The US U-20s had more talent than first thought.

By: Robert | August 13th, 2007

As the FC Dallas injury woes continue to mount (you can add Adrian Serioux and Pablo Ricchetti to that list) Hoops fans had to start to wonder where a competitive level of talent would come from. Yes, FC Dallas is a deep team, but when you’re literally pulling guys off the street (we’ve now got someone from the MLS goalie pool) it would seem to be only a matter of time before the losses started to mount; at least that was the thinking until Dax McCarty decided to step up better than Channing Tatum in that dancing movie (here’s a picture of Channing for Laurie and any other ladies that read me regularly.)

For the past two games McCarty has outworked opponents in the midfield, struck his free kicks with an almost clinical degree of accuracy and asked questions of defenses with his dangerous runs into the box. He’s been Juan Toja since Juan Toja has been injured. Three dangerous free kicks in succession to Drew Moor, Clarence Goodson and Adrian Serioux against Colorado, the corner to Goodson to seal the game versus the Crew and his ability to team with Arturo Alvarez in pushing forward for goals has allowed FC Dallas to find victories where there are none. He’s gone forward when the field has been slanted against him and fought back when the team has been down goals on the scoreboard and men on the pitch.

Yet, you can’t really call McCarty a revelation, since he’s one of seven Hoops to don the US national team shirt this year; we should have seen this coming (Abdusalam Ibrahim U-17, Blake Wagner, Anthony Wallace U-20, Arturo Alvarez U-23, Kenny Cooper and Drew Moor senior Men’s team are the others) but his level of play since returning from the U-20 World Cup has been incredible, as he’s become one of the 14 or 15 Hoops to deserve to be on the field for the full ninety. In the wake of all the absences Dax’ play has kept the team afloat and until FC Dallas is healthy the Hoops will only go as far as McCarty takes them; which is pretty far in Dallas, where the FC stands for “future champion.”

HOOPS PRIDE!

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