Mulrooney headed to Toronto FC

[2Slick]

FRISCO, Texas -- FC Dallas on Tuesday traded midfielder Richard Mulrooney, the 2006 MLS Comeback Player of the Year, to Toronto FC. In exchange, the Hoops received a partial allocation, as well as the Canadian club's first-round pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft.

Mulrooney, 30, is entering his ninth season in Major League Soccer, the last two with FC Dallas. He missed the first five games of the 2006 season while recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee suffered in May 2005; the injury also limited him to just seven games in 2005. But he rebounded with a goal and nine assists for FCD last season and was also one of the club's two participants in the MLS All-Star Game.

For FC Dallas President and General Manager Michael Hitchcock, the deal was a win-win situation for the club.

"On the very superficial level, what we gain is allocation money, which is always a good thing to have when you're looking to improve your team now or in the future," Hitchcock said. "A first-round draft pick in the 2008 draft is also included and you can never have too many first-round draft picks."

Besides making the FCD roster even younger, another byproduct of the deal was freeing up salary cap space.

"By making this move, we cleared some salary cap space that will allow us to make some changes and additions we feel we need to make in the future," Hitchcock said. "Losing an experienced player like Richard isn't a decision we take lightly but we feel like we have a good core group of young players and also have some experienced veterans."

The trade re-unites Mulrooney with another former FCD midfielder in Ronnie O'Brien, who led the Hoops in assists last season before being traded in late November. Mulrooney and O'Brien are close friends and were FCD's two representatives in the MLS All-Stars' victory against Chelsea FC in August.

By trading Mulrooney, the Hoops opened a spot on their 28-man roster, which will be filled by Colombian international Juan Carlos Toja, who was signed on Feb. 28. Toja just got his visa approved and will join FCD in Puerto Rico on Thursday. He is expected to help strengthen the Hoops' central midfield.

When asked if the swap signified that FCD was in full-on rebuilding mode, new Hoops head coach Steve Morrow quickly dismissed that idea.

"I wouldn't call it rebuilding," he said. "I think we're adding pieces as we go along. By making this move, that allows us to strengthen our roster and I think that's the important issue. I told everyone from the start what I was looking for from our guys on and off the field and have had the chance to assess that in preseason."

Morrow added that an additional move or two, also involving midfield players is possible in the next week or two. Among the names being mentioned are current New England central midfielder Shalrie Joseph, who is still under contract to the Revolution but is seeking a trade. The FCD boss said that he admired Joseph and how he plays but commenting on a player under contract to another team wasn't appropriate.

Another possibility is Argentinian defender/midfielder Pablo Richetti, who trained with the Hoops during their 10-day trip to Brazil earlier this month. Richetti impressed Morrow and the FCD coaches during his stay with the team and could be the next name added to the roster.

FCD also sits in a good spot for the 2008 SuperDraft with two picks in both the first and second rounds.

"That puts us in a good position for the draft next year," Morrow said. "Most teams would love to have two first-round picks and two second-round picks. It would give us a great chance to pick up some more Generation adidas player and also possibly trade those picks."