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Matt Hedges has been a legend at FC Dallas for a long time. That is probably one of the few FC Dallas-related facts that most of us can agree on here these days. He’s been consistent. He’s been a leader. He’s been a foundation or building block of this team for a decade now.
But in 2021, that foundation started to show some serious cracks as he played in the least amount of games in his professional career due to injuries.
Season Stats
| Games Played | Games Stated | Minutes Played | Goals | Assists | Total Shots | Shots on Target | Total Passes | Successful Passing % | Yellow Cards | Red Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games Played | Games Stated | Minutes Played | Goals | Assists | Total Shots | Shots on Target | Total Passes | Successful Passing % | Yellow Cards | Red Cards |
| 20 | 16 | 1438 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 728 | 84.9 | 6 | 0 |
Gif that explains their 2021
Yeah, you’re happy he’s there but the injuries are just part of him now.
Best moments of 2021
Thanks to the injury bug that kept him out for most of the summer, his highlights were pretty few and far between this season. You really do have to go to the one goal he scored late in the season at home against Real Salt Lake.
Justin Che —> Matt Hedges
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 28, 2021
17-yeard-old @JustinChe6 with the great ball to assist @Matt_Hedges and give Dallas the lead. pic.twitter.com/STRBtSXCVK
This was one of those moments that reminded you just how important he could be for the club in the attack and why you need him in moments like that.
Final thoughts
I remember saying at the time when his hip injury was first reported back in the summer that we may be seeing the start of the end for Hedges with this club. While he did come back from that injury, you could sense he wasn’t the same as he was before it. Now that he is going on 32-years old next season, you really do have to wonder how much longer we’re going to see him at his best.
I think the main thing for Hedges this offseason is getting back to 100% as much as possible. After missing 14 games in 2021, the club needs him to be at a level that can see him play 26-30 games in 2022. If he plays 30 games or more, that is a bonus in my book. I’m still hopeful that he can retire here whenever that day comes but I hope injuries are not a reason why he has to retire.