FRISCO, Texas - U.S. soccer fans, rejoice! The USMNT qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after heartbreakingly missing out on the previous edition in Russia. It wasn't easy, it wasn't always pretty, but Gregg Berhalter's team got it done. And they did so with a little help from the good ol' FC Dallas Academy.
Below are some stats that help illustrate the FCD Academy's footprint on the core of the USMNT squad that earned qualification Wednesday night.
Ever-Present
Former FC Dallas Academy players were ever-present during the USMNT's World Cup qualifying campaign. There was AT LEAST one FCD Academy product in the USMNT's starting lineup in every single World Cup qualifier (14 games).
Seven different former FCD Academy players started in World Cup qualifying for the US:
- Kellyn Acosta
- Reggie Cannon
- Jesús Ferreira
- Weston McKennie
- Shaq Moore
- Ricardo Pepi
- Chris Richards
Four different FCD Academy grads started together in the USMNT's 3-0 win over Honduras on Feb. 2: Acosta, Cannon, McKennie and Pepi (Ferreira also featured as a sub).
Goals
FC Dallas Academy products scored 29% of the USMNT's goals during World Cup qualifying (WCQ). Of the 21 goals the USMNT scored during WCQ, six of them were scored by FC Dallas Academy graduates.
- Pepi: 3
- McKennie: 2
- Ferreira: 1
Assists
FCD Academy alumni accounted for 33% of the USMNT's assists during WCQ. The U.S. recorded 15 total assists across the 14 games, with five of them coming from FCD Academy players of yore.
- Pepi: 3
- Ferreira: 1
- Acosta: 1
Looking at the contributions of its alumni, it's clear how important the FC Dallas Academy was to this current USMNT. And that's not even including the accomplishments of other FCD adjacent players like Walker Zimmerman (former FCD draft pick who started his pro career in Dallas) and Paul Arriola (who joined the club halfway through the qualifying cycle).
Anyway, go USA 🇺🇸
