Darío Sala

Darío Sala (born October 17, 1974) is an Argentine association football administrator and former player. A goalkeeper, he played with teams including Belgrano, Los Andes, and River Plate in Argentina; Deportivo Cali in Colombia; and FC Dallas in Major League Soccer (MLS), where he played from 2005 to 2010. He served as general manager of Jacksonville Armada FC of the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2013 to 2015.

Early life Sala was born into a working-class family in Córdoba. He aspired to be a soldier and attended a top military prep school at age 11. On weekends, Sala returned to his home to sell churros with his family outside the local soccer stadiums. Sala had no interest in football and instead played team handball. 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 in the Argentine Army, Sala started law 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. In two playoffs games against the Colorado Rapids, 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 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, 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, 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 Major League Soccer.

After the 2010 MLS season FC Dallas declined Sala's contract option and he elected to participate in the 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft. 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 North American Soccer League franchise to Jacksonville, Florida. The group was awarded an expansion team, along with Oklahoma City, on July 25 of that year. The team began play in 2015. Sala ran the operations of the team and served as general manager.

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 and handball, as well as skydiving.

Honors

FC Dallas Major League Soccer Western Conference Championship (1): 2010