Darío Sala (born October 17, 1974) is an Argentine

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

administrator and former player. A

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

, he played with teams including

Belgrano Belgrano may refer to: People * Joaquín Belgrano (1773–1848), an Argentine patriot * José Denis Belgrano (1844–1917), Spanish painter * Joseph Belgrano (1762–1823), Argentine military officer and politician, brother of Manuel * Manuel Be ...

, Los Andes, and River Plate in Argentina;

Deportivo Cali Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, most notable for its football team, which currently competes in the Categoría Primera A. Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful football t ...

in Colombia; and

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

(MLS), where he played from 2005 to 2010. He served as

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

Jacksonville Armada FC Jacksonville Armada FC is an American professional soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were founded in 2013 as an expansion franchise in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second tier of American soccer, and played unt ...

of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

(NASL) from 2013 to 2015.

Early life

Sala was born into a working-class family in

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

. He aspired to be a

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

and attended a top military prep school at age 11. On weekends, Sala returned to his home to sell

churro A churro (, ) is a type of fried dough from Spanish and Portuguese cuisine, made with choux pastry dough piped into hot oil with a piping bag and large closed star tip or similar shape. They are also found in Latin American cuisine, Philipp ...

s with his family outside the local soccer stadiums. Sala had no interest in football and instead played

team handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a Handball goalkeeper, goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands ...

. At an early age, he earned a place on Argentina's national handball team as a right winger.

Career

Early career

After becoming a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the

Argentine Army The Argentine Army () is the Army, land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the commander-in-chief of the Armed For ...

, Sala started

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

school at the age of 18. As a way to get free drinks, he would bet the professional players a Coke that he could stop their shots from outside the 18-yard box. His efforts caught the attention of a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

, who, in 1995 signed him as a reserve player for first division powerhouse

San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Villa San Lorenzo, town and municipality in Salta P ...

. At San Lorenzo, Sala was coached by Hector Baley, goalkeeper for the

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

World Cup squad.

Becoming a starter

After his short stint at San Lorenzo, he was traded to his hometown team, Talleres and later

Racing de Córdoba Club Atlético Racing, known as Racing de Córdoba, is an Argentine sports club headquartered in the city of Córdoba. The football team currently plays in Primera Nacional, the regionalised second division of the Argentine football league sys ...

. In 1996, he joined

of the

Primera B Nacional Argentina Primera Nacional (usually called simply Nacional B, (English "National B Division"), and known as Primera B Nacional until the 2019–20 season) is the second division of the Argentine football league system. The competition is made up of 38 teams ...

; for the next two years he would be the starter winning Belgrano a promotion to the

Primera División Argentina Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera Ely Rafael Primera Ros ...

. He moved on to Los Andes, again helping his club to a promotion to the Primera División. Sala's good play earned him a look from Argentine powerhouse River Plate who bought his rights. After earning a few non-league match starts, he was loaned out to rival Independiente where he started for two seasons. After two seasons Independiente were looking to buy Sala, but the price was not right. As the Argentine economy unraveled, River officials looked to loan him to a team that could actually afford Sala's price tag;

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

was that club.

Leaving Argentina

At Cali, he won goalkeeper of the year honors for the league and was named top foreigner in the league. He also enjoyed international acclaim for being the least scored upon goalkeeper in the

Copa Libertadores 2003 The 2003 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2003 Copa Toyota Libertadores de América for sponsorship reasons) was the 44th edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's premier annual international club tournament. The tournament was ...

. Cali attempted to buy Sala's rights, but, due to a personal problem, Sala did not accept the move. Sala was offered a trial for the MetroStars which he refused. He returned to Argentina playing with

Newell's Old Boys Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys () is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario, Santa Fe. The club was founded on 3 November 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell of the English county of Kent, one of the pioneers of Argentine football. A ...

; he was the second goalkeeper behind

Justo Villar Justo Wilmar Villar Viveros (born 30 June 1977) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Other than in his own country, he also played in Argentina, Spain and Chile, in a senior career that lasted 22 years. A ...

and was loaned to

Arsenal de Sarandí Arsenal Fútbol Club (), usually referred as Arsenal de Sarandí , or simply Arsenal, is an Argentine sports club from the Sarandí district of Avellaneda Partido, Greater Buenos Aires. The football team currently plays in Primera Nacional, t ...

where he was the starter.

Move to the US

During the 2005

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...

season, Sala was signed by

. He made one appearance, a start, during the season which resulted in a

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

. During the

2006 Major League Soccer season The 2006 Major League Soccer season was the 11th season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 94th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 28th with a national first-division league. The MetroStars were bought by Aus ...

, Dario Sala was controversially announced the starter. He excelled throughout the season earning 28 starts, 93 saves, a 1.24

GAA Gaa may refer to: * Gaa language, a language of Nigeria * gaa, the ISO 639 code for the Ga language of Ghana GAA may stand for: Compounds * Glacial (water-free), acetic acid * Acid alpha-glucosidase, also known as glucosidase, alpha; acid, an e ...

, and 14 wins, leading the team to a first-place finish In two playoffs games against the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

, Sala made many crucial stops, but it wasn't enough to win the series as FC Dallas lost 5–4 on penalties. After the match, the Rapid players taunted the FC Dallas supporters, namely The Inferno. Sala, trying to divert the attention of the Rapids, ultimately punched

Hunter Freeman Hunter Freeman (born January 8, 1985, in Tyler, Texas) is a retired American soccer player who currently is the director of domestic scouting for FC Cincinnati Career College and amateur As a teenager, Freeman trained in residency at the Uni ...

as a result of the scuffle. He later apologized, but was fined and suspended for six games anyway. During the

2007 Major League Soccer season The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 95th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 29th with a national first-division league. This year marked the inaugural seas ...

, Dario Sala was sidelined for the first six games due to the suspension received during the 2006 playoffs. He made his first appearance of the season on May 12, 2007, in a game versus the

Kansas City Wizards Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The administrative offices are located in downtown K ...

, leading the team to a road win with an amazing series of 9 saves. Dario went on to play 19 regular season games (8–7–2) in 2007, missing an additional 6 games due to a knee injury. In 2008, Sala started 28 games, missing only two due to a right hip injury. He posted career bests in minutes played with 2,520 and shutouts with seven. He finished the season with a 1.32 goals against average, helping lead the team to the fourth-best goal differential (+4) in

. After the

2010 MLS season The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 15th season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 32nd with a national first-division league. Negotiations between the league an ...

FC Dallas declined Sala's contract option and he elected to participate in the

2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft The two-stage 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on December 8, 2010 and December 15, 2010. The Stage 1 Draft of the Re-Entry Process took place on Wednesday, December 8, at 2 p.m. ET via teleconference. The Stage 2 Draft took place on Wednesday, ...

. Sala became a free agent in Major League Soccer when he was not selected in the Re-Entry draft. Shortly thereafter he retired as a player and began a new career as a player agent.

Jacksonville Armada

In 2013, Sala became a part of Sunshine Soccer Group, with a goal of bringing a

franchise to

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

. The group was awarded an expansion team, along with

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, on July 25 of that year. The team began play in 2015. Sala ran the operations of the team and served as

. Sala was fired along with the entire coaching staff of the Armada in September 2015.

Personal

He is married to Margot, an American, and his children, Alexandra, Valentina, Francesca, Emmanuel, and Agustina. In his free time, Sala enjoys playing

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

and handball, as well as

skydiving Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

.FC Dallas: Roster: Player Bio

Honors

FC Dallas

Western Conference Championship (1):

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

References

External links

MLS player profileGuardian statistics
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sala, Dario 1974 births Living people Footballers from Córdoba, Argentina Argentine men's footballers Argentine Primera División players Categoría Primera A players San Lorenzo de Almagro footballers Talleres de Córdoba footballers Club Atlético Belgrano footballers Club Atlético Los Andes footballers Deportivo Cali footballers Club Atlético Independiente footballers Club Atlético River Plate footballers Liga MX players Jaguares F.C. footballers Arsenal de Sarandí footballers Newell's Old Boys footballers Xerez CD footballers FC Dallas players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in Colombia Major League Soccer players Argentine expatriate men's footballers Men's association football goalkeepers Argentine Army officers Atlanta United FC non-playing staff