The architect of FC Dallas’ remarkable spawning of homegrown players is himself a product of Dallas-area soccer. The 54-year-old Chris Hayden, FC Dallas’ VP of Youth Soccer, came of age during the metroplex’s youth soccer boom of the 1980s. He played in the first Dallas Cups, played college play at the University of North Texas, and went into coaching after a stint with the indoor Dallas Sidekicks. He joined FC Dallas in the mid-2000s as it began creating the academy program that has for years led MLS in Homegrown signings. Among the players who spent time at the FC Dallas academy are seven who played for the USA in its 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign: Jesus Ferreira, Kellyn Acosta, Ricardo Pepi, Weston McKennie, Chris Richards, Shaq Moore and Reggie Cannon.
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