FRISCO, Texas – “My dream is to end up leading the National Team, wearing the Stars and Stripes on my shirt.”
Although still just 15 years old, FC Dallas Academy goalkeeper Julian Eyestone has made the first step towards his dream and earned a call-up to the U-17 U.S. Men’s National Team.
“I’m just super excited about it. It still hasn’t really hit me, I’ve really made it to the National Team. So, I’m over the moon.”
A Dallas native, Eyestone played basketball, baseball and soccer growing up before deciding to focus on the latter with the FCD Academy at age 12. Goalkeeper wasn’t his first choice until the positional essentially chose him.
“Since I was so much taller than everyone else, it kind of just came naturally,” Eyestone said. “I got stuck in goal once and just loved it so much that I never moved out.”
Now 6 feet 6 inches tall, Eyestone’s build is ideal for a goalkeeper which certainly helped catch the eye of national team scouts. He’ll join up with the U-17s on Nov. 1 in Chula Vista, Calif. for his first national team camp.
“He’s very mature which helps a lot for a goalkeeper,” said Matias Asorey, who coaches Eyestone in the FCD U-17s. “He’s a kid who’s always looking to improve, he’s very critical of his own game—which I think helps him a lot. Obviously, his frame is really important, he covers a lot of the goal. He’s very useful when it comes to crosses and cutting out play.
“He’s open and takes feedback well. He has the right mentality to improve. He’s respectful and a hard-worker.”
Eyestone is the latest in a long line of FC Dallas players called into the national team set up. Still, it’s always big moment for the club, coaches and most importantly the player.
“It’s a huge honor when any player gets called into the national team,” Asorey said. “We’re extremely proud of him. For him, it shows that he’s been doing things correctly for a while now so it’s kind of a reward. But one thing we’re clear on with the boys is that getting selected is just part of the process, because we want to make sure when they go there, they perform so they get called again.”
“I’m very honored and excited about it,” Eyestone added. “I’m really happy and thankful for what FC Dallas has done for me to get me to this point. It’s an exciting step in the right direction toward accomplishing my dreams.”
