DALLAS — FC Dallas midfielder Paxton Pomykal’s talent has never been in question. The 21-year-old phenom from Lewisville, Texas has been turning heads since he was a teenager. At just 16-years-old, he joined the team as the second-youngest homegrown player in club history. 

“It’s incredible. It’s really cool to not only play in front of my friends and family, but to play for my hometown team,” said Pomykal. “For instance, a bunch of my high school friends are home for the summer and all of them are coming to the game this weekend to support me.”

Pomykal admitted he grew up watching FC Dallas matches at just 8-years-old. In fact, Kenny Cooper, who is FC Dallas’ second all-time leading scorer, was his favorite player. With Cooper’s return to the Metroplex in 2019, the two are now teammates.

What You Need To Know

  • Paxton Pomykal had hip impingement surgery in Sept. 2020. He’s now back to full health with the hopes of making his first start since his injury.

  • His soccer background stems from his lineage. His dad and both brothers played at the collegiate level.

  • FC Dallas (0-2-1) is searching for its first victory of the 2021 season this Saturday against Minnesota.

So it’s no secret Pomykal is a hometown hero. But this season is different than in years past. He is coming off an injury which shortened his 2020 season and ended with hip impingement surgery. He’s now clawed his way back to full health.

“Basically they went in and shaved part of my hip bone off to make it where I can externally rotate,” he said. “Thankfully it takes a lot of pressure off my groins. We needed to get that surgery done and now that I did, I’m feeling a lot better.”

The most painful part of the recovery process was not being on the pitch with his teammates.

“This is what I love to do and to not be able to do that by just watching from the sidelines was rough on my mental health,” Pomykal explained. “But at the same time, I knew the best thing I could do for the team was sit out so I can be back and be better this season.”

His coach understands the journey Pomykal had was no easy feat.

“For a young player to have these sorts of highs and lows and have to continue to pick himself back up, I’m just really proud of him,” said FC Dallas head coach Luchi Gonzalez. “I know his teammates are proud of him. But he’s still young. He’s got a lot of battles and adversity to face down the line. Now he is more prepared to face that."

Pomykal has come off the bench seven times this season and feels healthy and fit enough to play a full 90 minutes. As far as getting back to the starting lineup? 

“Listen, we got a long week ahead of us. We got a lot of competition. Lineups are definitely not set at this point,” he said. “But like last week and the week before, I’ll be competing for a starting spot against the rest of the guys. Ultimately it’s up to the coaching staff."

Pomykal’s impact cannot be understated. With full health this season, his name will be called on to help FC Dallas win a MLS Cup.