Paxton Pomykal hopes injury woes are in the past

Paxton Pomykal, at 21 years old, is beginning his sixth season with FC Dallas in 2021. For context, six seasons is how long players like Michael Barrios, Fabian Castillo, and Mauro Diaz spent with FC Dallas. Despite his tenure at FC Dallas, Pomykal’s time with the club seems to have only just started.

Paxton is known for his ball-skill and his knack for creative goalscoring opporutunites. Pomykal has even displayed his skill alongside some of soccer’s greatest players.

In spite of the excitement and potential, 2020 saw Pomykal’s time on the field limited due to a nagging groin injury. For the young Dallas midfielder, a major goal of his will be staying healthy throughout the course of the new season.

“I think staying healthy is first and foremost,” Pomykal told reporters when asked about his 2021 season goals. “My goal is to be as available as possible for Luchi and the guys. When I get [minutes] I know I can do what I do and once the opportunities are there I’ll take advantage of them but first and foremost my body needs to be there so I can have those opportunities.”

Returning to the field in Dallas’ scoreless draw is a positive step in Paxton’s desire to become a consistent player for Los Toros. One should expect Pomykal to continue to come off the bench while regaining match fitness.

“I’m feeling good,” Paxton explained when asked how his recovering is going. “Obviously I had a couple of setbacks with the scar tissue in the preseason. I don’t think I’m one-hundred percent fit, like ninety-minute fit like the rest of the guys, but I’m ready to come into games now for a half or thirty minutes, and hopefully, in the next two to three weeks I can build that base and start being able to go ninety minutes.”

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Paxton Pomykal takes on the Colorado Rapids, April 17, 2021. (Matt Visinsky, 3rd Degree)

While Paxton appears as a substitute, expect his role to serve the needs of the team on a game-by-game basis. In the long-term, his main position is can vary depending on the need of Luchi Gonzalez.

“I think I can play either one of the two in the midfield or one of the wingers and the three up top or even maybe some wing-back,” Pomykal stated after Dan Crooke of 3rdDegree.net asked about Pomykal’s immediate positional future. “Obviously, that’s up to the coaches. We have conversations about it but at this point, those are the positions I’m training in and looking to come in games and make an impact in the future.”

With Paxton return to the field, many hope that his injury woes are finally in the past. As one of Dallas’ noteable homegrowns returns to pitch, Luchi Gonzalez and FC Dallas will hope to capitalize on the creative abilities of the young midfielder in their pursuit of a home-field playoff in 2021.

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