FC Dallas: Commitment to youth starts now

FC Dallas replaced former head coach Oscar Pareja by promoting head of the academy, Luchi Gonzalez. The commitment to youth starts right now.

Oscar Pareja fancied a new challenge. The experienced and highly accomplished FC Dallas head coach enjoyed a terrific period in Texas. But the allure of managing in Liga MX was too much to turn down.

Tijuana is a great opportunity for Pareja. After another season that stagnated in the final stages and ended in playoff pain, it was easy to see why Pareja felt the time had come to move on.

And that left FC Dallas needing a new head coach, something that they haven’t needed to do in four years.

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Their search for a new head coach was a fascinating one. Slow and meticulous, it was difficult to discern what kind of manager and coach Dallas would pursue. But after several weeks of research and discussion and interviews, Dallas settled on their man.

Luchi Gonzalez, the well known Luchi Gonzalez, is the man they landed on. For those not well versed in the MLS coaching world, Luchi Gonzalez may well be a name that is unfamiliar. He has never been a head coach in the league previously and has largely worked as a youth coach since his retirement from his playing.

If there is one thing you need to hear from Gonzalez, this, when speaking to mlssoccer.com, is it:

"“As I got into coaching, I just wanted to be a great teacher, of life and of the game, in the best way I could. I think that really helped me gain a love, gave me a foundation and a purpose of why I’m involved in this game and what’s my role in it.”"

For Gonzalez, he is a teacher, a coach, an improver and developer, someone who fine-tunes talent and progresses and educates people. For him, being a manager and head coach is more than just preparing the team, instilling the tactics and motivating the players. For Gonzales, the roles comes with a responsibility of improving those he works with.

And that, for FC Dallas, is a clear statement of intent for their future. This is a team that has always lived by the mantra of letting the kids play. It is a part of the DNA, especially under Pareja. And they are now truly committing to that philosophy here. There is one clear reason as to why Gonzalez has been hired: his work with young players.

In 2012, Gonzalez arrived in Dallas to be a part of a developing academy project. Six years later and he continued to be a key part of a youth process that is seen as one of the most prolific and successful in MLS. Gonzalez himself has coached 15 of the Homegrown Players at Dallas, with the academy winning four U.S. Soccer Development national championships and a 2017 Dallas Cup Super Group championship. He has been a cornerstone piece in the youth movement at Dallas. And now he is the man to mould the club in his image.

For FC Dallas, the commitment to youth truly starts now. Gonzalez is a developer first, coach second, and Dallas are buying in.