The American soccer community lost an icon this month, and our family lost a dear friend. Fernando Clavijo, the technical director for FC Dallas, died on February 8 at age 63. He was truly an American success story, and his life and legacy are worth celebrating.

Clavijo was a soccer star in his native Uruguay and was a professional player at 16. Uruguayan rules prohibited his playing rights from being sold abroad. Frustrated by the limitations to his career, he quit. In 1979, at just 22, he moved to the United States in the hope of finding something better with his wife, Martha.

Clavijo wound up in New Jersey, sweeping floors in a textile factory and bussing tables in a restaurant. He played soccer on the weekends, living the life like so many immigrants you might see playing in parks across the U.S. on Sunday mornings.

But Clavijo's life took a turn thanks to a morning match with an Italian team that recognized his talent. The introduction to the Italians led to a tryout with the American Soccer League's New York Apollo, which led to all-star playing stints with the Major Indoor Soccer League's New York Arrows and San Diego Sockers.

Clavijo became a naturalized U.S. citizen in San Diego in 1987, calling it one of the proudest moments of his life. He made his U.S. National Team debut in 1990, appearing in 61 games and playing for his adopted country in the 1994 World Cup.

1 / 3Fernando Clavijo, technical director for FC Dallas, talks about Fabian Castillo to the media during halftime of Dallas' 2-1 win over Real Esteli in in their Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League game Thursday, August 4, 2016 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. (G.J. McCarthy / Staff Photographer) 2 / 3FC Dallas technical director Fernando Clavijo (center) visits with academy coach Victor Medina (blue short) and head coach Oscar Pareja (left) during a cookout for players coaches and staff at Toyota Stadium following practice in Frisco, Texas, Wednesday, October 8, 2014. Assistant coach Josema Bazan and Pre Academy coach Francisco Molina grilled 50 pounds of Mexican beef fajita Nortena and Picanha Brazilian cut as well as a robust serving of sausage. The cookout has become a weekly event that has brought the team closer together this season. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer) 3 / 3In this March 12, 2004, file photo, Haiti men's national team soccer coach Fernando Clavijo watches his team warm up at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Clavijo, a surprise starter for the 1994 U.S. World Cup team who went on to a coaching and management career in Major League Soccer, died Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from multiple myeloma. He was 63. (LUIS M. ALVAREZ / AP)

He cried tears of joy before those World Cup matches. The pride he felt — representing millions of U.S. citizens on the world's largest sporting stage for the country that gave him so much — overcame him.

Clavijo had a remarkable career for someone who had quit the sport. He was an assistant coach for the New York MetroStars and the Nigerian national team. He also served as the head coach for the New England Revolution and Colorado Rapids before transitioning into player personnel. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005 and joined us as FC Dallas' technical director in 2012 before resigning to focus on his health in September 2018.

He was acutely aware of the truism that to whom much is given much is expected. Clavijo lived by that philosophy.

He coached the Haitian men's national team in 2004 in a volatile political climate. During that World Cup qualification cycle, Clavijo had to buy meals for his players because they weren't receiving paychecks from the Haitian Federation. His star player, Stephane Guillaume, lacked insurance and couldn't afford surgery to repair a devastating knee injury. Clavijo paid for the procedure. Guillaume's playing career lasted into his 30s. He now runs a nonprofit soccer academy in his hometown of Saint-Marc, Haiti.

Clavijo was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2014. The diagnosis didn't rob his spirit or enthusiasm. His five-year battle inspired all of us at FC Dallas and people throughout the soccer community.

We visited him two days before he died at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He opened his eyes and expressed gratitude for the visit. Typical Fernando.

Fernando's Clavijo's life was full. Full of soccer. Full of phone calls from agents trying to get their players on Clavijo's radar. Full of a relentless pursuit of excellence for himself, his teams and his family. Most importantly, and while it sounds cliche, full of love.

We are a better sport, better people and a better country for Fernando Clavijo.

Dan Hunt is president of FC Dallas.

Clark Hunt is chairman of FC Dallas. They wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.