One for the future: Dax McCarty
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by Foolsgold
He may have been playing in the shadow of Altidore, Adu, and Szetela for the US in the U20 World Cup, but slowly and assuredly, Dax McCarty is making a name for himself in the MLS with his current club, FC Dallas.
Coming from parents who were both talented athletes in their prime, it's really no surprise that McCarty is so physically-gifted, but what is surprising is the sport in which he chose to concentrate. Instead of basketball, baseball, or even American football, just some of the sports his father excelled at, or even tennis, the sport for which his mother was inducted into her high school's hall of fame and later went on to play in college, McCarty chose soccer. Not because of his lack of height or diminutive frame, but ultimately because he loved the game.
Born in Winter Park, Florida, the 20-year-old played for the US satellite for Ajax Amsterdam in his youth and went on to play college ball for UNC-Chapel Hill as well as the USDL Ajax side . At UNC, he gained national attention by scoring 4 goals and assisting on 11 more while leading his school to the elite eight in his last season there. After his sophomore year, he left the Tar Heels and entered the 2006 MLS SuperDraft where he was picked sixth by FC Dallas.
In his first season of professional soccer, he played for a total of twelve minutes. Times were tough for the young midfielder, but instead of getting down, he worked harder, determined to show head coach Steve Morrow that he was deserving of a spot on his squad. Eventually though it paid off, as due to injuries, McCarty got his shot, made the most of it, and is now a mainstay on the starting XI. In total, he has played in 18 league matches and has 6 six assists including two game-winners.
At the U20 World Cup, McCarty was primarily used as a sub, making his debut in the opening match versus the Korea Republic as a 52' sub for Szetela. He went on to play a part in all six of the team's matches, the only non-starter to do so in the tournament, as the US made it all the way to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Austria in extra-time.
In just this past season, McCarty has gotten better with almost each match. It has to be remembered that he's only 20-years-old, but if he keeps progressing at this rate, he could be an all-star by the final year of his contract in 2009. After that, he could be headed to Europe, but at least we'll get a chance to see what could be the making of a special player for club and country.
(Sources for this post can be found here, here, here, and of course, here. Cheers.)
Originally posted here
