FRISCO, Texas (Wednesday, Oct. 1) – FC Dallas announced today that it has signed its league-leading 13th Homegrown player to a professional contract. Alejandro Zendejas, a midfielder who joined the FC Dallas Academy in 2012, will be eligible for selection when he is added to the roster in 2015.
Signing the 16-year-old to a professional contract marks the first time that the club has inked a player from one of its youth affiliates, FC Dallas El Paso, which became a youth affiliate of the MLS club on Sept. 26, 2011.
“Zendejas is a very complete player,” said FC Dallas assistant coach Josema Bazan. “He is a left-footed midfielder that can pass very well and be creative. He is very composed in front of the goal. If the game changes and you need to be tough defensively, he can do that as well. But for me, his best quality is that when you pass him the ball, he can go in any direction. He is very aware of where the pressure is coming from and he can escape.”
Zendejas played with FC Dallas’ U-16 U.S. Soccer Development Academy team for each of the past three seasons. He has spent the majority of the 2014 season with the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team. Most recently, he was named to U-17 head coach Richie William’s 20-man roster for the upcoming Panama International Tournament, which runs Oct. 1 through Oct. 5.
Zendejas was also named to the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team’s 2014 Fall Residency Roster on Sept. 2, 2014.
Name: Alejandro Zendejas
Position: Forward/Midfielder
Height: 5-7
Weight: 145
DOB: Feb. 7, 1998 (16)
Birth Place: El Paso, Texas
Hometown: El Paso, Texas
Citizenship: USA/Mexico
Last Club: FC Dallas Academy
Transaction: FC Dallas signs Alejandro Zendejas (M)
