teams competing for bragging rights for the 15 yards down and back sprints.  various lengths and cutting back and forth were used to push up the pace.

Second session was a 40 minute or so full field scrimmage with goal keepers.

Lineup Prediction

Morrow says Ruiz is out, and I will bet my bottom dollar Sala is back in.

Thought of the Day

So right back has been a trouble spot, not that Drew Moor is a bad defender, he’s just much better in the middle.

One thing you see at this level is converted mids or forwards playing back there. Bobby Rhine for example, Chris Albright for another.  Richard Mulrooney just played right back for Houston this last weekend.

So outside of a trade for a player, who on the FCD roster might make a good right back?  Anthony Wallace has been mentioned before but he’s not quite ready for MLS mental speed.

How about Marcelo Saragosa?

Categories: Practice Observations .

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