September 2nd, 2008 . 10:51 am . By: Buzz Carrick

The release of Ricardinho, the latest in a long line of flameouts in the Dallas #10 jersey, is just another sign that most important number in soccer has been cursed for FC Dallas.  Ricardinho is the latest in a long line of promise and busts leading deep into the history of FCD.  The 10, the number of the soccer gods Pele and Maradona; The Man, the playmaker, the striker, the key player in each and every team.  In Dallas it’s a waste of space and a reserve afterthought.    What violation occurred in the past that was such an affront to the powers of soccer that FC Dallas has even failed as a team on a consistent basis since the sacrilege?  What led to the ruination of the TEN?

You see numbers have meaning.  They have importance.  And the #10 is the most important of all.  It’s the number of fingers and toes you (should) have; the number of field players in the game; in religion the number of Commandments, plagues, martyrs, tribes of Israel, and days of repentance; the value of the face cards; the home of the British PM; the pins in an alley; and perhaps most importantly the body of Bo Derek. What would Vegas be without the atomic number of neon, 10.

In soccer the meaning of the ten comes from basis of the game in numbering jerseys from the keeper forward.  Keeper 1, defense 2,3,4….  Till they reached the front and the #10 was leading the line from the middle.  Thus it’s the jersey of the truly great game changers.  The gods of soccer Pele and Maradona; titans of the game like Zidane, Ronaldinho, Bergkamp, Zico, Owen, Riquelme, Rui Costa, Rivaldo, Totti, Platini, Law, Hagi, Lineker, del Piero, and Baggio.  All wore the Ten. For Dallas? It’s been reduced to just a worthless reserve squad number.

Don’t believe the #10 is cursed? Let’s look at the evidence.

Although he didn’t score, Ricardinho showed some promise in 2007 appearing in eight games three as a sub.  Enough promise that his request for the #10 is granted.  In 2008 Rico proceeds to flame out, burn bridges, and get cut halfway through the season.

Prior to that we were witness to one of the great busts in the history of Major league soccer: Denilson.  A signing of epic failure foisted on fans, the coach, and team by ownership.  Denilson, wearing the cursed #10, was forced into the lineup by demands of contract and scored just a lone goal off of a PK.  Far worse was the impact on the team and it’s MVP Juan Toja.  The required formation change to accommodate Denilson changed Toja’s play and position, wrecked a first place club, and sent it into a spiral of failure that culminated in another playoff loss.  By the time Morrow yanked Denilson from the lineup it was too late, the damage had been done.  Denilson, thankfully, put feet to pavement in the winter to never be seen in these parts again.

And why was the #10 open for Denilson? Because of the washout of Ramon Núñez.  In 2005, wearing #11, Núñez broke through into the starting eleven late in the year under Clarke and put on a show.  Núñez started the final 10 games of the year, scored five goals and played on average 84 minutes per game in the middle of the park.  The potential was on display and the excitement for 2006 was palpable.  Núñez was going to get the keys to the bus and FCD would finally have a player in the the middle that could pull the strings with vision.

After asking for years Núñez was given the #10 for 2006, and then the season of promise became a season of disappointment as he lost his job and because a role player.  On paper Ramon’s 6 goals and 4 assists in ‘06 look good, but since those numbers are virtually equal his numbers over the final ten games of ‘05 they must be seen as a failure.  Only 20 starts in 32 games, mostly wide in midfield, and less and less playing time as the year went on.  By the middle of 2007 Núñez was bitter and angry, his quick departure to Chivas USA midway through the season and out of MLS by the end of the year were the final retribution of the soccer gods.

Prior to Núñez, Brad Davis succumbed to the anger of the gods.  In 2003 Davis was a terror on the left wing for Dallas wearing the #24.  Six goals and five assist earned Davis the 3rd Degree Napalm Award (MVP), A MLS Player of the Week, a MLS Goal of the Week, and the Dallas Burn Budweiser scoring title.  Davis was a terrific balancing foil on the left for Ronnie O’Brien on the right.

But in 2004 Davis risked the ire of the gods and donned the #10 as Clarke moved him in the middle of the field.  Early in the year the move was deemed a failure, Davis was moved back wide left and never regained his top form for FC Dallas.  The displeasure of the gods even led to the US Olympic team being eliminated by Mexico and denying Davis his Olympic moment in Athens, Greece.  By 2005 the gods emptied the #10 again as Davis was traded to San Jose as part of a deal for Richard Mulroney and Arturo Alvarez.  This time the gods didn’t punish the player after leaving Dallas, because Davis has horned their wisdom by reclaiming All-Star form for Houston, when healthy, wearing the highly appropriate #11 on the left wing.

For a short time if looked like the gods hadn’t noticed the slight to the #10 as Joselito Vaca took the number in 2001 after being chose in the SuperDraft by Jeffries.  For a season the gods looked the other way as Vaca took up the pure playmaker position in the middle of the 3-5-2 and looked like the real deal with 2 goals and 4 assists in 17 starts.  Young and gifted on the ball, able to pass and create, in short all the making of a pure #10.

But the gods would have none of that and in 2002 Jeffries shifted to a 4-4-2 which moved Vaca wide right and the spiral down in playing time and impact began.  By the end of 2003 Vaca was out of the starting eleven in favor of more traditional wingers and we were watching the worst team in Dallas history. That winter Vaca was shipped out to New York as part of the rebuilding under Colin Clarke. Vaca was solid at times, and we can’t call him a bust.  But he sure as heck wasn’t what we had hoped with that first season of such promise.  He’s won several MVPs and rejoined the Bolivian national team since leaving MLS.  Again the gods only cursed the #10 for Dallas, their vengeance didn’t follow.

So what happened?  What went wrong?  How did things get to this state of fear and destruction?

The 10 wasn’t cursed in the early years as it started as they should back in 1996.  Washington Rodriguez, a player who was to be a key cornerstone of the team, donned the #10 and things started well enough.  While he wasn’t a world beater, nothing untoward happened while he wore the magic number.  Four goals and two assists in 9 starts is a solid set of stats.  His departure had more to do with coaching, attitude, and money than anything I think.  Perhaps being in the shadow of Hugo Sanchez and Leonel Alvarez didn’t agree with him.  So while not the MVP, still not horrible if perhaps an omen of sorts.

It certainly wasn’t with the next #10 as fan favorite Dante Washington took over the number and did some great things with it.  Washington wore the #10 from 1997 through the best season in FC Dallas history in 1999 when the Dallas Burn made is all the way to the Western Conference Final and finished the regular season with the best record in their history.  Tied for most wins in franchise history (16), fewest losses (7), tied for most ties (9), most points (57),  most points per game (1.78), tied for most goals for (54), fewest goals against (35), best goal differential (+19).  With Washington in the #10, a hard worker and goal scorer, the gods smiled and rewarded Dallas. All was as it should be.

But in the year 2000 it all went wrong.  The Great Transgression happened and the gods cursed the #10.  For Ricardinho Iribarren, an out and out defender, wore the #10 for twenty-one starts and one thousand six hundred and seventy-five minutes IN DEFENSE!

And he was from Argentina for goodness sake!  The home of one of the soccer gods in Maradona himself!

Oh, the gods would not stand idly by and take such an insult.  Iribarren was quickly jettisoned from Dallas to surface in the backwater that is Iquique in the Chilean second division and then with the USL Riverhounds in Pittsburg.  By 2003 he was done playing and now coaches high school soccer in Mexico.  The justice of the gods is swift my friends, do not test them.

And so with Ricardinho the curse continues.  How long will Dallas be forced to suffer without a magical #10?  How many years will the gods punish the Great Transgression?  Will the Dallas fans be doomed to never again have a hero of the gods?  Will Schellas Hyndman risk the wrath of the gods and try to sign another marquee player to break the curse?

From where we sit only a fresh young talent with the freedom, talent, and audacity to challenge the curse will eventually break it.  No retread, down side of career, one famous journeyman of any name stature will break it.  Will the young Avila risk the wrath and seek out the Dallas jersey of infamy?

Step up young Eric, we call you forth!  Do you have what it takes to break the curse?

Categories: 120 Fahrenheit.

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