On Saturday night, FC Dallas defender Adrian Serioux was credited with his first career MLS assist, a great long ball upfield that was put into the back of the net by Kenny Cooper in the 2-0 win against the New York Red Bulls.
Serioux delivering the long ball is nothing new. But usually they come off throw-ins.
Anyone who was seen Serioux take one from the sideline has seen this phenomenon firsthand. The 28-year-old defender can throw it between 30 and 40 yards easily, making it a terrific tool in the FCD attacking arsenal.
"I think we certainly do see it as a potential weapon," FCD head coach Steve Morrow said. "It's something that we could possibly take advantage of. We've even worked on certain set plays using Adrian's throw. If it's in the last third of the field, it's almost like having another corner. We've worked at it. It's a good weapon to have. Even in the defensive third of the field, it clears the line and gets the ball up the field. It's a weapon that we should definitely use."
Serioux said he doesn't consider his throw-ins a big deal. But he does remember when it all started. In 2004, he signed a two-year contract with English side Millwall and that's where he remembers it beginning.
"It really didn't get that big until I went to England," he said. "That was when I was throwing it 30 or 40 yards and then some. It became a big deal but now teams are catching onto it and it can kind of backfire when you're deep in their end, throw it deep, their goalie picks it up and they're on the attack."
Once people in England saw him do it, someone from the Guinness Book of World Records was contacted about the possibility of Serioux setting a world record.
"When I first got to England and started doing it, they wanted to bring someone from the Guinness Book of World Records out there to see if I could set a world record," he said. "But I suffered a shoulder injury before he got there."
Serioux admits that he would like to see some kind of throw-in skills competition in conjunction with the MLS All-Star Game. "If there ever is a competition, I would definitely like to be involved," he said.
After seeing Serioux deliver one of these darts, many wonder how he does it. It's a mystery even to him.
"I'm not sure (how I do it)," he said. "I would say that it's the whole momentum thing and the motion thing. It's kind of like a slingshot. My shoulders, back and everything work together well. Sometimes it goes further than it does other times. Who knows? Maybe I can throw it like 70 yards in the future?"
Just like his head coach, the Canadian international sees his throws as a potential offensive weapon when used in the right spots of games.
"Whenever it's useful and we can get on the end of it, which we're struggling to do now, it could be a lethal weapon if we could just utilize it as a corner kick," Serioux said. "Hopefully we will work on some plays that we can benefit from it."
Serioux's longest throw to date has been around 50 yards. He admits his throws don't draw any special response from his FCD teammates since they are used to seeing him do that.
"Nobody really says anything," he said. "The new guys say something because it catches them off guard. If we could score a couple of goals, it would be worthwhile to me because I don't know how much longer my body will hold up and I will be able to still do it."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
