FRISCO- In December when Luchi Gonzalezwas promoted to FC Dallas' head coach, along with assistant coaches Mikey Varas and Peter Luccin, the FC Dallas Academy was set to undergo substantial staffing changes under newly-named Academy Director Chris Hayden. The overall goal of producing professional players, though, continues to be the singular focus.
Chris Hayden has been with the club since 2005, and since 2008, has continually worked in the FC Dallas Academy as a coach. He was the head coach of the 2012 FC Dallas USSDA U18 National Championship team and has most recently been the FC Dallas U19 Academy Head Coach.
Hayden’s vision for the Academy going forward is to continue the philosophy that individual player development is the priority and that talented players, with the right training and competition environment can make the jump to MLS. With several recent coaching changes across multiple age groups in the Academy, Hayden is working day-to-day in helping the club’s talented new staff integrate and fully adopt the FC Dallas game model and methodology.
“Our club is competing with clubs around the world to develop top talent and we must maintain a world class training environment for our players. With that as the goal, it is imperative that we have top coaches and I believe in the staff that we have put together will continue helping us produce top talent” Hayden said. “Individual development is more than just soccer and combines many on-field and off-field components and we have assembled a great team of people helping day to day with that process for our players.”
With the addition of North Texas Soccer Club, the newly formed USL team, the opportunity for an FC Dallas young player to be tested and accelerate his development will never be more evident.
“We believe that our kids need to be challenged and out of their comfort zone and North Texas SC will provide a proving ground for many future MLS stars” he said. "USL and international competitions will continue to be the measuring stick for FC Dallas Academy players aspiring for professional contracts and the club has more opportunity than ever before to produce top talent with NTSC and MLS youth events like the Generation Adidas Cup paving the way."
The FC Dallas Academy has a talented new staff and the club is confident that the future is bright. With nine Homegrown players on the first team roster coming directly from the Academy, the success of the program speaks for itself.
Age Group |
Head Coach |
|---|---|
U-19 |
Jesus “Chuy” Vera |
U-17 |
Matias Asorey |
U-15 |
Alex Aldaz |
U-14 |
Scott James |
U-13 |
John Gall |
U-12 |
Phil Gomez, Toto Schmugge |
About the Coaches
- Chris Hayden has been at FC Dallas for 14 years. He is also the VP of FC Dallas Youth and the FC Dallas Academy Director.
- Jesus (Chuy) Vera has been a coach since 2008. He coached the Venezuela National team to three Venezuela cups and two league finals, winning in 2011. Vera earned the Revelation Coach Award in 2009 and Coach of the Year in 2011.
- Matias Asorey was the Academy Director of Kendall SC in Miami before coming to FCD in January.
- Alex Aldaz last coached at Portland Timbers Academy and previously coached at SMU, FGCU, Xavier, and Dayton.
- Scott James joined FCD from the Houston Dynamo Academy in October and also serves as the FCD College Director.John Gall coached at Marcus High school from 2001-2016 and has been here for 3 years, also serving as the Boys Coaching Director for FCDY.
- Phil Gomez has been a coach in the club since 2008 and has previously coached at the high school and college level.
