Two local athletes join FC Dallas
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Francisco Perez, left, and Diego Ibarra, right, both signed on with FC Dallas; a soccer club that assists with college scholarships. Summer Bryant • The Madill Record
Two Madill High School student athletes are on a path to following their dreams. Francisco Perez and Diego Ibarra are both students at MHS. They are also on the soccer team. Recently, both students signed with FC Dallas.
FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club that is based in Frisco, Texas. Players on the roster get the chance to compete in the Western Conference in Major League Soccer.
As a member of FC Dallas, Perez, a junior at MHS and Ibarra, a senior, will get many perks, besides the skills to go pro. If the two work and play hard, the soccer club will assist the players in getting scholarships to attend college. They will also get the opportunity to play in showcases for college coaches. This increases their chances of getting recruited by a college and getting a full-ride scholarship.
Perez and Ibarra are contractually obligated to FC Dallas while they are members. This means they cannot play for any other clubs. The good news is they can still play for Madill High School.
Perez said it is akin to playing for a travel team.
“We don’t lose any eligibility,” he said, “it’s basically like playing for a travel team.”
Perez also stated that this is a big step towards his end result. He either wants to play for Major League Soccer, or get a full-ride scholarship to college.
About FC Dallas
FC Dallas began in 1995 when Dallas was awarded a Major League Soccer franchise. Orignally, the team was named Dallas Burn for two reasons; for the burning in the Texan oilfields and the heat that Texas is so famously known for.
The very first player assigned to the team was Hugo Sanchez, a former Mexico international.
Thinking it would be a flop, no investers were interested in it, leaving the league to finance the team.
In April 1996, the Dallas Burn played their first game and defeated the San Jose Clash. Then, the Dallas team won second in the Western Conference; with the Los Angeles Galaxy taking first.
In 2005, the Dallas Burn would become what it is known as today, FC Dallas. They changed names to match with their move to Pizza Hut Park.
The FC Dallas achieved their first double in the 2016- 2017 championship. Their regular season performance earned them a spot in the Champions League of that year.
In 2016, the FC Dallas won their first Supporter’s Shield and second U.S. Open Cup.
Pizza Hut has since ended their sponsorship of FC Dallas. Toyota and Advocare both stepped into the place of sponsors.
In 2014, Toyota and Advocare both announce an extenstion of the sponsorships through 2020.
Time will tell if the sponsors extend for a few more years, or if FC Dallas will wind up changing their name again in the future.