FRISCO, TEXAS – The question has lingered for weeks: What's the deal with FC Dallas central midfielder Mauro Díaz?
It's been three weeks since Díaz played in a 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Union on March 21, and Dallas are winless (0-2-1) since. While the Young Designated Player has been at FC Dallas training sessions, he has been working separately from the rest of the team amid questions about his health.
"I feel perfect," Díaz said this week through a translator. "I feel I am 100 percent physically, and I am ready to go."
Díaz said the side work was to build strength in his lower body and avoid fatigue later in the season.
“It was not an injury; it was more fatigue, and I decided to work with the coaches on strengthening instead of getting an injury," Díaz said. “It was just my entire lower body. It was fatigued from the preseason and the start of the season, and the decision was for me to strengthen everything so I do not pick up another injury.”
Last week, head coach Oscar Pareja told reporters he thinks Díaz needs extra preparation because he only played 1,086 minutes in MLS and playoff action last year due to a knee injury.
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“We do this to prepare him for a long season,” Pareja said. “We have a player who needs to be stronger this year, due to the lack of competition he has had in the last year. We feel his strength needs to be better in order to avoid overloads or reactions.”
With FC Dallas set to host Toronto FC on Saturday (8:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE, match preview), Díaz said he has trained fully all week and is ready and available if head coach Oscar Pareja brings him back into the squad in an effort to snap the winless streak.
“I am ready to get back in and play,” Díaz said. “I have no concerns about getting back out on the field. … The fatigue is gone, and I’m ready to go. I feel strong, and it’s up to the coaches on when they want to put me back out on the field.”
