FC Dallas promotes Luchi Gonzalez to Academy Director
FRISCO, Texas (Via FC Dallas) – FC Dallas has promoted its Under-16 head coach Luchi Gonzalez to Academy Director, the club announced today.
“I am one of many in the academy working every day to ensure our young players have the opportunity to one day make an impact in the stadium,” said Gonzalez. “I am lucky to be surrounded by some of the best people involved with soccer development in not just Dallas, but in the entire country.
Our program has a special connection with Oscar [Pareja] and his staff, which allows for optimal integration of our young players into the first team. On behalf of the academy staff, we look forward to continued success and progress. We are eager to take on every challenge and view them as a potential opportunity ahead.”
Since Gonzalez was added to FC Dallas Academy coaching staff in April of 2012, the club has hoisted four national championship trophies (U-18 and U-15 in 2012, U-16 and U-15 in 2015).
In that same period, the academy’s U-16 and U-18 teams have won 74 percent of its matches in U.S. Soccer Development Academy play. Those two teams have a combined 125-32-36 record and have won their respective divisions five of six times.
“In Luchi, we have someone of quality that is well-educated and loves the game,” said FC Dallas Technical Director Fernando Clavijo. “He has a great passion for what he is doing. We are extremely excited and proud of the role he has taken with FC Dallas. I know he is the right person to help us develop players for the first team in the future.”
FC Dallas leads MLS with 13 Homegrown players signed since 2009. The club has inked contracts with five of those 13 former academy players since Gonzalez joined FC Dallas. Those players include: Jesse Gonzalez, Alejandro Zendejas, Coy Craft, Danny Garcia and Kellyn Acosta.
The winner of the 2001 Hermann Trophy award during his time at SMU, Gonzalez led FC Dallas’ U-16 team to a U.S. Soccer Development Academy national championship on July 18, 2015. That team outscored its opponents 20-0 in six playoff games and finished 25-3-5 on the season.
