FRISCO, TEXAS — Before kicking into gear for the second half of the MLS season, the FC Dallas team is using the extended break to join their international teams and spend time with their families. FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez says the break is important for the players to regroup and focus on their mental health. “I think it is for the players individual needs. This is the first time Alan Velasco is living away from his family and I can tell you from my experience how difficult it is to leave your family, friends, and comfort zone to a new country. You don’t realize how good it is to get back to your country and see your friends. You get a new energy and you are a different person when you are back” says Estévez.
This is the first season the team has launched a Player Care department to take care of the players needs and Estévez says the players have found the new position beneficial. “What I tell the players is that I want them to use the break to disconnect and make the plan that they need because they deserve it. We work together with them and the Player Care is a huge department for us because it helps to organize everything and take care of the players individual needs. The players are really happy to have someone in this position”
FC Dallas sits second in the Western Conference and hope to continue the momentum going into the second half of the season. With few injuries and budget restrictions, Estévez says the club is not putting their focus on Summer transfers and more on ways to improve the team moving forward. “We know the standards are high right now so to bring in someone, it has to be someone that can bring up the quality of the team and help us perform on a different level. With some restrictions on the budget it may be worth it to wait until next season to bring in better quality players. I don’t think it is going to be a huge mold of summer transfer movements. It will be more specific instances if we think we find something that is going to help us improve”
FC Dallas will resume MLS play when it hosts Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Toyota Stadium on Saturday, June 18 at 8 PM.
