FC Dallas: Zdenek Ondrasek the proven goalscorer Dallas desperate for
By Daniel Garza
FC Dallas announced the signing of striker Zdenek Ondrasek on Tuesday. The Czech Republic centre-forward is the proven goalscorer the club is desperate for.
The 2018-19 offseason has given FC Dallas a new striker as Zdenek Ondrasek is set to join the club for the upcoming season after his signing was announced on Tuesday.
Ondrasek joins Dallas from Polish club Wisla Krakow where he has been a member since January of 2016. During his time in Poland’s first division, he scored 21 goals and registered 10 assists in 69 appearances in all competitions.
In his current season, Ondrasek has scored 11 goals in 19 appearances. He will be leaving Wisla Krakow after a very successful season to date with the club. The signing comes just days before Ondrasek turns 30 on Dec. 22nd.
More from MLS Multiplex
- Javier Milei Elected in Argentina: Potential Impacts on MLS and Signings of Argentine Players
- Orlando City and New York City FC in the Battle for Matías Arezo; Grêmio Enters Negotiations! Who Will Come Out on Top?
- USA, Honduras, Panama, and Canada Close in on a Spot in the 2024 Copa America
- De Gea Turns Down Al-Nassr’s Lucrative Offer: Speculation Points to Possible Reunion with Messi at Inter Miami
- Messi’s Magnetic Impact in the United States
The Czech forward has played for just three other clubs during his career. České Budějovice was his first club in his native country where he scored 22 goals in 81 appearances. During his time with České Budějovice, he was on loan with FK Caslev in a lower Czech division where he scored four goals in 14 appearances.
Tromsø IL was the club he played for in Norway, before ending up in Poland. At Tromsø IL, Ondrasek scored 55 goals in 142 appearances.
The stats that Ondrasek has put up throughout his career reveal the proven goalscoring ability that he boasts. Perhaps the most encouraging note of the aforementioned statistics is his goal total from the 2018-19 season in Poland. He has been on the mark for this club and has averaged north of a goal every two matches. Not only is that a sensational strike rate, but it is also proof that he improving, even as he reaches his thirties. If he can adjust to Major League Soccer quickly, then he should have no issue finding the back of the net for FC Dallas.
This past season was not a terrible one for FC Dallas. They scored 52 goals in the regular season and looked consistently dangerous throughout. But down the stretch, the goals dried up a little, ultimately costing them in the playoffs. And now Maxi Urruti has departed in the offseason, traded to the Colorado Rapids. The addition of Ondrasek, therefore, will only bolster their offensive power and help to fill the hole left by Urruti.
Ondrasek didn’t have quite the number that Nemanja Nikolic put up during his time in the Ekstraklasa at Legia Warsaw but it was evident how Nikolic transitioned to life in MLS. This comparison is being made to show how impressive his goalscoring record was in the Polish first division and that it is possible to make a swift and successful transition from one league to the other.
FC Dallas did not have a player reach double digits goals scored last season. That should change in 2019. With the loss of Urruti, this helps aid in some of the damage done by his trade to Montreal. Watch this player very closely next year. He could be the precise goalscorer that this Dallas team is crying out for.