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| Thursday, March 21, 2002 14:42 EST |
Dallas Burn: 2002 Outlook
[ESPN.com news services]
Under first-year head coach Mike Jeffries, the Dallas Burn reached the playoffs but struggled to play consistently, earning only five wins in the team's 17 games against playoff-bound clubs.
Ronald Cerritos will be looking to have another All-Star season. |
The Burn are one of only two teams (LA) to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs in every year since the League's inception, but has advanced past the first round just twice.
Although Dallas returns perennial All-Star Jason Kreis and steady midfielder Oscar Pareja, Jeffries brought in a handful of new faces looking to change the team's fortunes.
Perhaps his most shocking move was dealing the offensive skills and volatile personality of striker Ariel Graziani to San Jose in exchange for the quiet efficiency of Salvadoran Ronald Cerritos, whose 55 career goals rank him sixth on the league's all-time goal-scoring chart.
At the defensive end, imposing Ugandan center back Tenwya Bonseu will team with Northern Ireland's Steven Morrow, who began his professsional career with Arsenal of the English Premier League at the age of 17.
Ryan Suarez, a 2001 Rookie of the Year candidate, returns following a solid season at right back. Burn fans will also await the debut of Chris Gbandi, the top overall selection in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft who will miss the first two months of the season while rehabbing a knee injury.
The Burn also boast a roster loaded with young talent, as 19-year-old Bolivian playmaker Joselito Vaca and 18-year-old forward Edward Johnson return for their second seasons in MLS looking for more minutes and offensive chances.
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2001 Burn Leaders
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Goals
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11, Ariel Graziani
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Assists
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12, Oscar Pareja
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Points
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30, Ariel Graziani
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GAA
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1.70 Matt Jordan
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Veterans Jorge Rodriguez and Chad Deering provide Jeffries with even more versatile defensive-midfield combinations, but undersized game-breaker Antonio Martinez remains the club's only proven threat out wide.
Key Additions:
Tenywa Bonseu, Ronald Cerritos, Chris Gbandi, Steve Morrow
Key Departures:
Ariel Graziani, Lubos Kubik
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