August 25, 2007
PEDAL TO THE METAL FOR DALLAS
Club takes DP plunge with Denilson

FC Dallas may be in the midst of a two-week break from game action, but the soccer clock is gaining time.

The Hunt Sports Group, head coach Steve Morrow and general manager Michael Hitchcock showed they are serious about bringing hardware home to Pizza Hut Park this season with the signing of Brazilian world cup winner Denilson this week.

They couldn’t get Beckham to PHP, even to wave to the crowd, when Los Angeles visited July 31. So Dallas club officials just went out and signed their own Designated Player. He’ll be here every game for the fans in Frisco.

Not everyone may be happy with the signing of the 29-year-old attacking midfielder. Denilson may have been in danger of fading away in Saudi Arabia with the Al-Nasr team last season. His exploits in the desert sands didn’t touch on many breakfast conversations in North Texas last year. Neither did his season with Bordeaux the previous year in France.

But Denilson’s name once sparkled with the same recognition as the mention of Ronaldinho’s name today. Denilson grabbed worldwide headlines in 1998 because he became the most expensive player signed at the time. Real Bétis had to shuck out $36 million tamales to his Brazilian club Sao Paulo for his rights. That is what being one of the most skilled players for the Brazilian National Team can do for you. He debuted for Brazil in 1996 at the age of 19, and then won the Golden Ball as the most valuable player for Brazil in the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1997. He played on Brazil’s runner-up world cup team in France in 1998, and then stood with his teammates as world champions at the Korea-Japan World Cup in 2002.

His signing with Bétis was a great milestone, but that Spanish team never became confused with Real Madrid or Barcelona. Denilson went through seven seasons there (with one year back in Brazil at Flamengo) thrown in the middle. He just couldn’t lift Real Bétis to stratospheric heights. Maybe it was just the wrong team for him.

Denilson just might have found the club he needed all along in FC Dallas.

He is still hungry to play the game and bring a club championship home. At 29, Denilson should have a number of productive years left. FCD is pretty ravenous too, feeling overdue for a big title after 11 years in Dallas. They can barely taste that Open Cup championship back in 1997. Now they can hold hopes for a double this year—a possible Lamar Hunt Open Cup championship and a real possibility at the MLS Cup.

Denilson doesn’t even have to carry this team on his shoulders. But he might be just the added edge that sends the Hoops to the throne room. Fans should brace themselves to enjoy one of the most skilled players they have ever seen. Of course, Toja has already paved the way this season with his skill and his heart. Now having Denilson alongside him should be a treat every game for FCD fans and a nightmare for opponents.

It is a gamble, for sure. Denilson isn’t over the hill, but he can see the summit clearly. Now Steve Morrow must make an agonizing decision to trade or sell one of the team’s four senior international players. That won’t be necessary until Denilson’s work visa is approved, which could take several weeks. But he must decide between Carlos Ruiz, Pablo Richetti, Marcelo Saragosa or Adrian Serioux.

Morrow has worked hard to build a good chemistry between the players and has a close-knit group. Now he has to shake the cage going into the final third of the season and playoffs.

But teams just don’t back into championships. They have to reach higher, go harder and take a few more risks and not look back to bring home a dream season.

So applaud Morrow and the FCD brain trust for reaching for the stars.

Judgment time will come soon enough.