FC Dallas

FC Dallas
Full name FC Dallas
Nickname(s) FCD, Hoops, Red Stripes, Toros, Burn, Dallas 96
Founded 1996 (as Dallas Burn)
Stadium Pizza Hut Park
Frisco, Texas
(Capacity: 20,500)
Owner Clark Hunt
Head Coach Schellas Hyndman
League Major League Soccer
2011 Western Conference: 4th
Overall: 4th
Playoffs: Wildcard
Website Club home page
Home colors
Away colors
Current season

FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas which competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, and was known as Dallas Burn prior to the 2005 season.

Dallas plays its home games at the 20,500 capacity soccer-specific Pizza Hut Park, where they have played since changing their name in 2005. The team is owned by MLS investor Clark Hunt, who also owns the Columbus Crew and the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. Dallas's current head coach is former Southern Methodist University coach Schellas Hyndman.

Contents

History

The Dallas Burn era: 1996–2004

On April 14, 1996, the Dallas Burn defeated the San Jose Clash in a shootout win in front of a crowd of 27,779 fans at the Cotton Bowl. The Burn with Jason Kreis and coach Dave Dir, would become one of MLS's better teams as they used a midseason 5-game winning streak to earn their first playoff berth with a record of 17–15. In the playoffs, the Burn would be defeated by the Kansas City Wiz in three games. The Burn started the season with mixed results. Late in the season they used a 4-game winning streak to make the playoffs. They ended their season with a .500 record of 16–16. In the playoffs, the Burn defeated and swept the Los Angeles Galaxy without conceding a goal. But in the next round, they would be defeated by the Colorado Rapids. The Burn would win the US Open Cup by defeating the MLS Cup Champion D.C. United.

In their third season, at the start and in the middle of the season the Burn would struggle. Despite a poor record of 15–17, the Burn would qualify for their third straight playoff berth. In the playoffs, the Los Angeles Galaxy swept and defeated the Burn in the first round. By June 1999, the Burn were in the middle of the pack of the Western Conference standings with a record of 5–5. With Jason Kreis' breakout year, the burn would climb to second place at the end of the season with a record of 19–13. In the playoffs, the Burn defeated the defending champions Chicago Fire. In the Western Conference Final, they would be defeated by the Los Angeles Galaxy and eliminated.

After coming within one game of MLS Cup, the Burn were ready to start the season with the cup in mind. The club started the season well, but in the middle of the spring and summer, they were struggling and made the playoffs third in the realigned Central Division and the 6th seed in the league standings with a record of 14–14–6. In the playoffs, the Burn seem to struggle again as the MetroStars swept them in two games. At the end of the season, coach Dave Dir would be terminated and replaced by Mike Jeffries. In their first season under Mike Jeffries in 2001, the Burn would continue to play mediocre soccer and finish the season 10–11–5 after the final weekend was cut short as a result of the September 11 attacks. In the playoffs as the 7th seed team, the Burn would disappoint again, as they lost in three games to the Chicago Fire.

The Burn had a much better season from start to finish in 2002. Jason Kreis would continue to lead the club as they finished with a 12–9–7 record, their best in three years and they earned the 5th seed in the playoffs. In the playoffs, the Colorado Rapids defeated the Burn on a series-tiebreaking goal by Mark Chung in game 3. The Burn started 2003 playing in Southlake, TX in Dragon Stadium. The Burn would struggle and suffer through a rough season. Mike Jeffries was fired in September and replaced by Colin Clarke as the Burn finished the season with a record of 6–19–5, missing the playoffs for the first time in club history.

2004 saw a one-year return to the Cotton Bowl, and the team's final year being known as the "Dallas Burn", the club would carry over some of their frustrations from the previous year. By late July, the Burn would be back in the playoff run, but it would not be enough as they again missed the playoffs for the second year with a disappointing 10–14–6 season. In August, club owner Lamar Hunt announced that the club in 2005 would be rebranded and would be known as "FC Dallas" to coincide with their new soccer specific stadium in Frisco, Texas. The acquisition of Carlos Ruiz, FC Dallas would have a great start to the 2005 season, losing only two of their fist 17 games. On August 6, FC Dallas played their inaugural game at Pizza Hut Park and tied the MetroStars, 2–2. Mid season the club started to struggle and they went on a six-game winless streak. As the playoffs neared hey went on a three game winning streak. That streak helped them into the playoffs as the second seed in the West with a record of 13–10–9. Against the Colorado Rapids in the playoffs, the teams would play a scoreless first game. After playing to a 1–1 tie in regulation time, the two teams were level again, 2–2, after the first overtime. In the shootout, the Rapids outscored and defeated FC Dallas, 5–4 on penalties.

The FC Dallas era: 2005–present

FC Dallas again started the 2006 season well. In their first full season at Pizza Hut Park, Carlos Ruiz led the season with 13 goals, helping his team to a 16–12–4 record and the top seed in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, they struggled as they were again were defeated in penalties by the Colorado Rapids. FC Dallas were on the top spot in the Western Conference for much of the first half of 2007, winning 6 of their first 10 matches. In the second half of the season, though, FC Dallas started to struggle and were in a decline, as they only won 5 games after the All-Star break, going into postseason with a record of 13–12–5, for third in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, FC Dallas lost 4–2 on aggregate to Houston Dynamo.

FC Dallas, stumbled from the start of the 2008 season, and slipped to the bottom of the Western Conference standings, which led to the firing of Coach Steve Morrow. The club hired Schellas Hyndman to replace Steve Morrow, they would showed some signs of improvement, but they would never recover as they missed the playoffs, while finishing in fifth place with a record of 8–10–12. They missed the playoffs again in 2009 and their record was mediocre at best (11–13–6). FC Dallas was despicable on the road, losing 10 games, 3rd worst in MLS. The club was 1st in goals in favor, but 2nd to last in goals against. The team played well, but that more often than not did not translate into wins.

FC Dallas had one of the most consistent seasons in 2010, losing just four games while advancing all the way to the MLS Cup championship. Midfielder David Ferreira entered the season as a relative unknown, but ended the season as the league's MVP. Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was a knee injury away from goalkeeper of the year and coach Schellas Hyndman, after a couple challenging seasons as head coach, won MLS coach of the year. In the Playoffs, FC Dallas advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the second time, and defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 3–0 at the Home Depot Center, thus advancing to its first MLS Cup final against the Colorado Rapids. FC Dallas lost the match by a score of 2–1, after overtime.

The 2011 campaign saw reigning MVP David Ferreira go down with an ankle injury, in a 2–1 victory against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Despite the loss, FC Dallas continued to have much success. Brek Shea led the way and took over the scoring load left behind by David Ferreira. FC Dallas was the first team in the 2011 MLS season to reach 10 wins. The 2011 MLS Season also saw FC Dallas advance past the third round of the 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 3–2 victory over Orlando City S.C. with the victory FC Dallas advanced to the quarterfinals were they beat Real Salt Lake 2–0. On August 17, FC Dallas became the first MLS club to defeat a Mexican team in Mexico, beating UNAM 1–0 in the CONCACAF Champions League.

Colors and badge

Originally, Dallas Burn played in a predominantly red-and-black color scheme, and had a logo which featured a fire-breathing black horse beneath a stylized red "Burn" wordmark. The team re-branded as FC Dallas in 2005 to coincide with their move to Pizza Hut Park, and has since played in a color scheme of red, blue, silver, and white, and a kit design of horizontally hooped stripes.

Stadium

From 1996–2002 the team played in the 92,100-capacity Cotton Bowl in Dallas. In an effort to save money due to the club's unfavorable lease with the Cotton Bowl, the club played its 2003 home games at Dragon Stadium, a high school stadium in Southlake, a Fort Worth suburb. After listening to its fans, the Dallas Burn, as the team was called from 1996–2004, moved back to the Cotton Bowl for the 2004 season. Another factor to the move was the money that the club was losing due to the fact that there could be no alcohol sales at a public high school.

In August 2005, the club moved into Pizza Hut Park, a soccer-specific stadium in the northern suburb of Frisco.

Club culture

Supporters

Dallas's main supporters group is the Hoops Nation, which was founded during the 2006 season. Membership of Hoops Nation that allows fans to get two free tickets each year, a t-shirt, and other benefits, in exchange for a membership fee. Hoops Nation was officially renamed "FCD Nation" in 2009 as part of a franchise-wide phaseout of the "Hoops" moniker. The club also works in concert with the existing supporters' group, Inferno (whose name derives from the team's days as the Dallas Burn), by offering discounted tickets to the group's special section. Other active supporters' groups are "La Raza Latina" and "El Matador".

Rivalries

FC Dallas' oldest rivalry is with their Eastern Conference rival, the Chicago Fire. Since 2001, the two clubs have competed for the Brimstone Cup, which goes to the team that wins the season series between the two teams. However, due to the teams having moved to different conferences after formerly competing alongside each other in the Central Division, the rivalry has waned in recent years. In 2005, the San Jose Earthquakes were put on hold and the team's assets were reinvented in Houston as the Houston Dynamo, sparking an intrastate rivalry with the new Houston club. The two teams play for El Capitan, a cannon that goes to the regular season victor. Recently, animosity grew between fans and players of FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids, mainly sparking from Colorado players' comments towards the fans[1] and Colorado's victories over FC Dallas in the 2005 and 2006 MLS Cup Playoffs. This rivalry was once again renewed in the 2010 MLS Cup championship match. Played in Toronto, FC Dallas fell 2–1 to the Rapids after extra time. A new rivalry is emerging with Real Salt Lake.

Song

The team anthem is called "H-O-O-P-S Yes!" and is performed by choral symphonic rock group and Dallas natives The Polyphonic Spree.[2]

International affiliations

FC Dallas is formally associated with Mexican Primera División club Tigres de la UANL and Clube Atlético Paranaense of Brazil’s Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.

Broadcasting

FC Dallas's matches appear on regional television on Fox Sports Southwest, KTXA and WFAA (8-3) and several games are televised nationally on NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network (starting in the 2012 season). Southern Methodist Mustangs announcer Ray Canevari replaces the late Bobby Rhine and returns to the team after a 2-year absence and he does play-by-play with former MLS player Steve Jolley providing color commentary.

On radio, FC Dallas matches when simulcast locally on Fox Sports Southwest, KTXA or WFAA and appears nationally on NBC or NBC Sports Network, all games will be broadcasted on The Ticket (1310 AM and 104.1 FM) beginning in the 2012 season. ESPN Deportes (1540 AM) carries Spanish language broadcasts. Carlos Alvarado and Jesús Padilla do Spanish play-by-play and color, respectively.

Players and staff

Current roster

As of November 30, 2011.[3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 GK Kevin Hartman
2 MF Daniel Hernández (captain)
3 DF Ugo Ihemelu
4 MF Andrew Jacobson
5 DF Jair Benítez (on loan from Deportivo Cali)
6 DF Jackson (on loan from São Paulo)
7 MF Daniel Cruz
8 MF Bruno Guarda
10 MF David Ferreira
11 MF Ricardo Villar
12 DF Zach Loyd
14 DF George John
15 FW Fabián Castillo
No. Position Player
16 DF Bobby Warshaw
20 MF Brek Shea
21 MF Bryan Leyva
22 GK Josh Lambo
23 FW Andrew Wiedeman
28 MF Victor Ulloa
29 DF Moises Hernandez
30 GK Chris Seitz
32 FW Jonathan Top
34 FW Rubén Luna
40 GK Richard Sánchez
FW Blas Pérez
DF Hernán Pertúz

Reserve Team Players

This list shows players who have played for the team in official 2011 MLS Reserve Division games, but are not part of the senior roster.[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
DF Jack Coleman
MF Mike Ambrose
MF Mark Ashby
No. Position Player
MF David Robledo
FW Daniel Garcia

Notable former players

This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.

Team management

Head coaches

Achievements

Record

Year-by-year

Year Regular Season Playoffs US Open Cup CONCACAF
Champions' League
1996 2nd, West Quarterfinals Semifinals Did not qualify
1997 3rd, West Semifinals Champions Did not qualify
1998 4th, West Quarterfinals Semifinals Did not qualify
1999 2nd, West Semifinals Quarterfinals Did not qualify
2000 3rd, Central Quarterfinals Quarterfinals Did not qualify
2001 3rd, Central Quarterfinals Round of 32 Not held
2002 3rd, West Quarterfinals Semifinals Did not qualify
2003 5th, West Did not qualify Round of 16 Did not qualify
2004 5th, West Did not qualify Quarterfinals Did not qualify
2005 2nd, West Quarterfinals Final Did not qualify
2006 1st, West Quarterfinals Quarterfinals Did not qualify
2007 3rd, West Quarterfinals Final Did not qualify
2008 5th, West Did not qualify Quarterfinals Did not qualify
2009 7th, West Did not qualify Did not qualify Did not qualify
2010 3rd, West Final Did not qualify Did not qualify
2011 4rd, West Wild Card Semifinals Group Stage

Year-by-year stats

Year League Record Top Scorer
P W L D F A Pts Name G
1996 32 17 15 NA 50 48 41 Jason Kreis 13
1997 32 16 16 NA 55 49 42 Dante Washington 12
1998 32 15 17 NA 43 59 37 Jason Kreis 9
1999 32 19 13 NA 54 35 51 Jason Kreis 18
2000 32 14 14 4 54 54 46 Ariel Graziani 15
2001 26 10 11 5 48 47 35 Ariel Graziani 11
2002 28 12 9 7 44 43 43 Jason Kreis 13
2003 30 6 19 5 35 64 23 Jason Kreis 7
2004 30 10 14 6 34 45 36 Eddie Johnson 12
2005 32 13 10 9 52 44 48 Carlos Ruiz 11
2006 32 16 12 4 48 44 52 Carlos Ruiz 13
2007 30 13 12 5 37 44 44 Carlos Ruiz 7
2008 30 8 10 12 45 41 36 Kenny Cooper 18
2009 30 11 13 6 50 47 39 Jeff Cunningham 17
2010 30 12 4 14 42 28 50 Jeff Cunningham 11
2011 34 15 11 7 42 39 52 Brek Shea 9
Total 492 207 200 84 733 731 675 ' '

Note: MLS did not allow ties prior to the 2000 season as games were decided by shootout when tied at full time.

International competition

Group Stage v. Necaxa – 1:4
Group Stage v. Cruz Azul – 1:2
Group Stage v. Odd Grenland – 1:2
Group Stage v. Dynamo Kyiv – 2:2
Semi-Finals v. Stabæk – 2:1
Fifth Place Match v. Bodø/Glimt – 1:3
Group Stage v. Guadalajara – 1:1
Group Stage v. Pachuca – 1:1
Group Stage v. Los Angeles Galaxy – 5:6
Preliminary Round v. Alianza – 2:0
Group Stage v. UNAM – 1:0
Group Stage v. Toronto FC – 1:0
Group Stage v. Tauro FC – 1:1
Group Stage v. UNAM – 0:2
Group Stage v. Tauro FC – 3:5
Group Stage v. Toronto FC – 0:3

See also

References

External links