Off The Court With Tatu!

Over 5,400 fans came to the Allen Events Center to see a Sidekicks victory. That happened to the tune of 14-5 over the Rockford Rampage. 

They also honored a young man synonymous with Soccer in Dallas at Halftime Saturday night with this #9 jersey officially retired.

Tatu Pecorari was kind enough to talk to myself and The Blitz. Here is how that went down...

That was a 20 minute speech that you gave, you had no script before you. A flood of memories coming to mind. Let's talk about the game first. A great 14-5 win. When the score was 10-5 you called 'timeout' and brought the team over. You appeared quiet as Ceaser addressed the boys. Exactly what was discussed? 

Well essentially I was lower to the ground and I actually did speak to the team. I didn't want...I was making sure that no one could read my lips. So that was that. I basically told them that this was not a respectful performance and I expected a little better performance the final 5 or 6 minutes to the end of the game...and they responded.

Tributes are a wonderful thing to enjoy when you are the person being honored. Being on the field you got a little emotional when you started talking about family. Then came video tributes to you from Roger Staubach, Dirk Nowitzki, Mike Modano AND Nolan Ryan! That's got to speak to the heart for what you have been able to accomplish as a coach and as a player.

Well, this speaks very highly of all the people that you mention. They're...I'm their fans, I have watched them all along and they are icons in this country not just in this city and for that (to me) was just incredible and as those pictures came up I could not believe that they would show up and congratulate me, that was wonderful and I'll never forget that.

Irony of ironies I too am a New Jersey person. I did not know that the Sidekicks had roots in New Jersey. When I was living there the Cosmopolitans were the big thing. I grew up watching Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia and company but I have to ask: Was it a tough adjustment for a person like you come to the states, to bring your love of soccer and then bring it to a place like Dallas Texas where Lamar Hunt placed his imprint with what we now see with the Sidekicks or FC Dallas?

No, not really...You know the game of soccer in Brazil is like a religion. When we came here the sport was crawling and we did a wonderful job...first with the Tornadoes then with the Sidekicks. We keep the ball moving. We keep the people interested. We keep the people thinking about soccer and I think that's the reason we have two professional franchises in town.

I probably can measure the same thing all over the country. There are alot of people who put their heart and hard work to keep the game growing so now we're getting what we're getting. The outdoor game is booming and you know eventually we'll have a great national team which will explode even more and so it's just...it's proud to be a part of it.

Tonight a couple of players with their first goals of the season-Bruno Guarda and Marcos Rodriguez-Talk about how you felt as the moment happened.

Well that's great, you know, those guys have been working very hard. When you get the opportunity to score it's a tremendous feeling to score the goal. It's something that I can't describe. That feeling...it's just incredible. And for those guys they'll never forget this first one. Always the first one is a big one! I'm glad that they got it and I hope that they don't stop it here. Just keep going.

Now that the Jersey retirement is over and the video tributes is behind you I am guessing that you can now focus on the task at hand. You have playoffs coming up, a 12-3 record. A far as goals that you had for this year (with soccer returning to Texas PASL style) are you where you want your team to be with the playoffs two weeks away?

Well, you're definitely right about the weight now off my back. I got up at 4:30 this morning and I'm thinking about what I'm going to say at halftime. I was not really concentrating on the game. I was really concentrating on what was going to happen at halftime and I think the team got caught up with that a little bit and that was difficult for them.

You know, today we did not perform like a playoff-caliber or a championship caliber team. I thought we did a few things...a few moments we did okay. I think that we have alot on which to improve. My goal when we started the season was to play well at home, you know, perform well in front of our fans. I think we did that but we still have one game to go.

I want to make the playoffs but that's very important. Anything from that point forward will be bonus so...we'd love to win the championship but I'd like to take it step by step. To win a championship your first year will make for strong expectations year after year. We wanted to make the playoffs and now we want to reach the Final Four. If we do that will be great. And then if we get to the Semi Finals let's hope it goes well. In my mind I'm thinking 'Thank You God' because it's been a wonderful ride.

Final Question. What one person was your biggest influence, your biggest mentor as you first ascended upon this soccer journey?

That's a difficult question. I think what drives me today are my three children. I went through a very difficult time in my life...went through a divorce. That was the saddest moment of my life and my children. My children are my life so today going forward I just want to make sure they are okay. I want to take care of them as I love them dearly. That's it.

Over 5,400 people and a few video tributes in the mix. Tatu Pecorari, thank you for all you have done, are currently doing and will continue to do in the future. We appreciate your time.

Thank You!