Major League Soccer have released their full list of 22 under 22 players and FC Dallas have contributed the most players in any league for the 3rd time in 4 years.
FC Dallas is known for producing young talent through their academy pipeline, and have proven every year that their pool is untapped talent in this country.

Today, I thought it would be a great idea to look into the four players that made the list and talk about their current progress and their future trajectory.

On this list, I will look at their current performances, past performances in the organization, and what the future holds for each player.

Tanner Tessmann

How It’s Going

Tessmann has played 823 minutes, the second-most amount of time for homegrowns on the roster. He has one assist this season and has the highest passing accuracy out of any midfielder who has played over 800 minutes, with 82.7 percent.

He has become a fan favorite for his athletic ability, height, and strength on the ball. FC Dallas is 6-2-1 when he starts, with the one and only loss occurring this Tuesday.

He has made himself an integral part of the midfield, competing for minutes with Designated Player Bryan Acosta and 2020 signing Thiago Santos.

His long balls have become a staple of his game, and his range has help connect the midfield and the attack, which has continually been a problem for FC Dallas this season. His incredible performances earned him the 21st spot on Major League Soccer’s 22 under 22 list in 2020.

How He Got Here

Tessmann moved from Alabama to Frisco to play with the FC Dallas Academy in 2016. He was an integral part of the academy, playing under Luchi Gonzalez and Chris Hayden. He scored 25 goals in 67 appearances in the DA and even received the Golden Ball for the U18 age group when FC Dallas reached the Academy Championship.

In 2019, he played with North Texas SC in its inaugural year, playing in 16 matches throughout the season. He appeared in the USL League One Final as well, where North Texas SC beat Greenville Triumph 1-0 to become the first champions of USL League One. Although he was committed to Clemson, Tessmann decided to forgo the scholarship and signed a homegrown contract with FC Dallas before the start of the 2020 season.

What’s Next

There have been rumors swirling around about a possible move to Europe, but that isn’t surprising due to his vocal interest and his skillset. There are also rumors that Berhalter is keeping an eye on him, but it will probably be a while before he is moved up from the Youth National Team levels.

In the short term, Tessmann will probably continue to increase his stock and make himself a starter by next year, a goal he proclaimed around the start of the season. He still has room to improve, most notably his defensive coverage. He also has no primary position, playing all over the spine of the starting eleven throughout his Academy days and his performances for NTSC. Hopefully, we will see him play with Paxton Pomykal more before they both leave, but I believe we will have a year or two of Tessmann performing for this team.

Bryan Reynolds

How It’s Going

Bryan Reynolds was given the keys to the right-back starting role when Reggie Cannon was transferred to Boavista in September. Since then, Reynolds has become a key player for the club, starting 9 matches since then. Reynolds has become one of the most important pieces of the FC Dallas offense, notching 2 assists, which is tied for first on the team, and averaging 1.1 crosses a game, which is the second-most on the team. His speed has been paired mostly with Michael Barrios, which has made FC Dallas deadly from the right side of the field. He has also become a fan favorite quite quickly, due to his skillset and the number of risks that he takes while pushing the attack forward. He has also been somewhat solid defensively, having the 4th highest average tackles per game at 1.8.

Bryan has become a fan favorite, which was hard to do given how popular Reggie was with the fanbase. However, at 19 years of age, Reynolds has proved his worth to the entire world, which is why he is number 18  in Major League Soccer’s 22 under 22 list for 2020.

How He Got Here

Prior to being signed in 2016 (he has been a professional soccer player for almost 4 years), Bryan Reynolds was a young star for the academy. He was part of the U16/17 squad that won the USSDA Championship of that age group in 2016. A winger at that time, Reynolds was one of three young academy players that were signed at the end of the 2016 season, the other two being Paxton Pomykal and Jesus Ferreira. These signings were prompted by Weston McKennie, who left the academy and gave FC Dallas incentive to keep their future homegrowns secured.

Over the next couple of seasons, Bryan Reynolds was molded into a right-back, a decision made based on the league’s style. However, Reynolds wasn’t really given a chance to play until 2019, which was his breakout season. He was a starter for the newly-formed North Texas SC at right-back, playing every minute of the first 7 matches of the USL League One season. He then went back to the first team as a bench player, making several substitute appearances and even notching an assist. He started his first match in August against Montreal, where he played 45 minutes at left-wing, before being moved back to USL League One to help NTSC win the championship

He has also played for the U16, U17, and U18 US Youth National team squads over the years.

What’s Next

Reynolds recently signed a contract extension with the club, showing his commitment to the club. His spot in the starting eleven seems to be his to lose, as there is no other right back on the squad currently. His defensive abilities will improve over the next couple of seasons, and his stock will inevitably rise in the next couple of seasons. His performances have caught the eyes of many, but he will likely stay with FC Dallas for the foreseeable future. It would not be surprising to see Reynolds move up this list next year.

It is worth noting that there is already a national team hype around the 19-year-old. The right-back depth chart is deep, With players like Dest, Cannon, and Yedlin all battling for that one position, it would be difficult, but not impossible.

Jesus Ferreira

How It’s Going

Jesus Ferreira has followed his breakout season of 2019 with a sophomore lump in 2020. So far this season, Jesus has scored 1 goal and notched 1 assist in 610 minutes. His minutes have been reduced due to poor performances and the arrival of Designated Player Franco Jara. In 14 appearances this season, Ferreira has played on both wings, at striker, and an attacking midfielder, as he has tried to find his role on this squad.

With the arrival of two veteran attacking pieces this summer, Ferreira’s role at the club has lowered exponentially. It is worth remembering, however, that he is capable of plays like this:

His confidence has lowered this season, but there is absolutely no doubt that he has the skillset to become a top player in this league. His poor performances this season have dropped him seven spots from last year’s list, but his quality has allowed him to stay on Major League Soccer’s 22 under 22 list at 16th place.

How He Got Here

The son of FC Dallas Legend David Ferreira, Jesus Ferreira has been with the academy for years. He was part of the U16/U17 squad that won the 2016 USSDA Championship. In his time with the academy, Ferreira scored 48 times in 50 games over a 4 year period, which led to a professional contract. He was signed, along with Paxton Pomykal and Bryan Reynolds, at the end of the 2016 season. He scored his first professional goal in his freshman season when he scored in 2017 against Real Salt Lake. However, he didn’t break into the starting eleven until Luchi Gonzalez was named head coach in 2019. That season, Jesus appeared in 33 matches, scoring 8 goals and having 6 assists in under 2500 minutes. That led to a USMNT debut in 2020.

What’s Next

Photo: Dallasnews.com

Jesus Ferreira needs to regain his confidence and earn his spot back in the starting eleven. With the FC Dallas attack sputtering, this is a good chance for Jesus to strut his stuff in training to get back in Lucchi’s good graces.

It is also worth noting that Ferreira doesn’t really have a starting position. He was a striker with the academy, but he was unable to be a constant threat last season in that position. His passing range isn’t good enough to be an attacking midfielder, and his extremely low defensive work rate makes him very poor as a winger or as a linking 8. We have speculated before that his flexibility may be an asset, but with heavy squad congestion coupled with his poor form, it has become a liability for Jesus.

He has the talent to become a star, and there were talks last season of Ferreira moving abroad. He signed a contract last season, making him one of the highest-paid homegrowns in FC Dallas history. Hopefully, his confidence will rise, but something has to change soon.

Paxton Pomykal

How It’s Going

The pride and joy of the FC Dallas Academy has had yet another season-ending surgery, which is his fourth in his relatively young career. His talent has trumped his injury concerns, however, as he has again been placed very high on this year’s list. Prior to his injury, Paxton notched one goal this season in 5 appearances. However, his stats aren’t what make him a fan-favorite.

His ability to cover space and his ability on the ball makes him a danger on the attack and a useful player in linking up the entire team.

He is one of the most skillful players in the USMNT player pool and has had rumors swirling around him for years. He is arguably the best FC Dallas academy product to date. Because of all of these things, Pomykal got 5th place on Major League Soccer’s 22 under 22 list this year.

How He Got Here

Paxton was with the FC Dallas Academy starting in 2014. He was part of the U16/17 squad that won the 2016 USSDA Championship and was signed by FC Dallas not long after, as he was one of the best academy players in the league at the time. He played a handful of matches in 2017 and 2018 but was unable to break through due to Designated Players like Mauro Diaz. He broke into the starting eleven in 2019, which was the same year Luchi Gonzalez was named head coach. Pomykal appeared in 25 matches in 2019, getting 2 goals and 5 assists, and earning his first national team callup. An injury railroaded him at the end of the season, much like it happened this year.

His performances last season earned him many accolades. He was 3rd on MLS’s 22 under 22 and was named one of the best young players last year. He began to attract interest from abroad, including teams like AC Milan.

What’s Next

The first step is to get healthy, which at this point is a tall order. Paxton has had 4 major injuries over the past 4 years, which is not a stat you want to see in a young prospect. If Paxton is going to become a star like he is able to, he must be able to get through an entire season without getting a major injury.

The good thing is that this probably means that Paxton will still be with FC Dallas next season. If he continues where he left off, he will undoubtedly become a major player in the USMNT. His first step, and the most important step, is to get healthy.

Well, what did you think of the players that got on this year’s list? There were a couple of players that missed out including Brandon Servania, who made the list last season.
What do you think is the future for these four players?
Featured Image: Dallasnews.com
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