FRISCO, Texas – FC Dallas' frontline is about to be reinforced by a familiar face. Dante Sealy – the Homegrown forward signed back in 2019 – is back from his two-year loan to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
Sealy made 11 sub appearances for Dallas between 2020 and 2021 before joining PSV’s reserve team later that year. The 20-year-old (whose father, Scott, also played for FC Dallas) played 54 times and scored six goals in league play for PSV’s U-21s.
“It was a good experience. I came back a way better plan than I was when I when I first arrived so that’s definitely a positive,” Sealy said. “In Europe, it’s all about the speed of play, it’s not as much about the physical as it is here. It's more tactical, technical combined with the speed of play. That’s something I had to adjust to being there.”
Sealy feels his two years in the Netherlands helped him grow off the field, too.
“It was a big culture change from Dallas and going to a smaller city like Eindhoven. It’s more quiet and there’s less stuff to do but I had good teammates and good friends that helped me adjust to the lifestyle over there. It helped me mature way faster than I would if I was still home."
A large part of Sealy’s on-field development was thanks to legendary Dutch forward Ruud van Nistelrooy. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker coached PSV’s reserves during Sealy’s first year before taking over the first team in 2022.
“He gave me some good advice that I can take on for the rest of my career,” Sealy explained. “It changed my mentality, just with knowing what I have to do, knowing more I'm about my game in terms of getting cleaner with the ball, touches and attacking movements.”
Once his loan expired, Sealy returned to Dallas and has been in FCD first team training since mid-June, despite being ineligible to play in matches until MLS’s summer transfer window opened on July 5. It gave Sealy a chance to get back up to speed with his hometown club and speak with his new head coach, Nico Estévez:
“He (Estévez) told me just how the team wants to plays and how it fits my game,” Sealy said. “He wants his wingers to be aggressive and I'm a player that likes to run at defenses. I love putting the backline under pressure, creating shots, creating chances for other players, so I feel like my game fits in perfectly.”
"Dante has the power to make plays and score goals and I think he’ll bring that to the team," Estévez said. "Learning about the speed of play and tactical positioning in Europe helped him to grow in those areas. We can’t wait to see him on the field to show us how he improved."
Sealy, a left-footed winger capable of playing on either flank, offers another attacking option for a frontline that’s been hampered by injuries and international absences. With a month of training and adjustment under his belt, Sealy feels ready to contribute right away:
“When I get my opportunity, I'm gonna take it with both hands and just show what I got. I have different parts of my game that they probably haven't seen yet. I'm just ready to go out there and show what I can do.
“I'm happy to be back. I've been with the team two weeks waiting to get cleared to play, so I'm ready to go.”
