ATLANTA -- The one-club man is all but a myth in modern soccer.

To stay with one team your whole career, in a sport where you can be traded at any time but also can move to another country and find a new job with relative ease, is a real feat.

FC Dallas fans had no illusions that midfielder Kellyn Acosta would stay in North Texas his whole career, but the homegrown player's trade to the Colorado Rapids in July reminded fans how quickly players can go from being club icons to on-field enemies.

Still, when fans look at the field Saturday and see FCD taking on the San Jose Earthquakes, there is one player they will be able to imagine being there for years to come. He is Matt Hedges, FC Dallas' lone All-Star, the team's captain and a player who has represented only FCD at the professional level.

"I'm always open to a move, but I'm not saying it's impossible to play my whole career in Dallas. I would like that," Hedges said after the All-Star Game. "I would like to be the guy who plays my whole career at one place, winning trophies there and doing well."

Hedges generally has done quite well in his time with the club. The 28-year-old was named to the MLS Best XI in 2015 and 2016. He was named Defender of the Year in 2016 as well, after helping FCD to Supporters' Shield and U.S. Open Cup titles.

He has two years left on his contract, which could lead to a decision when he turns 30 - stick around to confirm his status as an FC Dallas legend or look for a challenge elsewhere while he still has a few years left in his career.

Right now, Hedges is more concerned about whether to slide tackle or stay on his feet when facing a rival attacker than where he'll be in 2021. He's bounced back from a rough season in 2017 that saw the team collapse down the stretch. FCD brought in Reto Ziegler to play alongside Hedges in the center-back partnership, and so far they've had excellent chemistry.

"I think it's something natural. Matt is an intelligent player. I think I'm also an intelligent player. We play well together," said Ziegler, who played at the World Cup with the Swiss national team and spent his whole career in Europe before joining MLS. "The secret is maybe the communication. You maybe don't see it from outside, but we communicate every action. I feel that he's always there for me if I need it. It makes us strong, and we're doing well."

Hedges is not a vocal leader, but as the captain's armband shows he's someone the team looks to for answers. That's fine for coach Oscar Pareja, who wants the captain to be someone who leads on the field and shows by his example the type of work other players need to put in.

"I don't think he's a flashy guy who always is selling himself or anything. Matt is really a player who is consistent and whose job is just to come and work and train and play and win games," Pareja said. "I'm happy for him when I see him maturing and leading the team. I think it's an area where he knows he's growing and knows to keep growing in. Other than that, Matt's responsibility and professionalism is always there."

While frustrated he was the only All-Star from the top team in the Western Conference ("we should have had more," he said), Hedges also said he was proud to be the standard bearer for a team that he's grown very close to.

"It's an honor. It's something I've worked hard at during my whole career," he said. "It's somewhere I like being at. It feels like my home. I want to be the leader."