The FC Dallas roster is getting sorted out ahead of the 2026 season. On Thursday, one of the biggest pieces has now been made. FC Dallas announced today that the club has exercised a buyout on the guaranteed contract of Homegrown midfielder Paxton Pomykal. With the move, Pomykal will no longer occupy a Senior roster spot.
Pomykal underwent multiple procedures in recent years and returned to action on May 10, 2025, appearing in Dallas’ 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake after a 434-day recovery from a knee injury suffered in March 2024. He made five appearances during the 2025 season and played his final match on Oct. 18, 2025 in Dallas’ 2-1 road victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps.
"From the moment he stepped into our Academy, Paxton carried himself with a maturity beyond his years, a fierce competitiveness and real pride in representing this badge.” FC Dallas President Dan Hunt said. “Paxton will always be part of FC Dallas history, and we’re grateful for the impact he made on and off the field. We wish him nothing but success in the next chapter of his career."
One of the most decorated Homegrowns in club history, Pomykal led the team in appearances in 2022 and was selected as a Commissioner’s Pick for the 2019 MLS All-Star Game. He became the youngest player ever to start a match for FC Dallas at 17 years and 84 days. Among Homegrowns, he ranks third all-time in appearances (131) and starts (91), fifth in minutes played (7,910) and second in assists (15).
“It’s been a long ride, and it’s sad to see it come to an end, but I’m genuinely grateful for every moment I’ve spent here,” Pomykal said in the club’s issued press release. “These past few years haven’t gone the way I hoped or the way anyone hoped, but the club stood by me through every step of my rehab and everything that came with it. I’m going to miss it, but I’m also thankful for the journey. This is my home. Dallas will always be my family. I have so much love for the fans, the club and my teammates, and I know they’re going to do great things. I’m really proud of the group we have, and that locker room is something I’ll miss deeply.”
A Lewisville native, Pomykal wore No. 19 in honor of FC Dallas legend Bobby Rhine and signed as the club’s 15th Homegrown on September 8, 2016. He made his Major League Soccer debut in a scoreless draw against Sporting Kansas City on March 11, 2017.
Internationally, Pomykal captained the United States U-20 men's national soccer team to the quarterfinals of the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland. He earned his first senior call-up later that year and made his debut for the national team in the 85th minute against Uruguay on Sept. 11, 2019. He added two more senior appearances in 2023.
At the Academy level, Pomykal helped the FC Dallas Academy win the Dr Pepper Dallas Cup’s Gordon Jago Super Group in 2017. He was also selected to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Central Conference Starting XI after contributing to both the U-16 and U-18 national championships.
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BDS Take
Yeah, wow. I know I said on the record recently that I didn’t think the club would go and buy out Pomykal this season, but I was clearly in the wrong with that line of thinking.
In all honesty, this is the right move for both sides. Pomykal struggled through preseason this year and was not able to get into a full training mode with the team. The club told me multiple times that they were taking things very carefully with him. But this certainly sounds like they have decided to go in a different direction together.
With this move, the club now gets a huge salary cap relief ahead of the new season. Pomykal was earning over $1 million ahead of this season, and the maximum budget charge was going to be over $800k for him this season. Getting that kind of relief will go a long way this season, especially as the club look to fill their open Designated Player slot.
But on the locker room side of things, this is a big loss. Pomykal was a leader on this team, especially toward the end of last season when he returned during the club’s playoff run.
