FC Dallas announced the signing of the club’s third Designated Player on Saturday, when they confirmed the acquisition of Ecuadorian international, Carlos Gruezo.
FC Dallas nearly won the Supporters’ Shield last season, with just the New York Red Bulls finishing the campaign with more points than them. They also went all the way to the Western Conference final, where they were ultimately defeated by the eventual MLS Cup winners, the Portland Timbers.
Despite failing to lift any significant silverware in 2015 though, FC Dallas had one of the best young teams in all of Major League Soccer, and were exciting to watch every time they took the pitch. On Saturday, the club announced that they have added another talented youngster and their third Designated Player, Ecuadorian international Carlos Gruezo.
The 20-year-old already has a plethora of experience playing both domestic and international soccer. He arrives to Texas from German club Stuttgart, where he played for the last two seasons. He earned a spot on Ecuador’s 2014 FIFA World Cup squad that went to Brazil, and was the second youngest player to start at the tournament.
“His versatility will give us the opportunity to play a variety of formations, but most important for me is to see a player who, despite his age, has been at the highest level of international competition and has played at different positions, said FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja in a statement, via MLSSoccer.com. “[This] makes me think we can use him in a variety of roles, and that is important in Major League Soccer.”
The midfielder joins a strong South American contingent at FC Dallas, with both of the club’s other two Designated Players, Fabian Castillo and Mauro Diaz, born in Colombia and Uruguay. The team also added central midfielder and Colombian veteran Juan Esteban Ortiz on Wednesday.
FC Dallas kickoff the 2016 MLS season at home against the Philadelphia Union at 3 p.m. ET on March 6th.