With National Signing Day 2017 just around the corner, FCDallas.com will be taking a look at just a few of the 50+ FCD Youth players committing to colleges around the country
FRISCO - Hunter Hasler has played as a defensive midfielder for most of his soccer life, but when he steps onto campus at the University of Tulsa this fall, he’ll be the school’s starting left back - a position he has experienced just a few times in his career.
“A lot of colleges were after him last year. He’s not only a great soccer player, but a great athlete and he's 6-foot, 2-inches [tall],” FDCY Premier coach Scott Dymond said of his left-footed midfielder. “But the University of Tulsa need a starting left defender and they see him coming in and playing as a left defender next year for them, and I think he'll do a great job.”
“I’m kind of scared to go into a new position like that especially going into my freshman year of college," Hasler admitted with a chuckle. “But I think it’ll be good and they'll help me knowing I haven't played there much.”
After spending two years with another club in the area, Hasler re-joined FC Dallas Youth in 2013 looking to take the next step in his career as he prepared for college.
While many kids work to make an Academy roster with hopes of Homegrown stardom, Hasler knew from the start that it wasn’t the path for him. He wanted to play for the Premier team so that he could also play high school soccer at Hebron H.S. Trying out for the Academy, where players can’t play high school, wasn’t even a thought.
“I really liked my high school team and everyone is really dedicated to the program so I wanted to be a part of that,” he said. “I've been captain so I've gotten to meet a bunch of younger guys that I've gotten to lead and be the leader and have them grow up and stuff…I wanted to finish it being captain and knowing I'd helped my team.”
Hasler is in the majority of the number of kids that don’t play in the Academy system at FC Dallas, and one of the 50+ FCDY players that go on to play Division I soccer in college every year across all levels of the club.
“I think positioning and just being on the team that Scott led helped me quite a bit over the last two years,” Hasler said. “The way he practices - we would always practice with the older team before we were the oldest team, and I think that that really helped a lot. We'd get killed 4-0 or 5-0 in 30 minute scrimmages, but I think that playing against those guys that were faster-paced and going to college the next year really helped.”
As he heads off to Tulsa in the Fall, Hasler hopes to make that somewhat daunting transition to an outside back position a seamless one - something he’s been working on since committing. For Dymond, the sky is the limit for his future if he stays on the right path.
“I think in the next few years we're going to have a player that may come back and be a professional at FC Dallas that maybe didn't go through our Academy, but did play within our club,” Dymond said. “I don't see him right now being ready, by any means, but over the next four years he has the athletic ability to be able to be successful in MLS.”