burning247
24 Feb 2009, 09:45 AM
Dear Loyal Plan Holder:
I hope you're having a great start to your week. I'm very excited to announce that we've signed our #10 (attacking center midfielder)! And as a loyal plan holder, I wanted to share the great news with you before we announce it to the media.
This morning, we'll officially announce that we've signed Colombian international David Ferreira. David is a member of the Colombian national team and one of the top players for Clube Atletico Paranaense in the Brazilian First Division. He is an outstanding player who brings a great deal of experience at the highest level to FC Dallas. Ferreira has been a winner on every team that he's been with and we hope that FCD is no different. He will start training with the team in Brazil later this week, and will come to Dallas as soon as he receives his work visa.
Throughout the history of the League, the majority of teams who have won the MLS Cup had a strong attacking center midfielder, who was a game changer. In Ferreira, we feel that we've added that same type of player.
If you remember, we entered the offseason with three primary goals for this team. We felt we had a strong foundation of players but needed to upgrade the team in the following areas...
- Add a left-sided midfielder. We accomplished this with the acquisition of one of the top left mids in MLS, Dave van den Bergh, in a trade with New York Red Bulls. Dave has already proven to be a great addition to the team.
- Improve our defense. We've added three players who have brought significant depth to our back line; Steve Purdy from 1860 Munich in Germany, Costa Rican international Daniel Torres, and George John with a 1st Round pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft.
- Bring in an experienced international #10. The final piece of the puzzle is finally here. We identified Ferreira as our top choice for the attacking center mid position (although he can also play withdrawn striker, as needed). And we're overjoyed to have been able to get the deal finalized. We worked very hard on this and want to thank our great partners, Clube Atletico Paranaense, for agreeing to the deal and sharing one of their top players with us. We know all of our fans are going to enjoy seeing Ferreira play with the rest of your team.
Here's the official release that will be sent to the media momentarily. Thanks for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at Pizza Hut Park this season. Less than four weeks until the home opener on Saturday, March 21st. It's going to be a fun one!
Sincerely,
Hitch
General Manager
FC Dallas & Pizza Hut Park
FC DALLAS SIGNS COLOMBIAN INTERNATIONAL DAVID FERREIRA
FRISCO, TX (Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009) - FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock today announced the signing of Colombian midfielder / forward David Ferreira, who becomes the third player loaned to FCD from Brazilian partner Clube Atletico Paranaense, joining current Dallas midfielder Andre Rocha (2008-present) and Ricardinho (2007-2008). Ferreira will join the team for preseason training at Atletico Paranaense's training facility in Curitiba, Brazil from February 26-March 6, and will return to Dallas and be eligible for regular season selection upon receipt of his visa. Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"We're very excited to be able to add a player of Ferreira's ability and experience," said FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock. "If you look at the majority of teams who have won the MLS Cup, they've had a true number 10; an attacking midfielder who can be a real game-changer. In David Ferreira, we have a player who has played at the highest level with the Colombian national team, been one of the top players for Atletico Paranaense in the Brazilian first division, and now we look forward to bringing him to FC Dallas, where we think he'll be able to help take this team to the next level and contend for a championship."
Born in Santa Marta, Colombia, Ferreira is a member of the Colombian national team, having most recently represented his country in an October 11, 2008 World Cup Qualifier versus Paraguay. He was also a part of the Colombia team that won the CONMEBOL Copa America in 2001, in addition to participating in the 2004 and 2007 editions of the competition.
The 29-year-old joined Clube Atletico Paranaense in 2005, where he has started 175 games (out of 179), scoring 38 goals and adding 42 assists. While with the Brazilian first division club, Ferreira faced FC Dallas on March 7, 2007 in the first-ever USA-Brazil Challenge game in Curitiba, Brazil. From February to June 2008, he spent time on loan to Dubai club Al-Shabab, making 12 appearances on the way to winning the United Arab Emirates league title, before returning to Atletico Paranaense.
"David Ferreira is one of the players we identified very early in our search for a number 10," said FC Dallas Head Coach Schellas Hyndman. "I saw him for the first time about three years ago when I was doing a coaching course in Brazil. Atletico Paranaense was very excited about this player that they had picked up from Colombia, so I have been following his career and he's been a steady player and a difference-maker for them. Not only is he a gifted, talented central midfielder but he has also played many times at second forward. He is an all-around team player; plays on both sides of the ball; is very technical; has great vision; and we're hoping he can raise us to a new level."
Ferreira began his professional career with Colombian Primera B club Expreso Rojo in 1997. Two years later, he moved within the country's second division to Real Cartagena, and won the league title. Ferreira then joined first division (Copa Mustang) club America de Cali in 2000, where he would win three consecutive league championships (2000-2002), before moving to Atletico Paranaense in 2005.
FC Dallas and Clube Atletico Paranaense have worked together as partner clubs since September 2006, an agreement that includes among other elements, the USA-Brazil Challenge; the opportunity to loan players to each other; the opportunity for Dallas to conduct preseason training at Atletico Paranaense's world-class training facilities; and the exchange of best practices in all areas of business, sport, and youth structures. In 2008, Atletico Paranaense product Rocha led FCD with eight assists and was an MLS Newcomer of the Year nomination in his first season in the league.
FCD will kick off the 2009 Major League Soccer season on March 21 versus the Chicago Fire at Pizza Hut Park (7:30 p.m. CT).
Ferreira Professional Career
1997-1998: Expreso Rojo (Colombia)
1999: Real Cartagena (Colombia) - Primera B title 1999
2000-2005: America de Cali (Colombia) - Copa Mustang title 2000-2002
2005-2008: Clube Atletico Paranaense (Brazil) / Al-Shabab - UAE League title 2008
Name: David Ferreira
Pronunciation: feh-RARE-ah
Position: Midfielder / Forward
Number: 10
Height: 5'5
Weight: 145
DOB: August 9, 1979
Birthplace: Santa Marta, Colombia
Hometown: Santa Marta, Colombia
Last Club:Clube Atletico Paranaense (Brazil)
Nationality: Colombia
I hope you're having a great start to your week. I'm very excited to announce that we've signed our #10 (attacking center midfielder)! And as a loyal plan holder, I wanted to share the great news with you before we announce it to the media.
This morning, we'll officially announce that we've signed Colombian international David Ferreira. David is a member of the Colombian national team and one of the top players for Clube Atletico Paranaense in the Brazilian First Division. He is an outstanding player who brings a great deal of experience at the highest level to FC Dallas. Ferreira has been a winner on every team that he's been with and we hope that FCD is no different. He will start training with the team in Brazil later this week, and will come to Dallas as soon as he receives his work visa.
Throughout the history of the League, the majority of teams who have won the MLS Cup had a strong attacking center midfielder, who was a game changer. In Ferreira, we feel that we've added that same type of player.
If you remember, we entered the offseason with three primary goals for this team. We felt we had a strong foundation of players but needed to upgrade the team in the following areas...
- Add a left-sided midfielder. We accomplished this with the acquisition of one of the top left mids in MLS, Dave van den Bergh, in a trade with New York Red Bulls. Dave has already proven to be a great addition to the team.
- Improve our defense. We've added three players who have brought significant depth to our back line; Steve Purdy from 1860 Munich in Germany, Costa Rican international Daniel Torres, and George John with a 1st Round pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft.
- Bring in an experienced international #10. The final piece of the puzzle is finally here. We identified Ferreira as our top choice for the attacking center mid position (although he can also play withdrawn striker, as needed). And we're overjoyed to have been able to get the deal finalized. We worked very hard on this and want to thank our great partners, Clube Atletico Paranaense, for agreeing to the deal and sharing one of their top players with us. We know all of our fans are going to enjoy seeing Ferreira play with the rest of your team.
Here's the official release that will be sent to the media momentarily. Thanks for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at Pizza Hut Park this season. Less than four weeks until the home opener on Saturday, March 21st. It's going to be a fun one!
Sincerely,
Hitch
General Manager
FC Dallas & Pizza Hut Park
FC DALLAS SIGNS COLOMBIAN INTERNATIONAL DAVID FERREIRA
FRISCO, TX (Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009) - FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock today announced the signing of Colombian midfielder / forward David Ferreira, who becomes the third player loaned to FCD from Brazilian partner Clube Atletico Paranaense, joining current Dallas midfielder Andre Rocha (2008-present) and Ricardinho (2007-2008). Ferreira will join the team for preseason training at Atletico Paranaense's training facility in Curitiba, Brazil from February 26-March 6, and will return to Dallas and be eligible for regular season selection upon receipt of his visa. Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"We're very excited to be able to add a player of Ferreira's ability and experience," said FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock. "If you look at the majority of teams who have won the MLS Cup, they've had a true number 10; an attacking midfielder who can be a real game-changer. In David Ferreira, we have a player who has played at the highest level with the Colombian national team, been one of the top players for Atletico Paranaense in the Brazilian first division, and now we look forward to bringing him to FC Dallas, where we think he'll be able to help take this team to the next level and contend for a championship."
Born in Santa Marta, Colombia, Ferreira is a member of the Colombian national team, having most recently represented his country in an October 11, 2008 World Cup Qualifier versus Paraguay. He was also a part of the Colombia team that won the CONMEBOL Copa America in 2001, in addition to participating in the 2004 and 2007 editions of the competition.
The 29-year-old joined Clube Atletico Paranaense in 2005, where he has started 175 games (out of 179), scoring 38 goals and adding 42 assists. While with the Brazilian first division club, Ferreira faced FC Dallas on March 7, 2007 in the first-ever USA-Brazil Challenge game in Curitiba, Brazil. From February to June 2008, he spent time on loan to Dubai club Al-Shabab, making 12 appearances on the way to winning the United Arab Emirates league title, before returning to Atletico Paranaense.
"David Ferreira is one of the players we identified very early in our search for a number 10," said FC Dallas Head Coach Schellas Hyndman. "I saw him for the first time about three years ago when I was doing a coaching course in Brazil. Atletico Paranaense was very excited about this player that they had picked up from Colombia, so I have been following his career and he's been a steady player and a difference-maker for them. Not only is he a gifted, talented central midfielder but he has also played many times at second forward. He is an all-around team player; plays on both sides of the ball; is very technical; has great vision; and we're hoping he can raise us to a new level."
Ferreira began his professional career with Colombian Primera B club Expreso Rojo in 1997. Two years later, he moved within the country's second division to Real Cartagena, and won the league title. Ferreira then joined first division (Copa Mustang) club America de Cali in 2000, where he would win three consecutive league championships (2000-2002), before moving to Atletico Paranaense in 2005.
FC Dallas and Clube Atletico Paranaense have worked together as partner clubs since September 2006, an agreement that includes among other elements, the USA-Brazil Challenge; the opportunity to loan players to each other; the opportunity for Dallas to conduct preseason training at Atletico Paranaense's world-class training facilities; and the exchange of best practices in all areas of business, sport, and youth structures. In 2008, Atletico Paranaense product Rocha led FCD with eight assists and was an MLS Newcomer of the Year nomination in his first season in the league.
FCD will kick off the 2009 Major League Soccer season on March 21 versus the Chicago Fire at Pizza Hut Park (7:30 p.m. CT).
Ferreira Professional Career
1997-1998: Expreso Rojo (Colombia)
1999: Real Cartagena (Colombia) - Primera B title 1999
2000-2005: America de Cali (Colombia) - Copa Mustang title 2000-2002
2005-2008: Clube Atletico Paranaense (Brazil) / Al-Shabab - UAE League title 2008
Name: David Ferreira
Pronunciation: feh-RARE-ah
Position: Midfielder / Forward
Number: 10
Height: 5'5
Weight: 145
DOB: August 9, 1979
Birthplace: Santa Marta, Colombia
Hometown: Santa Marta, Colombia
Last Club:Clube Atletico Paranaense (Brazil)
Nationality: Colombia