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Sandy • They've been coaching peers in Major League Soccer for nearly a decade now, but Jeff Cassar readily recalls being a young goalkeeper at FC Dallas and learning from a rugged Colombian midfielder named Oscar Pareja.
"The way he approached the game was first-class, his reactions were always first-class and he always worked extremely hard," Cassar said reflecting on their three seasons as teammates from 2003 to 2005. "His teams do that same thing, but they also have a lot of flair and attacking style — even though he was a defensive midfielder."
Once Pareja retired in 2005, he spent time as an assistant coach in Dallas. Two years later, Cassar did the same. They spent some time in 2007 as assistants on staff under former head coach Steve Morrow. Fast-forward to the present, Cassar's in his third year at RSL leading another hopeful playoff charge. And Pareja's young FC Dallas team sits perched atop the Western Conference, having just snapped a 19-year streak without a trophy by winning the U.S. Open Cup title two weeks ago.
"I think you look at the best coaches and those are the ones that hate to lose, and he is a competitor all the way to the end, whether you're playing Ping Pong with him or 5-v-2, everything's competition," Cassar said. "You knew he was going to do everything he can to be successful."
Pareja eventually returned to FC Dallas in 2008 where he served as an assistant again until 2011. That's when he took his first head coaching job in MLS, leading the Colorado Rapids to a turnaround and a playoff spot in 2013. Dallas came calling once again. Pareja and his technical staff have since built a team consisting mainly of young, homegrown talents. And he's likely the leading candidate for MLS Coach of the Year.
"I think Oscar he does a lot for that team," RSL midfielder Javier Morales said. "I think tactically, for me, it's the best team in the league."
'Little Fish' returns
On the day the MLS roster freeze took place on Sept. 15, FC Dallas hopped in a time machine. The club brought back 37-year-old Guatemalan forward Carlos Ruiz for the stretch run of the season. Ruiz, who has 88 career MLS goals, played three years in Dallas from 2005 to 2007.
"When you're doing so well, it's about adding certain pieces and making sure you have depth," Cassar said of FC Dallas signing his former teammate. "Carlos has shown that he can still score goals at the highest level and as long as he's fit, I think he's going to help them. It's about adding that right piece. It doesn't have to be a massive piece, it doesn't have to be the best player, but it's somebody that fits into how you need to play."
Nicknamed "El Pescadito," Spanish for "The Little Fish," Ruiz was in the FC Dallas game-day lineup Saturday against RSL.
Baez time?
RSL's 19-year-old Paraguayan forward Pedro Baez has scored in back-to-back matches for Real Monarchs. Does that mean he could be seeing more time with the first team to provide a potential scoring punch?
"He's finding the back of the net, and at the end of the day, that's important this time of the year," Cassar said. "It's great that he's confident. He's got to continue to work and if people are getting injured, we'll see."
Baez was on the RSL bench Saturday as a reserve forward while starter Yura Movsisyan (heel) missed the match due to injury.
Twitter: @chriskamrani