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Davis' Discussions: Dax McCarty's Flight To The Top
Dax McCarty has soared into within an outside chance of a USA spot.
Jan 8, 2010 2:53:06 AM
By Noah Davis
Tom Cruise has nothing on Dax McCarty's dad. The FC Dallas midfielder's father was a Top Gun pilot, a real-life Maverick.
"Some of the stories he tells are pretty amazing," McCarty told Goal.com over the phone from the United States Men's National Team camp in Carson, California. "But I never thought it was for me."
The 22-year-old's unwillingness to follow his old man's flight path is the U.S.Air ForceNavy's loss but a victory for American soccer fans. McCarty, the sixth pick in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, found his form in 2009, starting 27 matches for FCD while scoring three goals and tallying six assists. Additionally, the former captain of the U.S. U-20 squad and member of the 2008 Olympic team earned his first senior team cap when he entered as a second-half substitute during the Stars and Stripes' tilt with Slovakia in November.
The midfielder didn't expect to get a call for the European adventure, but his performance was one of the few bright spots for the Americans on the trip. McCarty provided energy and solid distribution in 18 minutes against the Repre and then again four days later in an appearance versus Denmark.
As 2010 begins, the former University of North Carolina Tar Heel finds himself participating in Bob Bradley's January camp. The 20-day affair, which traditionally focuses on up-and-coming players, culminates in a January 23 friendly against Honduras. McCarthy, however, is shooting higher. He wants a spot on the 23-man World Cup roster, although he admits the odds are long.
"I always tell myself that I have a chance. Whether that's an outside chance, it may be, but it's still a chance," he said. "My dream is to eventually go to a World Cup and whether that's this one coming up in June or whether that's the next one, it's the ultimate goal."
Given the U.S.'s plethora of central midfielders -- Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Maurice Edu, Kyle Beckerman, and injured Jermaine Jones are all ahead of McCarty on the depth chart -- the Flecha Roja (Red Arrow), as FCD's Spanish television commentator dubbed the five-foot, nine-inch speedster, knows he needs to improve to turn his World Cup dream into a reality.
"Sometimes I'll be a little lazy with either my touches or my passing," he said. "I need to play the ball a little bit faster every now and then, and not lose the ball in bad spots. That's something I'm going to work on in this camp, is getting the ball off my foot as soon as possible."
When the American camp concludes, McCarty will return to his MLS club and continue to hone his skills (assuming the union and the league resolve their labor issues). Last month, the Winter Park, Florida-native signed a new contract, choosing to develop in the States rather than try his luck abroad. Although there was "some interest" from European teams, McCarty, his agent, and his family decided that staying in the U.S. where he's likely to play made more sense than risking languishing on the bench of a Continental squad.
"Going to Europe is always risky and, for me personally, I felt like unless I was in the perfect situation going abroad, it would be more worth it to come back to MLS to try to mature and progress my game a little bit," he said. "It was a tough decision, but in the end I feel like it was definitely the right one to re-sign with the league."
While McCarty hopes to eventually play in Europe, for the time being he'll continue to fly around Pizza Hut Park, sights set firmly on being one of MLS's best players. To make a World Cup roster, however, he'll have to be one of the best footballers in to the world.
So does the younger hope to be as good of a soccer player as his dad was a pilot?
"I would like to think so. He was certainly the best of the best," he said. "I don't think I'm there yet and I think I have some work to do, but hopefully I'll be able to get there some day."
Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com.
Visit the U.S. national team page on Goal.com for more
Tom Cruise has nothing on Dax McCarty's dad. The FC Dallas midfielder's father was a Top Gun pilot, a real-life Maverick.
"Some of the stories he tells are pretty amazing," McCarty told Goal.com over the phone from the United States Men's National Team camp in Carson, California. "But I never thought it was for me."
The 22-year-old's unwillingness to follow his old man's flight path is the U.S.
The midfielder didn't expect to get a call for the European adventure, but his performance was one of the few bright spots for the Americans on the trip. McCarty provided energy and solid distribution in 18 minutes against the Repre and then again four days later in an appearance versus Denmark.
As 2010 begins, the former University of North Carolina Tar Heel finds himself participating in Bob Bradley's January camp. The 20-day affair, which traditionally focuses on up-and-coming players, culminates in a January 23 friendly against Honduras. McCarthy, however, is shooting higher. He wants a spot on the 23-man World Cup roster, although he admits the odds are long.
"I always tell myself that I have a chance. Whether that's an outside chance, it may be, but it's still a chance," he said. "My dream is to eventually go to a World Cup and whether that's this one coming up in June or whether that's the next one, it's the ultimate goal."
Given the U.S.'s plethora of central midfielders -- Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Maurice Edu, Kyle Beckerman, and injured Jermaine Jones are all ahead of McCarty on the depth chart -- the Flecha Roja (Red Arrow), as FCD's Spanish television commentator dubbed the five-foot, nine-inch speedster, knows he needs to improve to turn his World Cup dream into a reality.
"Sometimes I'll be a little lazy with either my touches or my passing," he said. "I need to play the ball a little bit faster every now and then, and not lose the ball in bad spots. That's something I'm going to work on in this camp, is getting the ball off my foot as soon as possible."
When the American camp concludes, McCarty will return to his MLS club and continue to hone his skills (assuming the union and the league resolve their labor issues). Last month, the Winter Park, Florida-native signed a new contract, choosing to develop in the States rather than try his luck abroad. Although there was "some interest" from European teams, McCarty, his agent, and his family decided that staying in the U.S. where he's likely to play made more sense than risking languishing on the bench of a Continental squad.
"Going to Europe is always risky and, for me personally, I felt like unless I was in the perfect situation going abroad, it would be more worth it to come back to MLS to try to mature and progress my game a little bit," he said. "It was a tough decision, but in the end I feel like it was definitely the right one to re-sign with the league."
While McCarty hopes to eventually play in Europe, for the time being he'll continue to fly around Pizza Hut Park, sights set firmly on being one of MLS's best players. To make a World Cup roster, however, he'll have to be one of the best footballers in to the world.
So does the younger hope to be as good of a soccer player as his dad was a pilot?
"I would like to think so. He was certainly the best of the best," he said. "I don't think I'm there yet and I think I have some work to do, but hopefully I'll be able to get there some day."
Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com.
Visit the U.S. national team page on Goal.com for more
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