MLS Focus: FC Dallas Fires Coach Steve Morrow | All Along The Pitch

Pizza Hut Park - Frisco,Texas - Tuesday May 20,2008........In breaking news today FC Dallas relieved Manager Steve Morrow of his duties. Morrow, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland assumed his roll as Head Coach at FC Dallas after the end of the 2006 season. Morrow went on to lead the club to a 13-12-5 record and a first round play off spot last season but FC Dallas was knocked out of the first round for the third consecutive time. only adding to front Office frustations. FC Dallas is fourth in the Western Conference at 2-3-3 with 9 points so far this season. Morrow's firing comes just two days after FC Dallas's embarrasing home sell out loss to David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy 5-1.

For FC Dallas, Sunday's match against LA was as bad as it gets. Not only losing but losing ugly. The Galaxy erupted with four goals in 15 minutes as striker Edson Buddle came away with two of them. Buddle went on to complete the hat trick in the game's closing minutes. For both clubs it would have been a blessing had Buddle's hat trick been the highlight of the game, but history will remember this match for something far different. This match will certainly be rembered for the Red Card issued to Adrian Serioux. In the 75th minute, the match took a bad turn. Just in front of the FC Dallas bench, Serioux tackled Beckham hard, which led referee Baldomero Toledo to reach into his back pocket and show a straight red card. As Serioux marched away from the pitch, Beckham followed for a few feet and then blew him a kiss before he left the field.

David Beckham, Ricardinho, Adrian Serioux

Galaxy midfielder David Beckham responds to a hard tackle by Adrian Serioux that sent him flying, drawing a red card and concluding with a shoving match: "It was a terrible tackle. I could have broken my leg."

Beckham himself was shown a Yellow Card after the altercation and will be fined $100 by the league. That's right....One Hundred Dollars!!! Immediately following the two footed tackle, Serioux sprang to his feet and gestured over the grounded Beckham by saying "welcome baby, welcome". We can only speculate as to what took place during the match that instegated Serioux's behavior beginning in the 75th minute, but my guess is he had had more than enough of Becks at that point. Beckham is always very politically correct during his interviews and more often than not he appears to be a really charming and very personable man. Underneath this facade however, lies an elite international futball player who will intimidate anyone who will allow him to do so. Adrian Serioux of FC Dallas won't allow it. I say good for him.

Assistant Marco Ferruzzi has been named interim head coach, and general manager Michael Hitchcock said the search for a new coach will begin soon.

STEVE MORROW -- HEAD COACH
Birthdate: July 2, 1970
Birthplace: Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland