Tuesday was obviously a very important day for FC Dallas as the team begins to shape their 2015 roster. The team announced that goalkeeper Chris Seitz was signed to a long-term deal while 2015 contract options were exercised for 11 players including many core starters and 10 others saw their contract options declined for 2015. To hash it all out and look forward to next year, Technical Director Fernando Clavijo was gracious enough to sit down and take out a few minutes from his busy day to talk with FCDallas.com. It's a long conversation so we're going to split things up into two parts:
FCDallas.com: Today certainly feels like the beginning of the 2015 season in many ways, but how pleased are you looking back to the strides made in 2014?
Clavijo: 2014 was a dream year in many ways with how the team started with dropping some results and injuries happening earlier in the year and then to see how it ended with huge success. The only better way to end it would’ve been to go all the way and win a championship, but I’m very realistic in how long it takes to put a team together that you can manage and have expectations to win a championship.
We know that it’s taken a little bit longer than just a year, but we have done a good job and having Oscar here to be able to manage the players and put results together and egos away in the locker room for one common course of winning a championship has been incredible to see.
2014 was an incredible year and a year that really stamped a mark of where we are and where we want to go and I think we have a very good core of players for the future to be able to dream realistically of winning a championship.
WATCH: All FCD 2014 MLS GOALS
FCDallas.com: What are a few things you saw on the field this year that encouraged you the most?
Clavijo: I think youth number one. We’re a young team and we started seeing players growing into positions more than we ever did before and then it was gratifying to see the determination in games regardless of who was playing; the RSL game, Seattle, LA games.
In all our games, really no one ran us over. We were in every single game and because of youth or inexperience, growing pains, whatever you want to call it, we didn’t make it all the way through. It was one of those things that you can look from upstairs, [we were] attacking and creating more chances than ever before while still defending well. We had a good balance.
Counting all the injuries we had, it was rewarding to see. I said from the beginning, there may be a best XI somewhere else because there are a lot of teams with a lot of good players, but I don’t think [any team] had a better roster than us. Early on and later on in the season, we had to dig into the roster and everyone performed well, everybody came to play and that is really rewarding for me to see.
FCDallas.com: At the same time, it’s your job to always be looking at ways to strengthen the team and as you head into 2015 what are the places you feel the team can be strengthened?
Clavijo: I think it’s obvious not only to me, but the coaching staff that even when you’re winning championships you need to make changes to keep improving your team; and we didn’t win a championship. We feel strong in what kind of group we have but at the same time, time was given to some players and whatever is the reason some didn’t perform to expectations and that’s why some decisions are made. We look at the midfield and we need to strengthen the midfield.
For me, Victor [Ulloa], we put so much pressure on him -- really as a rookie because he hasn’t played, even if he [has been here a few years] -- and he became one of the mainstays in the midfield which is a lot of responsibility for a younger player and he took it and performed extremely well. Michel, from his position, [had] probably the best year he had with us, but playing at left back, left midfield, midfield, all the way moving him around, so we didn’t have the perfect partnership there…great, great character and great people, but at the end of the day we need to take advantage of their skills and weren’t always able to do that.
An area that comes to mind right away is that position. We have to reinforce a little bit on the left side, Moises [Hernandez] came through at the end and played two good games, but he needs to be more balanced. It’s his position to lose, but again, a little balancing here and there. I think at goalkeeper we probably have the best tandem in the league. Right away the first impression is central midfield and then a replacement for [Andres] Escobar and Jair [Benitez], but the core is there with more experience.
FCDallas.com: If you can get the targets you’re looking to get, about how many international players would you like to bring in?
Clavijo: I would say between four or five and then maybe another one or two in the draft, so you’re looking at between four to six or seven players and that’s where we are. Again, there are still question marks on some of the players we didn’t exercise in 2015 for different reasons that we need to figure out, but I would be surprised if, at the end of [next] season, we had more than six new players.
FCDallas.com: With Andres Escobar’s contract option declined, that frees up at least one Designated Player spot, where does FCD stand with their DPs?
Clavijo: A lot depends on when the new CBA comes out, so it’s hard. We definitely have one spot open.
FCDallas.com: Are you hoping to fill it before the season starts?
Clavijo: Absolutely, but when you’re talking about DP, it’s a name attached to a player that sometimes doesn’t do justice for different reasons and for the way we do things here.
FCDallas.com: With that being said, do you feel like you can bring in two or three DP-type impact players?
Clavijo: Absolutely, and that’s exactly what we’re looking at; DP-type of players without always spending DP-type of money, and I think we can. We’ve identified players like that who are young enough that are targets of what we want to do with younger players on our team but not necessarily having to break the bank, which we’re excited about.
Stay tuned tomorrow for part two talking about the goalkeeping situation, Clavijo's relationship with Pareja and more!
