When FC Dallas traded Matt Hedges to Toronto FC before the 2023 season, it felt like a massive change was coming to Frisco. The team was in transition as Nico Estevez was working to get the roster in form for what he wanted and Hedges was likely the odd man out at the time.
Fast forward to this past weekend, Hedges returned to the halls of Toyota Stadium to sign a one-day contract with the club, to officially retire as a member of FC Dallas.
“It means a ton, I’m glad to be back here. Where I belong with the club,” said Hedges shortly after the contract ceremony.
Hedges was with his entire family before FC Dallas’ 2-1 win over the LA Galaxy. He spent the rest of the match doing different things throughout the stadium from lighting the giant shield in the North Stand before the match, to celebrating goals with the fans in The Rhine during the match.
For the last few weeks, Hedges has been helping out North Texas SC. The former MLS Defender of the Year hopes that he can one day translate that into a coaching job with the club.
“I’m just trying to help them out as much as I can, help with the defenders,” explained Hedges. “Hopefully, in the next few years I can be on the stand and really help them win more trophies.”
Sign of more to come
The one-day contract was something FC Dallas hasn't done before, but it is something that club president Dan Hunt expects to be more of a regular thing in the coming years as the team looks to honor club legends more frequently.
"We've had a Walk of Fame in the past and we want to bring it back to life. Obviously, we have the National Soccer Hall of Fame here, but I've been thinking about how we're going to bring it back to life, especially with the new building when it is fully open," said Hunt. "We have so many to honor, this club has a rich history, especially with all of the US National Team players we develop. So yes, it is time we bring this back to life and probably a new iteration of how we celebrate these legends."
The Walk of Fame hasn't really been a discussion point for a while. Earlier this season, FC Dallas brought back five club legends including Jason Kries and Mark Dodd. Having that kind of reunion certainly sparked the discussion to do more things like this.
I asked Hunt who he thought was next in line, he smiles and said there was a fairly good list of players he is hoping to honor either through a reunion like we saw in July or with a one-day contract.
My hope is once the stadium is finally finished with the construction that we see a bit more of a prominent display of these legends in the stadium. Either a Wall of Honor somewhere in the stadium or something that pays tribute to these players. After all, FC Dallas does have 30 years of history to play off of here for things like this, why not make the most out of it?
Who would you like to see honored next?
