Dallas fans are hoping for a little more to cheer about in 2010. (Getty Images)

After a couple days away from this series we are back, today with my hometown team FC Dallas. So far we’ve looked at Chicago, Colorado, Chivas, Columbus, DC and Philadelphia in this pre-season look in on how each club is looking as they gear towards the new season.

FC Dallas comes into pre-season camp looking pretty good after a solid finish to the 2009 campaign. Schellas Hyndman has made a couple moves and could be prepared to do a couple more before the season starts. Right now there are a few trailists on the pre-season roster but that doesn’t always mean they’ll be there on opening day.

Let’s take a look in now and see what Dallas had done and what else they need to take care of before the new season.

Keepers:

Who they have: Dario Sala and Josh Lambo.

Notes: Right away you can see the depth is an issue in this department. Word has it they are after another 30-something keeper named Ora Nikolov. Honestly I don’t like them going after another old keeper, they already have one in Sala. Honestly I want to see more Lambo and his development here. If they can get a solid back up to Sala they will be fine but you have to figure that they’ll need someone for at least a half dozen games or so because we know Sala is bound to pick up an injury at some point in the season, he always does.

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Defense:

Who they have: Daniel Hernández, Ugo Ihemelu, Jair Benítez, Heath Pearce, Aziz Ansah, George John, Anthony Wallace, and Kyle Davies.

Notes: Honestly this is probably the best bunch of defenders Dallas has seen in a number of years. Defense has always been some sort of an issue with this club in the past but the solid collection of young and veteran players in the back that should be solid enough for the season.

More than likely from the way things seem at camp right now Pearce and Hernandez will be in the midfield rather than in the back four. Bringing Ansah in this winter helped make the move for Pearce possible and one that I am very curious to see.

Dallas probably could still go after another center back as right now their options are fairly young with John, Davies, and the slightly older Ihemelu. Right now one of those open spots could go to Steve Purdy who is in camp and fighting for a roster spot. I’d honestly rather see another option there but at this point if it isn’t a foreign trialist or someone on loan then the pickings are slim.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Dax McCarty, Bruno Guarda, Eric Avila, Marvin Chávez, Zach Loyd, and Bryan Leyva.

Notes: On paper this is a very young midfield. Chavez is the oldest at 26. Still with guys like Pearce and Hernandez likely to be in the midfield this season it balances things out a good bit. Hyndman loves players who play multiple positions so that will also explain why there are only a few midfielders actually listed here. Forwards like Atiba Harris and David Ferreira also can play in the midfield too.

For me this group is the make or break part of this team. With no Dave van den Burgh this year (or at least it is looking that way for now) it seems like McCarty will be called to do a lot of the grunt work in creating offense while Harris, Pearce, and Hernandez will be called to hold things on the wings and in defense. This time last year I was on the camp that wanted McCarty out of Dallas but after his play last year I fully want him there. He’s turning into a very solid player and one that is highly underrated.

This group could still use some depth though going forward, particularly on the wings and I’m not entirely sure if I like Hernandez as the defensive midfielder going into the start of the year yet.

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Forwards:

Who they have: Jeff Cunningham, Andrew Wiedeman, Brek Shea, Atiba Harris, David Ferreira, and Peri Marosevic.

Notes: If Cunningham is as productive as he was in the second half of last year then there is really no need to make a lot of notes on this group. Honestly this group, even as young as it is right now is probably one of the more underrated forward groups in the league. Ferreira turned out to be one heck of a signing last year for Dallas once he (finally) got use to the style of play in MLS.

I do hope to see more of Shea and Marosevic this year, and to a lesser extent Wiedeman. Their development is so vital to the future of this club and I do worry some that they may not be getting enough playing time right now. Hopefully that thought will go away this year with more time on the field.

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Overall:

One thing is clear right now, the types of players Hyndman is going after (other than old SMU players) are versatile. He wants guys that can play all over the field to cover any depth issues that the club may have. Not a bad move on his part because it does create a lot of competition between the players for certain spots.

Right now though there are a couple areas that need patched up like the center back and on the wings in the midfield. Both are more in terms of depth right now than actually finding new starters. It will be curious to see if they do find a trade partner for van den Burgh’s player rights or if that will just fizz away here before the season. Also finding a solid backup keeper will be key as well.

Dallas has a shot to be really good this year if all the pieces fall in line like they were towards the end of last year. Though another slow start could make people question Hyndman’s tactics even more. Should be fun to watch though.

Order of goals: Omar Cummings, Brian Ching, Eric Avila, Fredy Montero, Chirs Pontius, Osvaldo Alonso, Nate Jaqua, Fredy Montero, and Christian Gomez.

Mainly it comes down to a few factors but most ultimately end up with a lot of blame on head coach Schellas Hyndman.

Now I am not calling for a dismissal of Hyndman, not yet at least. I think every coach for the most part needs a decent amount of time to figure out what they need to do to get the club in a position to win and be successful. If the coach isn’t able to do that after I would say at least two seasons then it may be time for them to go. Maybe even two seasons isn’t long enough in some cases.

But with Hyndman we knew down here in Dallas what we were getting into. A long-time college coach that knows the game well but never won any major championships on the college level. The FCD job was his for the taking for a few years and once he finally was in the position to do it he finally took it.

The more I view this club and see how Hyndman coaches I know the man can do it but I am starting to believe he just may not be able to do it on this sort of level. He typically out thinks the room in a league that if you can keep things simple enough you can typically win. Look at the coaches that are successful. Most usually have a veteran keeper, a tight defense, a midfield that holds onto possesion and creates offense and is also physically tough and finally has strikers that are hungry around the penality box.

Hyndman has those kinds of players but he out thinks the room in the sense that he thinks too much about how to be defensive and how to maintain possession over periods of time. It may not help that he has an assistant coach that typically out thought the room in his time at RSL. Yes John Ellinger typicallty was the type of coach that thought too hard about how to make his expansion club into a winning club instead of getting the right peices in place to become a winner. Instead he breaded a culture at Salt Lake that the club is finally getting over under Jason Kreis.

But back to Hyndman here. He’s also being too stubborn about a formation that clearly isn’t working with his core group of players, which results in a lack of creativity on the offensive side of the ball and it ends up putting more pressure on a defense that could be good if they weren’t always put into a position to have to defend so much during a game.

And since he isn’t parting with his formation the club continues to have issues creating offense and finding a good enough partner for Kenny Cooper. They also continue to have issues on the right side of the field, not to mention the wing backs in defense. Then you have guys like Pablo Ricchetti that are currently on pace to break down by mid-July.

A lot of moves just aren’t working under Hyndman. The club is loaded with talent that sort of reminds me of a few New York Rangers teams from a few years ago. Lots of talent but couldn’t get the W’s. Some of it has to do with talent not being on form yet, which is also sort of ridiculous for being this far into a season, and some has to do with the talent just not being that good to begin with.

The club has plenty of young guys that also need to see time. Hell the Red Stripes have a handful of players on the US U-20 club that see more time with that team than with this team. I’d honestly love to see the likes of Josh Lambo, Kyle Davies, Brek Shea, Peri Marosevic, and Eric Avila mixed in more with Cooper, Dave van den Burgh and Drew Moor.

I think some things need to be shook up with this club to get it going here. I kind of think had the club gotten rid of a guy like Dax McCarty in the off season the midfield wouldn’t be as big of a mess as it is now and maybe the formation would be working for them. Maybe also making some other moves like dumping guys like Marcelo Saragosa. Or even cur your losses with someone like Steve Purdy or Daniel Torres, two guys that clear aren’t working out like Hyndman and GM Micheal Hitchcock had hoped for earlier this season.

I’m sure there are plenty of other things that club could do right now to improve. The talent is in place but sometimes it does boil down to coaching. And when you out think the room on things or making things too complicated for yourself you typically end up in a mess like FC Dallas is in at the moment.

It’s a shame too because there is a lot of good talent on this roster that deserves better. And not to mention the fans deserve better.

Edit: One final note…Hyndman’s all-time record with FCD is currently 5-12-9. At first I thought giving him more time would be fine but that is a terrilbe record for any coach. Even Steve Morrow

Today just seems like as good of a time as ever to update this list. Seeing how it has been nearly a month’s time since our last view at this list. Some rookies are shining in league games and in once case in SuperLiga games.

With only ten or 12 games left on the year (depending on the team) some guys have to make a serious push in the final months of the season to get votes here. A couple guys are still well ahead of the rest. Some guys have fallen completely off the watch and some new faces have come up in recent weeks.

I think there is finally a true order to this list as well. Before I had said there was no need to have a true order until we had seen enough out of some players – well I think we have now.

And as always, feel free to pipe in your own thoughts and comments on this list with a list of your own.

1. Kheli Dube, New England Revolution – For most people now, Dube is the front runner for this Rookie of the Year award this season. Four goals in 15 games this year for the rookie is some solid numbers. What may be more impressive is the fact that he was a Supplemental pick! Not a SuperDraft pick!
2. Sean Franklin, LA Galaxy – Recent injuries have hindered his progress on this list, not to mention play of his club in recent weeks. Once he gets back to health I think he will still contend and get votes for this award from Dube. But he does have a bit of a hill to climb now.
3. Geoff Cameron, Houston Dynamo – Cameron is a personal favorite of WVH (I had a couple classes with him back in his WVU days before he went to URI). His play recently in SuperLiga has really impressed me and a lot of other people around the MLS world. The more PT he gets the better he is getting.
4. Andy Iro, Columbus Crew – Another defender on the list, for good reason too. I think people under estimate his value on the backline for the Crew. He’s big, strong, and pretty quick.
5. Tony Beltran, Real Salt Lake – May be the biggest mover in recent weeks in my mind. His recent play (and his club’s play) have been outstanding. He’s one of the reasons why that RSL defense is becoming one of the best in the league.
6. Justin Braun, Chivas USA – Not the flashiest of players but still a solid one. But hopes of winning this award henge on how many goals he can put up in the final months.
7. Julius James, Toronto FC - Recent play of his club has hurt James but if they can get their act together you will see him move back up this list. He’s a beast in the air on set pieces and before long he will start coming through on them for the Reds.

Some others trying to move up:

• Eric Avila, FC Dallas – If you haven’t seen him play for Dallas yet go online and find a few clips of him. He’s been solid in the attack for Dallas and has some quality service.
• Danleigh Boreman, New York – Was up the list but is still down here because his PT hasn’t been as much and his overall play hasn’t been great lately.
• Patrick Nyarko, Chicago Fire – Don’t be shocked to see him in the top five before long.

I think now that we are halfway through the season we can have a better understanding of who is in this race and who is not. Some guys have floated on that bubble, while others are starting to place themselves in the true discussion for this award. A lot has to do with playing time, how their clubs are doing and what impact they are actually making on the field.

Still no true order to this list though, that will still come later on. Feel free as always to post your short list or discuss mine.

1. Sean Franklin, LA Galaxy: Still one of the favorites in most people’s minds right now. Even with the lack of actual success on the LA backline, Franklin is still making solid strides to be one of the better center backs in the league. Let’s just hope Abel Xavier’s terrible play doesn’t rub off on the rookie.
2. Kheli Dube, New England Revolution: Others will have Dube atop their lists. He is definitely up there on mine.
3. Julius James, Toronto FC: The more time this kid gets on the field the better. Come October he will be an absolute beast for this club.
4. Justin Braun, Chivas USA: I must say, I still get impressed by this kid each time I see him out there. He isn’t making loads of headlines or anything but he is still for the most part a mainstay in the Chivas lineup.
5. Andy Iro, Columbus Crew: Another guy that is starting to see a lot more time is Iro. The kid is a tower on the backline for Columbus with Chad Marshall. Another kid that come later this season will be a total beast. Hell, I think he already is.

Fringe guys for the list:

1. Danleigh Boreman, New York: I don’t know what has happened with Boreman recently but I tend to lose him out on the pitch. Then again his club has been pretty terrible in recent weeks so that may be why.
2. Chance Myers, KC Wizards: Number one pick isn’t playing like one anymore. He may not even be the best rookie on his club at the moment.
3. Jonathan Leathers, KC Wizards: Who is the better rookie, Leathers or Myers? Right now I would honestly say Leathers.
4. Geoff Cameron, Houston Dynamo: Continues to get better with each game, and I’m not saying that because I know the kid. More PT coming up could help his cause in this award.
5. Patrick Nyarko, Chicago Fire: Not playing a whole lot now but you will begin to see a reason why people thought he would have been the number one pick in the draft come this fall. He will be torching clubs as a sub in the 70th minute.
6. Pat Phelan, New England Revolution: Toronto will be wishing they had kept Phelan in the long run. I know they needed to free up a roster spot but in the long run he will make them wish otherwise.
7. Eric Avila, FC Dallas: That perfect cross to Abe Thompson is reason why this kid will begin to make his way up the charts here.

Others that should be considered, but won’t:

• Emmanuel Ekpo, Columbus Crew: I’m pretty sure he won’t count as a rookie, if he does put him up near the top. He has seen time with other clubs in Africia, so that is why I think he won’t be considered.
• Sainey Nyassi, New England: See Ekpo.
• Kenny Mansally, New England: See Ekpo.