As FC Dallas geared up for the 31st season in franchise history, the club announced a roster move that broke the hearts of not only Dallas supporters but also fans of other Major League Soccer clubs. FC Dallas utilized one of their two available buyouts of a guaranteed contract in order to part ways with Paxton Pomykal, with the 26-year-old former USMNT international midfielder no longer occupying a senior roster spot. For a player who has been on the field for a mere 100 minutes across six appearances in his last two seasons for Dallas, and who stood to make well over $1 million during the final year of his contract, this was not only the correct option – it was the only option. However, that doesn’t make it any less excruciating.
Born on December 17, 1999, in Lewisville, Texas, Pomykal joined FC Dallas’ academy in 2014 and quickly rose through the ranks for club and country, taking part in the FC Dallas' U-16 and U-18 teams that won National Youth Championships before eventually making his professional debut on March 1, 2017, in a 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal match against Árabe Unido. 10 days later, he made his MLS debut vs. Sporting Kansas City, becoming the youngest player ever to start a match for the club.
After playing just five and seven times during his first two seasons, Pomykal exploded onto the scene in 2019, assisting Bryan Acosta’s decisive second goal to secure a 2-0 win against LA Galaxy on Matchday Two, before scoring his first and second professional goals in a 4-2 win at Real Salt Lake. Pomykal’s promising performances earned him an invitation to the 2019 MLS All-Star Game as well as a call-up to the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Wearing the captain’s armband, Pomykal glided around the pitch with finesse and tact in Poland, steering the United States to famous wins against Nigeria and France before returning to Texas and playing a crucial part in Dallas’ campaign with 2 goals and 2 assists in 27 appearances.
When he opened the 2020 season with an illustrious display in a 2-0 win vs. Philadelphia Union, doubling the lead in extra time after receiving at the halfway line, trotting forward to the right side of the box, dishing off a one-two, before carving out a remarkable left-footed finesse shot into the back of the net, it seemed that Dallas had found their creative talisman. It seemed that Pomykal was ready to go from one of the best young talents in MLS to one of the best players in the entire league. Instead, it was the start of an injury-fueled hell. Pomykal played just five matches before succumbing to a groin injury in August 2020, which kept him out until the start of the 2021 season.
However, Pomykal managed to rebound and reassert his presence in midfield amid what was otherwise a turbulent campaign that saw Dallas miss out on the playoffs and go through two managers, scoring 1 goal and 1 assist in 31 appearances (18 starts). He built on his momentum in 2022, blending a seamless quality in possession with the willingness to get stuck in and come away with the ball with a well-coordinated tackle.
After guiding Dallas all the way to the 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Pomykal continued his stellar displays throughout the start of the 2023 season, leading the team for interceptions per game (1.2) and ranking second for tackles per game (1.7). More than three years after making his senior international debut vs. Uruguay, Pomykal made his first-ever start for the US Men’s National Team in January 2023 vs. Serbia before returning three months later in another friendly vs. Mexico. It seemed that Pomykal was well on his way to becoming the latest Dallas academy product to earn a move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs after Weston McKennie, Chris Richards, and Ricardo Pepi. Instead, his injury demons reared their ugly heads again: after missing seven matches in 2023 with a niggling hamstring issue, Pomykal suffered damage to his left knee cartilage, which kept him out for 434 days. He came back for three matches in May 2025 before being sidelined for over four months, making just two additional appearances in the final weeks of the campaign. Despite this heroic recovery, the writing was on the wall for his time in Dallas.
Drew Epperley
“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. “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.”
At 26 years of age, Paxton Pomykal will be looking to leave his injury nightmares behind him and start a new journey outside of his hometown for the first time in his life. But as for Dallas fans, they will be forced to live with a painful dichotomy: Pomykal is one of the most successful youth products in the club’s entire history, but he’s also the biggest what-if in FC Dallas history.
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