MLS FC Dallas

Records, International Success, Hard Work and Misfortune Turn in Unforgettable 2011 for FC Dallas

Published on October 28, 2011 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Dallas News Release


FRISCO, Texas (Friday, Oct. 28) -Wednesday night Pizza Hut Park saw its star-powered visitors snuff out FC Dallas' hunt for a return trip to MLS Cup, cutting short a journey filled with success, disappointment, joy, heartbreak and courage.

"I am proud of this team. With all of the traveling, the increased number of games, the injuries, including losing the MVP of the league, with every bit of adversity thrown our way during the last eight months, we were still a playoff team," said FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman. "I told the players in April that we needed each one to give five percent more, and they exceeded that. I don't think anyone expected we'd find all the success we did during the regular season or tie a franchise record with 52 points. This team showed tremendous character every day to get us there."

The against-the-odds playoff berth doesn't wash out the bitter taste left by an early postseason exit. The proper frame, however, does deliver perspective. FC Dallas competed in three tournaments, advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup, fell one point shy of advancing to the CONCACAF Champions League Championship Stage, and earned a second consecutive MLS playoff berth, all totaling a franchise-record 48 games.

"First and foremost, I want to congratulate the players and coaches for delivering an incredibly memorable season. When you look at everything they went through as a team and their refusal to give up, it's impressive," said FC Dallas President and CEO Doug Quinn. "To our fans, all the support you show this team day in and day out pushes our players to give their best every time they set foot on the field. Our commitment for next season is to continue to field a winning team and work even harder on and off the field for you."

The team's success meant that in the middle of an already busy league schedule, they traveled nearly 12,000 extra miles for road games in CCL play between July 28 and Sept. 28.

When FC Dallas became the first American team to defeat a Mexican side on Mexican soil, they flew from Mexico City to Dallas and 48 hours later hosted Seattle in MLS play. The quick turnaround between games was typical in a season that saw FC Dallas play nearly half of its fixtures with 72 hours or less in between.

When a broken ankle sidelined the 2010 MLS MVP David Ferreira just six games into the season, FC Dallas answered with a nine-game unbeaten streak, a franchise-record 531-minute shutout streak and a franchise-record-tying 52 points. Kevin Hartman, already the MLS career leader in nearly every major goalkeeping statistical category, picked up his 100th career shutout. Brek Shea not only played his way onto the short list of MLS MVP candidates, the 21-year-old became a fixture in Jurgen Klinsmann's U.S. National Team starting XI and was named the top player in MLS under the age of 24.

While a casted leg forced Ferreira to watch from the sideline, his teammates transformed themselves from the stylish, attack-minded team of 2010 into a blue collar, gritty team for 2011. Facing inevitable knee surgery, midfielders Daniel Hernandez and Andrew Jacobson forged ahead with the season, spending extra hours in the training room to piece things together. Despite their injuries, Jacobson (5) and Hernandez (4) combined to setup nine goals on the season.

Meanwhile, Marvin Chavez turned down Gold Cup duty for his country to help his injury-riddled club. Later in the summer, both Chavez and Shea spent what precious little time Dallas did have between games off on international duty, while Zach Loyd never could get healthy enough to take the call. Even with the increased workload, the international duo and Loyd managed to lead Dallas in points with 18 goals and 12 assists on the year.

In the end, FC Dallas' Wild Card loss to Red Bull New York mirrored the season, as the defending Western Conference Champions came out strong, outshooting New York, 23-12, and forcing goalkeeper Frank Rost to make eight saves. Yet, it wasn't meant to be as injuries hampered key pieces of the offensive puzzle and the ball never quite bounced Dallas' way.

"We came out tonight and looked very lively," said Hyndman following the game. "We had very good team chemistry and team spirit. We did everything we possibly could to get the result we wanted. Tonight, I can't say we didn't have a good game. When you look at the accomplishments of this season, we're very happy to have competed so well in spite of all the things we faced. What our boys did was play extremely well in spite of that adversity."

Quinn echoed Hyndman's sentiments about the season with an eye toward the future, having already locked up contracts with the majority of key players.

"We're already working for 2012," said Quinn. "We'll spend the next couple of months strengthening our team where we need it. Next season with less travel, a healthy team and the right pieces in place, we look forward to fighting hard again and competing for the Cup."

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