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 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

administrator and former player. A

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring 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 intercepting o ...

, he played with teams including Belgrano, 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 footba ...

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 as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

(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 most recently played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid, during the 2018 season while ...

of the

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(NASL) from 2013 to 2015.

Early life

Sala was born into a working-class family in Córdoba. He aspired to be a

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

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. They are also found in Latin American cuisine and in other areas that have received immigration from Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, especially in the Sou ...

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 or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

. 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 commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the

Argentine Army The Argentine Army ( es, Ejército Argentino, EA) is the 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- ...

, Sala started

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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, sectio ...

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

San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...

. 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 go ...

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

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 (usually referred as Racing de Córdoba) is an Argentine football club from the city of Córdoba. The team currently plays in Federal A, the regionalised third division of the Argentine football league system. History ...

. In 1996, he joined Belgrano of the

Primera B Nacional Argentina Primera Nacional (usually called simply Nacional B, in 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 37 team ...

; 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, Venezuelan musician, compos ...

. 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 in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

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 An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

where he was the starter.

Move to the US

During the 2005

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

season, Sala was signed by

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

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

. During the

2006 Major League Soccer season The 2006 Major League Soccer season was the 11th season in the history of Major League Soccer. It began on April 1, 2006, and ended with MLS Cup 2006 on November 12, 2006, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, for the second consecutive year. ...

, Dario Sala was controversially announced the starter. He excelled throughout the season earning 28 starts, 93 saves, a 1.24 GAA, 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 soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

, 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 United ...

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 in the history of Major League Soccer. The season began on April 7 and concluded with MLS Cup 2007 on November 18, 2007 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. For t ...

, 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, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the team clubhouse and ...

, 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 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with ...

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, D ...

. 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 a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

. The group was awarded an expansion team, along with

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, 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 clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

and handball, as well as

skydiving Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or parachutes. For ...

.FC Dallas: Roster: Player Bio

Honors

FC Dallas

Western Conference Championship (1):

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

References

External links

MLS player profileGuardian statistics

Argentine Primera statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sala, Dario 1974 births Living people Footballers from Córdoba, Argentina Argentine 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 Chiapas F.C. footballers Arsenal de Sarandí footballers Newell's Old Boys footballers Xerez CD footballers FC Dallas players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Expatriate footballers in Colombia Major League Soccer players Argentine expatriate footballers Association football goalkeepers Argentine Army officers Atlanta United FC non-playing staff