FRISCO, Texas – FC Dallas has added another playmaker to its midfield in Colombian Andrés Ricaurte from Independiente Medellín.
The 28-year-old joins FC Dallas initially on loan, with an option to make the move permanent in December of 2021. Ricaurte has spent his entire career in Colombia so far, scoring 13 goals and adding 23 assists in 109 appearances across three clubs.
A versatile player, Ricaurte typically plays as an attacking midfielder or deep-lying playmaker. For FC Dallas, head coach Luchi Gonzalez feels his new signing can contribute further up the field as well.
“He’s a creative player,” Luchi said. “I think his strength is the last pass, assisting and finding others in space to score. He can do that in different positions – centrally, wide, underneath (the striker) and even in high positions – so I think he’s going to help out depth in the 10 (position), 7 and 11. He’s going to allow us to do some creative things.”
Ricaurte – who’s scheduled to join up with the team in the coming weeks – will compete with fellow attacking midfielders Paxton Pomykal and Jesús Ferreira for a starting role. But considering all three can play in multiple positions (and Dallas will often play two games a week), they should all see plenty of game time.
Fitting in off the field is just as important as fitting in on it; and Luchi believes Ricaurte has the right personality to integrate quickly with the rest of the Dallas squad.
“He’s going to complement this club also off the field,” Luchi said. “He has character and is a family man that has human characteristics that are in line with our culture, so we welcome him and he’ll be an important addition to the team.”
