• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Shorthanded FC Dallas faces Chivas USA

Mar 28, 2009 - 9:39 PM By Nicolino DiBenedetto Stats Writer

Chivas USA (1-0-0) at FC Dallas (0-1-0), 3 p.m. EDT

FRISCO, Texas (AP) -- FC Dallas' 2009 season certainly didn't get off to a good start, and now it is going to be without its starting goalkeeper for up to six weeks.

Dallas hopes to withstand the loss of Dario Sala and avoid opening a season with consecutive losses for the first time when it hosts CD Chivas USA on Sunday.

FCD (0-1-0) opened the season with a 3-1 loss to Chicago at Pizza Hut Park on March 21, extending its winless run to five games (0-2-3) since posting a 3-0 win over D.C. on Sept. 28. That streak contributed mightily to Dallas missing the playoffs last season.

Dallas now has to contend with the loss of Sala, who is out 4-6 weeks after undergoing surgery Tuesday to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. He made three saves against the Fire while playing with a knee brace, but the club opted for him to have surgery on the injury he suffered in the preseason.

The goalie is in his fifth season with Dallas, and ranks as the club's all-time leader with a 1.36 goals-against average, second with 18 shutouts and third with 30 victories.

FCD will replace Sala with backup Ray Burse, who is 3-4-1 with a 1.25 GAA in eight games over the last three years after being selected in the third round of the 2006 MLS draft.

"I think Ray is a solid, capable 'keeper for the league," Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said. "The thing with Ray is that he's never really been given enough games and enough playing time because Dario has been my No. 1 'keeper.

"I think he's a capable 'keeper and he understands that this is a wonderful opportunity to establish himself as the No. 1 'keeper or maybe end up somewhere else down the road as a proven No. 1 'keeper."

While Sala is sidelined, Dallas will have captain Pablo Ricchetti back after he missed the season opener due to a red-card suspension. The defensive midfielder is expected to start Sunday, moving second-year midfielder Bruno Guarda to the bench after he started against Chicago.

"I think we missed him a lot," Hyndman said of Ricchetti. "I thought Bruno did a good job. He was where he needed to be and didn't really cause any blunders to lead to goals. He also distributed the ball pretty well. I think he did a good job, but it's still not the job that Pablo would have done."

Dallas holds a 6-3-4 advantage on Chivas USA (1-0-0) in the all-time series after going 1-0-1 last season.

Chivas is also looking to start a season with consecutive wins for the first time after Paulo Nagamura netted two second-half goals to engineer a 2-1 comeback win over Colorado on March 21. The Brazilian defensive midfielder's output matches his career-high totals from each of the last two years.

"It's hard for people to understand what Paulo means to this team when they just watch a game," Chivas captain Jesse Marsch said. "He does a lot of the little things that are important."

Nagamura could find himself involved offensively again with Sacha Kljestan, who had five goals and seven assists last year, unavailable due to commitments with the United States national team for two World Cup qualifiers.