Tobias Xavier Lopez 
SOCCER INSIDER: South American talent has kicked in for MLS
Star-Telegram staff writer
Remembering Major League Soccer Year 1 and it's hard to decide which was more horrendous -- the jerseys/team names or the matches.
Yet even in those miserable early years, the league had big names, such as Jorge Campos and Carlos Valderrama.
Today those big names have been replaced with Cuauhtémoc Blanco and David Beckham.
But just as important as the superstars is the second level of talent, which has drastically improved the past few years, especially with the trend of South American signings the past two seasons.
FC Dallas coach Steve Morrow started in the league as a player in 2002. He's certainly seen the level of talent among role players or nonstarters improve.
"The top guys get a lot of attention," Morrow said. "But you are only talking about four or five or six players earning top dollar, the big names in the league, but I think we've done a very good job within the league of improving the overall quality in bringing in that next tier of players."
FC Dallas certainly exemplifies a squad that has tapped into the South American market.
Andre Rocha, Marcelo Saragosa and Ricardinho are from Brazil; Dario Sala and Pablo Ricchetti are from Argentina; and Juan Toja arrived last year from Colombia.
The notion of six quality South American players on one squad would have been laughable when the league was in its infancy and stocked with El Salvador's finest.
Certainly that's not a slight on Salvadorian soccer, but... OK, it is a slight on El Salvador's talent pool compared with Brazil's and Argentina's.
A glance at the FC Dallas midfield when Morrow arrived as a defender in 2002 compared with the current roster provides a stark improvement.
Certainly Oscar Pareja and Chad Deering were quality players on the 2002 team, but Ricchetti is every bit as good as Deering was, and the Argentine is more consistent and a better teammate.
However, the depth Rocha, Saragosa and Toja provide is the ocean compared with the puddle of talent in the 2002 midfield of Antonio Martinez, Joselito Vaca and Jordan Stone.
MLS has long given up trying to convert the nonsoccer fan, which is smart thinking.
This country and this market enjoy a huge soccer fan base, but it's one that's knowledgeable enough to know the difference between Brazilian soccer and Central American soccer. Thankfully for fans, MLS is beginning to provide more of the former.
Direct kicks
Boxer Oscar De La Hoya, co-owner of the Houston Dynamo, will sport a robe and trunks with the Dynamo orange colors and logo during his fight against Steve Forbes tonight at 9 on HBO.
Deservedly so, Manchester United's brilliant forward Cristiano Ronaldo was named England's Footballer of the Year. He's far and away the most entertaining and clinical/crafty finisher in the English Premier League and on the rest of the planet.
TOBIAS XAVIER LOPEZ, 817-685-3836
