FC Dallas midfielder Paxton Pomykal believes he and his teammates fell short in terms of competitiveness all through the 2021 season.
The Frisco club completed eleventh inside the Western Conference with simply seven wins from 34 ordinary-season video games, lacking out at the MLS Cup Playoffs for simplest the seventh time of their history.
But new head train Nico Estevez and the FC Dallas the front workplace were tough at work reshaping their roster this offseason. Rising USMNT megastar Ricardo Pepi - who scored 13 goals in 31 MLS appearances final 12 months - has been offered to FC Augsburg for $20m, first stated by using 90min, even as fellow youngster Justin Che has additionally moved to the German Bundesliga on mortgage to Hoffenheim.
Where within the beyond Dallas have allowed their academy products to transport abroad with little funding made to replace them, this time the membership have delivered in good sized reinforcements. United States worldwide winger Paul Arriola arrived from DC United for $2m in General Allocation Money - a record amount of GAM - followed by way of Argentine ahead Alan Velasco from Independiente for a membership-report $7m.
Pomykal - capped as soon as for the USA at the senior stage - welcomes the new skills, but has referred to as upon the rest of the crew to show 'greater anger' this coming season.
“I in reality do suppose that the men we’re bringing in and the squad we've got is a clearly appropriate one, and we need to just undertake the mentality of winning and being competitive and just competing,” Pomykal informed newshounds on Thursday.
“I experience like we didn’t compete sufficient remaining year, that is type of a peculiar factor to mention due to the fact you don’t move on the sector to lose video games, but we just want to have a bit more anger within the way we play.”
As for Pomykal himself, you'd forgive him for feeling a touch jealousy at watching the likes of Pepi, Che, Bryan Reynolds, and Reggie Cannon go away the club for Europe in latest years. The midfielder changed into as soon as counted extraordinarily among the ones abilities but has seen his development stalled by means of a number of critical injuries.
But Pomykal played a career-high 31 normal-season MLS video games in 2021 and at 22 years antique, nevertheless has time on his facet. This time round, he's seeking to upload his best shape to the consistency of his fitness.
“Last yr changed into an amazing stepping stone for me, however on the give up of the day I didn’t play my exceptional football,” Pomykal said. “And with that, we additionally as a group did now not play very well. So I need to contribute and be extra efficient in assisting the team win this yr. And with a bit of luck, I can do that and play a number of mins and keep us within the playoff spots and with any luck inside the top two or top three.”
