December has turned to January and another year has begun anew, meaning it's SuperDraft season once again on the MLS calendar.
As all 22 teams (welcome to the fun, Atlanta and Minnesota) converge on Downtown LA, they'll be looking to find the diamond in the rough among the best college players in the U.S. Dallas has had a lot of success finding key roster components in recent years, but let's count down the best SuperDraft picks in FCD history:
5. Tesho Akindele - 2014 (1st Round, 6th Overall)
It's no easy feat to make an immediate impact on a modern MLS roster during your rookie season, especially for a relative unknown coming into the combine like Tesho Akindele - but that's exactly what the 2014 Rookie of the Year did. Coming from a Division II school, it was a stroke of luck that Oscar Pareja had seen him play during his time in Colorado and was in a position to take the forward with a high pick after a strong showing at the combine. In each of his three pro seasons, Tesho has hit at least 25 appearances, 1,500 minutes and 5 goals.
4. Walker Zimmerman - 2012 (1st Round, 7th Overall)
The mean-mugging defender has made a quick ascent up this list over the last 14 months, from his heroic performance against Seattle in the 2015 playoffs to a full-time starter in 2016. He scored 4 goals - all from headers - and started 30 games for Dallas last season and was named top statistical MLS defender in the Audi Player Index. At just 23 years old, Zimmerman and his center back partner Matt Hedges (also a SuperDraft product) are poised to hold down the FCD back line for many years to come - for which their stock will continue to rise on this list.
3. Zach Loyd - 2010 (1st Round, 5th Overall)
Almost from the moment he was drafted, Zach Loyd was a mainstay on the FC Dallas defense. In seven seasons before being selected in the 2016 Expansion Draft, Loyd started 168 games for the club and appeared in 12 more - the third-most appearances by a player in club history. From 2011-2015, Loyd played at least 2100 minutes in each season. He missed the second half of 2016 recovering from a concussion and everyone at FCD wants nothing more than to see Loyd back on the field soon - even if it is for an opponent.
2. Matt Hedges - 2012 (1st Round, 11th Overall)
Locally, Dallas fans have known the greatness that is Matt Hedges, but he took his fame nationally in 2016 earning Defender of the Year honors and a call-up to U.S. National Team Camp in January. A mid-round pick in 2012 out of North Carolina, Hedges did not miss more than one consecutive match for the club from his first start on May 9, 2012 until he was sidelined for seven games in April of 2016. At just 26 years old and signed through the 2020 season last month, Hedges will continue to hold down the back line (with Zimmerman) for many years to come.
1. Dominic Oduro - 2006 (2nd Round, 22nd Overall)
Although the 22nd overall pick in the 2017 SuperDraft will be a first-round selection, in 2006 FC Dallas found Dominic Oduro as a second round steal. In just three seasons in Frisco, the MLS journeyman scored 9 goals in 70 games, but his career as a whole is what earns him the top spot on this list. With 311 games played now under his belt (and a brand new contract from the Montreal Impact after a stellar run late in their Eastern Conference Final run), Oduro has 62 goals, 32 assists and over 18,000 minutes played since being taken by Dallas. Only 10 players have more goals than the now 31-year-old in that time.
Honorable Mentions
Jason Kreis - 1996 (5th Round, 43rd Overall)
Bobby Rhine - 1999 (1st Round, 6th Overall)
Jason Kreis is the franchise leader in every major category (goals, assists, games played, shots, shots on goal, fouls committed, etc.) and Bobby Rhine is right behind him with 212 games played and an even larger role in the club as a whole. Both were incredible selections for the club, but neither, however, were taken in the SuperDraft. Kreis was selected in the first-ever, and only, MLS Draft where each team selected the entirety of their roster - and he had already played three seasons in USL before the draft. Rhine was taken in the 1999 College Draft, which for all intents and purposes is essentially the SuperDraft, but was not named as such until 2000.
