FC Dallas’ SuperDraft failure or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the Homegrowns

The FC Dallas decision to decline the options on Francis Atuahene and Callum Montgomery – the number four overall MLS SuperDraft picks from 2018 and 2019 – underscores the recent FC Dallas draft failures.  These moves highlight the fact the club’s track record in the latter half of this decade is really poor.

I’ve been saying for years now that FC Dallas should trade away pretty much every draft pick they have for TAM/GAM as the success of the FCD Academy makes it very difficult for the club to keep anyone but their very first pick (see Cal Jennings in 2020).

I would make the case the success of the Academy has made it all but impossible for the club to hit on any picks at all due to roster limitations and the declining quality of college soccer.

I’ve come to believe the club would be better off with no picks, more TAM/GAM, and signing both Academy and former Academy (now in college) Homegrowns rather than drafting anyone.

To prove this point – and promoted by a comment from friend of 3rd Degree, Brooke Tunstall – let’s go back and look at the last decade of FC Dallas draft picks judging them as hits and misses for the club. 

I’m going to consider only the first two rounds as anything past that is a total and complete crapshoot with little to no value beyond North Texas SC roster filler. The point being, it would be unfair to call anything past round two a miss.

2020

Pick	Name	Hit/Miss	Comments
14	Nkosi Burgess	Miss – so far	Still a work in progress has yet to play in MLS.
17	Cal Jennings	Miss	Unsigned by FCD. Scoring at a good rate in USL-C. Just joined Indy Eleven.
40	Manuel Ferriol	Miss	Unsigned by FCD. Signed with FC Tucson in USL-1.

Bonus: Derek Waldeck taken 66th overall has shown some progress with North Texas SC but I don’t think he’s an MLS level player.

2019

Pick	Name	Hit/Miss	Comments
4	Callum Montgomery	Miss	Option declined end of 2020.
10	Johnny Nelson	Hit	Only 20 games played so I’m maybe being generous calling him a hit, might be a starter for different clubs in MLS.

Bonus: FCD took Dylan Castanheira 88th overall after he was already signed by Atlanta United 2. FCD traded his rights to Inter Miami in January 2020 and he now played for Fort Lauderdale CF – Inter’s developmental team – in USL-1.

2018

Pick	Name	Hit/Miss	Comments
4	Francis Atuahene	Miss	Option declined 2020, struggled for PT in USL-C.
11	Ema Twumasi	Miss – so far.	8 career games is not a hit in my book even though he’s still on the FCD roster. has been successful on loan to Austin Bold.
29	Mauro Cichero	Miss	Unsigned by FCD. Finally healthy and playing for the Charleston Battery.
34	Chris Lema	Miss	Unsigned by FCD.  Played 71 for New York Red Bulls II in USL-C then signed with NYRB for 2020 but was let go at the end of the season.

Bonus: Picks 57 and 80 managed to carve out USL careers: Amer Sasivarevic with OKC Energy and Noah Franke with the Pittsburgh Riverhouds.

2017

Pick	Name	Hit/Miss	Comments
18	Jacori Hayes	Hit	Deemed surplus he was traded to Minnesota United in January 2020 after 38 games with FCD. Still in the league.
37	Walker Hume	Miss	Signed by FCD and started 2 games – 4 games is you count USOC – before being let go.  Last played for Orange County SC in the USL-C. Now in real estate.
40	Adonijah Reid	Miss	Generation Adidas but released after two seasons. Signed with Le Harve B in France in 2019.

Bonus: none.

2016

Pick	Name	Hit/Miss	Comments
17	Ryan Herman	Miss	Never played for FCD.  Currently with Miami FC then Miami FC II. He’s currently a club soccer coach.
33	Timo Pitter	Miss	Played 1 game for FCD. Out of pro-soccer.

Bonus: 45th overall pick Colin Bonner had an amazing Twitter handle – AT ragingbonner.

2015

Pick	Name	Hit/Miss	Comments
15	Otis Earle	Miss	Played one US Open Cup game for FCD in his one season in MLS.

If you’re scoring at home that’s just two hits in the last seven years.

Players who before might have squeaked onto the roster and proven something with time no longer get that luxury.

2014

In the first half of the decade, FC Dallas was much better at drafting with six hits in five years. 

Pick	Name	Hit/Miss	Comments
6	Tesho Akindele	Hit	133 games for FC Dallas then traded to Orlando City where he has played 45 more. Career regular season: 37 goals, 10 assists.

Bonus: none.

2013

What a year!

Pick	Name	Hit/Miss	Comments
7	Walker Zimmerman	Hit	Best defender in MLS… for someone else.
20	Ryan Hollingshead	Hit	I mean come on.

Bonus: Kyle Zobeck 26th overall in the Supplemental Draft who was an FCD 3rd keeper, then not, and now is again.

More bonus: Cameron Brown 7th overall in the Supplemental Draft whose career was derailed by injuries. He’s been playing NPSL and indoor soccer in town for years.  TJ Nelson 64th overall in the Supplemental Draft is another semi-pro and indoor player from the local area out of SMU.

2012

Pick	Name	Hit/Miss	Comments
11	Matt Hedges	Hit	FCD’s all-time leader in minutes, games, and starts. The club’s defensive GOAT.

Bonus: none.

2011

Pick	Name	Hit/Miss	Comments
17	Bobby Warshaw	Hit	32 games for Dallas. Played in fringe Europe for three seasons made more of a name for himself as a commentator.
35	Charlie Campbell	Miss.	Unsigned by FCD.  Played USL Pro with Orlando City.

Bonus: none.

2010

Pick	Name	Hit/Miss	Comments
5	Zach Loyd	Hit	If not for concussions would be talked about as an all-time club great.  180 games played.
21	Andrew Wiedeman	Miss	Just 8 games for FCD but went on the play for Toronto FC (36 games), Ottawa Fury (25), and FC Cincinnati (51).

Bonus: 38th overall pick Jason Yeisley played 5 games for Dallas and then had a USL-C career with Pittsburgh Riverhouds and Richmond Kickers. Edson Edward, a 2010 Discovery Pick, played for the Puerto Rico Islanders, FC Edmonton, and the Ottawa Fury in the USL.

Big bonus: 44th overall pick Eric Alexander played 39 games for Dallas and was so good they exposed Dax McCarty instead of him.  Alexander went on to play for Portland Timbers, NY Red Bulls, Montreal Impact, Houston Dynamo, and FC Cincinnati before returning to FC Dallas in 2019.

Conclusion

So what happened after 2014? 

Certainly, the decline in college soccer and the ascendency of the Academy system is a massive factor.

But aside from 2014 – when Coach Oscar Pareja knew Tesho Akindele from when Papi was coaching the Colorado Rapids – the first half of the decade was all Schellas Hyndman with a dash of Barry Gorman. Hyndman is the unifying factor.

Fernando Clavijo became TD in late 2012 with Luiz Muzzi – who was with FCD from 2012 to late 2018 taking over more and more duties as Clavijo became ill. Andre Zanotta was hired as TD in January 2019.

Side note: throw in 2009 and Hyndman also drafted George John and Peri Marosevic.

In other words, in the early half of the decade, FCD had American college coaches who knew how to spot MLS talent in the college ranks. 

So clearly if FCD still wants to draft better, they should hire a US college coach to do domestic scouting.