FRISCO, Texas -- FC Dallas have not played a league match since July 4. In between that game, a 1-1 draw with the Kansas City Wizards at Pizza Hut Park, and Saturday's home game against the Colorado Rapids, the Hoops have had just one match of any sort -- a loss to USL-1 Charleston Battery 3-1 last Tuesday in a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal.
That game was the fifth match in 13 days for FCD. So, head coach Schellas Hyndman gave the team four days off. On Tuesday, they returned to the training field feeling revitalized.
"We had so many games in such a short period of time and have been asking a lot of them in training," Hyndman said. "I wanted to give them a little bit of an energy burst as we head into the second half of the season. We wanted to give them a break to get some energy because we demand more of them after they come back. I wanted to give them a break but not too much of one."
FCD is just 2-5-3 in their last 10 games. Their last win came on June 15 against Chicago but the club sits at 0-1-2 under Hyndman, who was named head coach on June 17.
"I think (the break) was very good for us," midfielder Dax McCarty said. "We just had a ton of games in a short time. We learned a lot about ourselves and where we need to get better. It did us some good. We feel refreshed and refocused on our goal, which is to make the playoffs."
Defender Drew Moor agreed. "Absolutely (we feel refreshed after this break)," he said. "It's very rare for a team to get four days off like this in the middle of the season. It allowed us to mentally and physically regroup."
The Hoops took to the training field on Tuesday with a couple of guests. The first was Victor Sykora, a 30-year-old from Holland who has played for Ajax and NAC Breda. He is considered a wide midfielder who can get forward and will train with FCD for the rest of the week.
"He's a quick player," Hyndman said. "He is technically strong and has good vision. I don't think we'll see his true value until we get to see him in an 11-on-11 situation."
Also training with FCD was midfielder Carl Bussey, who was drafted ninth overall by FCD in the 2002 SuperDraft and played nine games for the Dallas Burn as a rookie. Hyndman coached Bussey in college at SMU.
Both also concurred that today's first session back showed that team spirits have never been higher. With Tuesday marking the official opening of the league's international transfer window, Hyndman did acknowledge that assistant coach John Ellinger will be traveling to South America to look at three forwards.
"Yes, we have some things in mind," Hyndman said. "He (Ellinger) will be making a trip to South America to look at players. He will come back with a report telling us if they are someone that we need or that if we need to look someplace else."
The new FCD coach is clearly not pleased with the current direction of his club and says that changes are coming.
"There are some changes that need to be made," Hyndman said. "We all recognize the need to make the team better. We need to make sure that any move we make is the best thing for the team."
Hyndman also said that he feels FCD is currently set at goalkeeper. Defensively, he feels the team is short on numbers in terms of starters and needs a right back and left back who can get forward. He also sees Moor as more of a center back than a right-sided player, where he has played the entire year.
As for the Hoops midfield, Hyndman feels there is a lot of talent in the middle but a lack of flank talent. Up top, he likes what leading scorer Kenny Cooper brings to the table and calls Dominic Oduro and Abe Thompson solid role players but admits that FCD needs another top scoring threat to accompany Cooper on the front line.
Still, McCarty and Moor said Tuesday's return to training showed the club believes the promise shown in the early weeks of the season is still there.
"It was upbeat and vibrant," McCarty said of the training session. "Everyone was excited to get back on the field. We want to prove to our fans and the league that we are a good team and a playoff team."
Added Moor: "Today showed what kind of character we have in the locker room. It is the best it has been in my four years here. Everyone was excited to be back in. The team spirit is high and today was a very good start to the week for us."
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