The Dallas Burn shored up its defense when it landed Steve Morrow, the Northern Ireland international who spent more than a decade at various levels of English soccer.

The Facts

Born: July 2, 1970 in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland.

Hometown: Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Pro clubs: Dallas (MLS) 2002-present, Peterborough United (England) 2001, Queen's Park Rangers (England) 1997-2001, Barnet (England) 1992, Reading (England) 1992, Watford (England) 1991, Reading (England) 1991, Arsenal (England) 1987-97.

Northern Ireland: 39 caps, 1 goal.

My First …

Job: Professional soccer player.

Car: Ford Fiesta.

Cap: A 1-0 win over Uruguay, May 18, 1990, in Belfast.

My Favorite …

Musical Artists: Coldplay, U2, Neil Diamond.

Actors: Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, Daniel Day Lewis.

Actresses: Nicole Kidman, Cameron Diaz, Audrey Hepburn.

Movies: ''Snatch,'' ''American Beauty'' and ''Papillon.''

Book: ''Fever Pitch'' by Nick Hornby.

Food: Italian, Thai.

Drink: Guinness.

Soccer Player: Zinedane Zidane.

Vacation Spot: Southern France.

Non-soccer sports team: Ireland rugby union team.

Place to live: London or southern Ireland.

Hobbies: Cinema, theater, dining out and cooking.

Four historical people you'd invite to dinner: Lee Harvey Oswald, Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana and Michael Collins.

How much time do you spend online? About 30 minutes per day.

What do you use the Web for? I e-mail friends, catch up with news in the U.K. and check out vacation offers.

Pregame activity: Relaxation!

Postgame activity: A meal with friends and a pint of Guinness.

People In My Life

Family: The most important thing in my life.

Friends: Good friends come along once in a lifetime, so it's important to hang on to them, but I think the TV series should end!

Burn Irishman Ronnie O'Brien: Despite the north-south rivalry, it's always nice to hear a familiar accent.

Dallas coach Mike Jeffries: Good tactician and organized with knowledge of players.

Teammates: Good team spirit is a key ingredient to success, so it's important for me to get on well with all of my teammates.

Referees: There is certainly room for improvement in the MLS. However, refereeing is a thankless task, and players should realize they are only human.

Fans: Good, family-oriented – the best, I love them.

Heroes: Throughout my career, my football heroes have been Pat Jennings, George Best and Tony Adams.

My View On …

Foreign experience: Always give it a try.

Arsenal: I had wonderful times with lots of rewards and was privileged to play for nine years at such a great club. One of the highlights was scoring the winning goal in the League Cup final at Wembley in 1993, only to have an unfortunate accident at the final whistle when I fractured my arm after being picked up and dropped by our captain, Tony Adams.

Dallas: Huge potential but currently a ghost town! Please invest in downtown Dallas!

Money: Makes life easier but isn't the be-all and end-all to life.

Injury: The worst aspect of being a professional player, and I've had my fair share.

World Cup 2002: One of the most open and exciting I've seen with lots of shocks and surprises.

Future: Hopefully, the future's so bright I need to wear shades.

by Soccer America Assistant Editor Bryan Alvarez