2018 FC Dallas player recap: Maynor Figueroa

The 2018 season saw Maynor Figueroa transition from his long-time starting spot at left back to a utility role off the bench. The additions of Anton Nedyalkov and later Marquinhos Pedroso showed that team is ready to have a more dynamic option at left back than the 35 year old. In his diminished role, Figueroa stepped in when needed at both center back when Ziegler was suspended or out of favor and left back during the transition between Nedyalkov and Pedroso. Additionally, he was one of Oscar Pareja’s favorite defensive tactical subs and often came on as a fifth defender late in games.

Stat breakdown

Across all competitions, Figueroa started 14 games (7 at CB, 7 at LB), appeared in 20, was an unused sub 13 times, and was injured for three games. Fig was in the lineup 18.86% of the time for FC Dallas. He won an average of 1.5 aerials per game (Matt Hedges- 2.4, Reto Ziegler- 1.6, Pedroso- 0.8), had a pass success percentage of 79.1 (Hedges- 84.9, Ziegler- 84.5, Pedroso- 87.2) and grabbed one goal.

Most importantly, he can still spank that ball across the field if he feels like it.

MLSsoccer.com

Game that best sums up player

The May 19th 2-2 draw against Vancouver best sums up Figueroa’s season with FC Dallas. He started at center back with Ziegler serving a suspension. While he still has enough in the tank to produce moments like this:

He is 35 years old. Despite his veteran experience, his decaying athleticism has made him an occasional liability.

2019 Outlook

Even though he retired from the Honduran National Team in 2017, he’s back playing with them again as recently as October. The guy is a marvel of longevity, apparently, thanks in no small part to his wife.

While I’d love to keep him around forever, he’s only getting older and he’s probably already too old. He’s obviously someone who has a great connection with Papi and a lot of love for the club. I would be happy to see him transition into a youth coaching role, but his son just switched from the academy to Liverpool’s U-13 team, so I wouldn’t say it’s likely.

He isn’t currently under contract for 2019 and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him retire or go back to play in Honduras. I think he’s given FC Dallas all that he can give.

But don’t cry, his legacy will always be remembered, even by random Welsh guys on Twitter.