FC Dallas announced a new coach just over a week ago, tapping up their own Academy Director, Luchi Gonzalez. Given the Hunts' hiring history the move should not come as a shock to anyone.

From the minute Oscar Pareja left, we named in-house candidates Marco Ferruzzi and Luchi Gonzalez as the top two favorites. At the time I put a little more stock in the Ferruzzi name due to his first-team assistant coach experience. Those two names, along with outsider Tab Ramos, were the final three according to all our information. But the longer the process went on the more we kept hearing it was going to be Gonzalez.

At the press conference to announce Gonzalez's hire, the words "FC Dallas family" must have been said 15 times in 5 minutes. For the Hunts that seems to be what matters, faith in the coach and familiarity with the FCD system. I can't undersell Gonzalez being a Schellas Hyndman protégée, a man Gonzalez himself has cited as a massive influence along with his FCD head coach predecessor Oscar Pareja.

FC Dallas is never going to go after a Tata Martino, a big name, mercenary type coach.

Thoughts on Luchi Gonzalez

I've had several conversations with Luchi Gonzalez over the last year or so and I have found him to be open, honest, and firm in his soccer beliefs. He's charismatic, gregarious, and intelligent. Everything he's touched at the FCD Academy has turned to gold.

From watching both the overall FCD Academy and the specific teams he's coached (the U17s of late) I feel confident saying Gonzalez is a very good coach. His teams play a modern version of football that uses shifting numbers to overwhelm an opponent. Looking for unifying traits, I think we can point to those kinds of tactics that require players with great range and decision-making skills, something the FCD Academy emphasizes and has loads of.

For the most part, Gonzalez's Academy sides play a system not too dissimilar to the 4-2-3-1 of Pareja but usually with a single holding mid. Most often this has been a 4-3-3 but has also shown up as a 4-1-4-1 or a 4-4-2. His team tactics tend to use flexibility and often change shapes and tactics multiple times in a game.

From afar (or across the field really, I'm not in the team huddle), Gonzalez seems to be both a good leader and a good teacher. The former will matter more than the latter with the MLS side, but given the FCD emphasis on the Academy, the back end of that equation is important too.

Gonzalez also has a swagger about him and his belief in himself is rock solid. That's something that an MLS coach needs. Gonzalez was that cocky, gifted midfielder you played with or against as a kid and he's matured into a confident coach. Gonzalez has a maturity beyond his years, he does see his own shortcomings and works hard to overcome them.

I'm hoping Gonzalez can build on the base Oscar Pareja left behind. Gonzalez himself says he plans to use that Pareja legacy as a base, with a few tweaks. A few subtle changes.

TL;DR: I think very highly of Luchi Gonzalez and expect great things from him as a coach.

One Reservation

Luchi Gonzalez answers press questions at his introductory press conference. (12/17/18) (Buzz Carick / 3rd Degree)

I have just one small reservation (I'm sure I'm not the only one with this reservation) and that's Gonzalez lack of coaching adults. Not just professionals, he's never coached an adult team. As a consequence, more of the lack of pro experience, he's going to make some mistakes. Gonzalez himself has talked about this. He's going to have to learn some on the job.

Six weeks ago, almost everyone, Gonzalez included, thought he would end up as the North Texas SC (USL) coach. Instead, Gonzalez's coaching trajectory has been accelerated, massively so.

But as Gonzalez himself said at his press conference, everyone has to have a first time. Certainly, there are strong coaches that have stepped right into a professional head coaching role without ever coaching anything. Jason Kreis, for one FC Dallas related example, went right from player to coach at Real Salt Lake and led them to an MLS Cup title. In Europe, the Academy director being named head coach isn't all that uncommon.

So while it does concern me a little, I'm not going to rant and rave and claim it's a massive problem. It's just a small concern. Just like a youth movement of players, a youthful coach will have a few mistakes and stumbles as well. The mistakes can all be overcome.

This lack of experience topic, along with several others, are addressed in The Kickaround's terrific interview with Luchi Gonzalez. I really like his answers, but as Peter Welpton and Andy Swift conclude, the proof will be in the pudding.

Give it a listen.

Embracing Youth

I think we all know by now FCD is clearing the deck for some youth, but it's not a full youth movement. Gonzalez talked at his press conference about needing a balance. Let's face it, Gonzalez was hired because the Hunts want the Academy to produce pros while winning.

I'll go one further and repeat something I've been saying for a few years now: the Hunts want FC Dallas to be the Ajax of MLS.

Most soccer fans will know of Ajax as a club with a worldwide reputation for their Academy. FC Dallas is trying to build that same kind of rep. Ajax plays in the Eredivisie (the Dutch first division), a league I think we can say is in the second tier of European football. MLS is a second tier league too, maybe not equal to the Dutch league yet, but it's not that far off.

Ajax sells players for millions of euros... but they also win titles. 33 domestic championships, 9 more than the next best Dutch team, PSV. Ajax has finished 23 times runner-up as well. And you can throw in 4 European Cups.

That's the level FC Dallas wants to reach. Selling players for million from their MLS side and Academy while winning titles along the way. Beyond just winning MLS Cup one time, the Hunt dream is twofold: be the first team to field an MLS side made entirely of their own academy players and then win an MLS Cup doing it.

Can it be done? That remains to be seen.

By hiring their own academy director to be their head coach, the Hunts intend to find out.

FC Dallas Academy products share the stage with the club's owners and newest head coach. Left to right: Paxton Pomykal, Reggie Cannon, Dan Hunt, Luchi Gonzalez, Clark Hunt, Thomas Roberts, and Chris Richards. (12/17/18) (Buzz Carrick / 3rd Degree)