Home » Top 10 Best FC Dallas Players of All Time

Top 10 Best FC Dallas Players of All Time

The FC Dallas Professional Soccer Club was founded in 1995 in Frisco, Texas. Since its inception, FC Dallas has had many notable players pass through its ranks. Since “the Burn” has had such an abundance of valuable players over the years, it can be difficult to discern which athletes are the most impressive. Based on stats, achievements, and awards, below is a list of the top 10 best FC Dallas soccer players of all time.

Who Are the Best FC Dallas Soccer Players of All Time?

Jason Kreis
Matt Hedges
Mark Dodd
Oscar Pareja
Leonel Alvarez
Fabian Castillo
David Ferreira
Jorge “Zarco” Rodriguez
Blas Perez
Drew Moor

1. Jason Kreis

1999 MLS MVP
1999 MLS Best XI
1999 MLS Golden Boot
Seven-time MLS All-Star
Five-time franchise Golden Boot Winner
Two-time franchise MVP

Jason Kreis was an offensive forward on the FC Dallas major league soccer team from 1996 to 2004. During his time with the Burn, Kreis had a record-breaking career and is widely regarded as the best FC Dallas player of all time. In 1999, Kreis was included in the MLS Best XI list, was awarded the MLS Golden Boot, and became the first American-born player to be named MLS MVP.

Kreis’s nine-year career with the Burn earned him an extensive list of records, including the most starts with 227, minutes with 20,290, corners with 207, goals with 91, game-winning goals with 28, assists with 65, game-winning assists with 19, multi-goal games with 10, shots with 686, and shots on goal with 313.

Another record held by Kreis, and arguably, one of his most notable accomplishments, is that he is the only person in MLS history to score the very first goal for two different MLS franchises, FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake. After retiring from professional soccer, Kreis began coaching, becoming the youngest coach ever to win the MLS Cup with Real Salt Lake in 2009.

2. Matt Hedges

2016 MLS Defender of the Year
Three-time MLS All-Star
2015 MLS Best XI
2016 MLS Best XI
Three-time franchise Defender of the Year
Franchise all-time appearance leader (349)

Matt Hedges served as a center-back on FC Dallas from 2012 to 2022. During his 11-year tenure, this American defender made history, becoming the first FC Dallas player ever to be named the MLS Defender of the Year. In addition to this accomplishment, Hedges earned several other distinctions, including being featured on the MLS Best XI list twice, being named a three-time MLS All-Star, being crowned the franchise Defender of the Year, and holding the title of team captain.

A few other interesting accomplishments achieved by Hedges are that he made 25 or more starts nine times in 11 seasons and, although he served in a defensive position on the field, he scored 25 goals with the Dallas Burn. Hedges began his professional soccer career playing for FC Dallas, so it was heartbreaking for many fans when he chose to leave the Burn and join Toronto FC as a free agent in 2022.

3. Mark Dodd

1996 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year
1996 MLS Best XI
1996 MLS All-Star
1997 MLS All-Star
1996 franchise Defender of the Year
1997 franchise Defender of the Year
Holds franchise record in saves (495)

Mark Dodd was a goalkeeper for FC Dallas from 1996 until 1999. Unfortunately, he suffered a ligament tear in his right hand, ending his playing career. Dodd played for the Colorado Foxes before the MLS was officially founded in 1993, and was brought into Dallas in 1996 to serve as the Burn’s very first goalkeeper. During his four-year MLS career, Dodd made 92 appearances and started 88 regular season games. In that time, he achieved several major accomplishments, including being named the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 1996, being featured on the MLS Best XI list in 1996, being recognized as a two-time MLS All-Star, and a two-time franchise Defender of the Year.

One of Dodd’s more notable achievements was that he played an instrumental role in FC Dallas winning the 1997 US Open Cup Final by making an outrageous save. Dodd still resides in Dallas, but he has left the world of professional soccer. His company “isoBLOX” designs shock-absorbing plates that can be installed in sporting gear to keep athletes safe.

4. Oscar Pareja

2002 MLS Best XI
2001 franchise MVP
2002 franchise MVP
Holds franchise record for most fouls suffered (365)

Oscar Pareja was a midfielder for FC Dallas from 1998 to 2005. During his eight-year career, the Colombian athlete generated an impressive record. He was honored on the MLS Best XI list in 2002, he was recognized as the Burn MVP for two consecutive years, and to this day, he ranks in the top 10 of 11 different franchise stats, including games played where he ranks fourth with 176, starts where he ranks fourth with 144, minutes where he ranks seventh with 12,543, assists where he ranks second with 47, and assists per game where he ranks fourth with 0.27.

Following his time as a player for FC Dallas, he became a figurehead for the franchise when he accepted the role of assistant coach in 2005. Throughout his coaching career, Pareja was named MLS Coach of the Year in 2016, and his team won the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Title and the MLS Supporters’ Shield. He was honored as the U-18 Academy Coach of the Year, and in 2007 and 2008, he spent time coaching the US U-17 Men’s National Team. Pareja now serves as the head coach for Orlando City.

5. Leonel Alvarez

1996 MLS Best XI
1996 MLS All-Star
1998 MLS All-Star
1996 Burn MVP

Leonel Alvarez was a holding midfielder for FC Dallas in 1996, 1998, and 1999. While this Colombian athlete only played with the Burn for three seasons, Alvarez is commonly regarded as the best holding midfielder and one of the best players that FC Dallas has ever had. Many of his fans, teammates, and even opponents go so far as to argue that he should have been named the MLS MVP in 1996. Though this title was not awarded to him, Alvarez did earn several other honors in his career, including being named on the MLS Best XI list in 1996 and being recognized as a MLS All-Star in 1996 and 1998.

Above all, Alvarez was revered by his teammates as a fierce competitor, a dedicated athlete, and an inspiring teammate. Alvarez spent the majority of his career playing soccer for various clubs in Colombia, including the Colombian National Team. Once his professional career ended, he returned to Colombia to become a coach.

6. Fabian Castillo

2015 franchise MVP
2016 franchise MVP
2015 franchise Golden Boot winner
2015 MLS All-Star
2015 MLS Best XI

Fabian Castillo was a forward on FC Dallas from 2011 to 2016. During his six-year career with the Burn, the Colombian athlete played in 159 regular season games; scored 34 goals, which places him seventh on the all-time franchise record list; scored nine game-winning goals, which places him fifth on the all-time franchise record list; had 30 assists, which places him sixth on the all-time franchise record list; and started in 139 games, placing him eighth on the all-time franchise record list.

Castillo’s excellence was recognized on a team level when he was named a two-time FC Dallas MVP and the 2015 franchise Golden Boot winner, and on a league level when he was included on the MLS Best XI list in 2015 and named an MLS All-Star in that same year. 2015 was his best season with FC Dallas, when he led the team in scoring with nine goals and nine assists. Castillo went on to play in the Mexican soccer league, Liga MX, for Queretaro FC.

7. David Ferreira

2010 MLS MVP
2010 MLS Best XI
2010 franchise MVP
2012 franchise MVP

David Ferreira was an attacking midfielder for FC Dallas from 2009 to 2013. During his five-year career with the Dallas Burn, this Colombian player had a massive presence on the field, causing him to constantly be targeted by opposing defenders. Consequently, Ferreira ranks third in franchise history for fouls suffered with 290, and in 2011 he suffered a catastrophic ankle injury during a game against Vancouver, causing him to miss the majority of the 2011 season.

During his other four years of play, however, Ferreira was named the MLS MVP, was included on the MLS Best XI list, and was recognized as the franchise MVP both the year before and the year after sustaining his broken ankle. Ferreira’s additional accomplishments include leading the Burn in assists for three of his five seasons played and recording 39 assists, which places him third on the franchise record list. FC Dallas is the only American MLS team that Ferreira has played for, but before he joined the Burn, he played on the Colombian National Team in 2008. In 2022, David’s son Jesus Ferreira signed to play professional soccer for FC Dallas, making them the first father-son duo in MLS.

8. Jorge “Zarco” Rodriguez

1998 franchise MVP
1998 franchise Defender of the Year
2000 franchise Defender of the Year
2001 franchise Defender of the Year

Jorge “Zarco” Rodriguez was a member of the FC Dallas team from 1997 to 2002. During each of his six seasons playing for the Burn, he started in whatever position the team needed him to. Consequently, Zarco served as a left back, holding midfielder, wing-back, marking back, outside back, center back, right back, and sweeper, and he played all of these positions at an All-Star level.

One of Zarco’s more notable accomplishments is that he was responsible for taking the penalty kick that carried Dallas to victory in the 1997 US Open Cup Championship. Additionally, Zarco scored 25 goals throughout his career, placing him sixth on the all-time franchise record list. Zarco is now the manager of the Club Deportivo Futbolistas Asociados Santanecos, or FAS, a professional soccer club in El Salvador, his home country.

9. Blas Perez

Three-time franchise Golden Boot winner
Leading goal-scorer for the franchise in three of his four seasons played
Made over 120 appearances for the Panamanian National Team

Blas Perez was a forward for FC Dallas from 2012 until 2015 when he left to play for Vancouver FC. During his four seasons with the Dallas Burn, Perez played 97 total games, of which he started in 78, and in those games, he averaged nine goals per season. He scored 36 goals, placing him third on the all-time franchise record list, scored seven game-winning goals, and made 14 assists. Perez was named the franchise Golden Boot winner for three consecutive seasons due to his high-scoring output and his willingness to play as an all-around forward.

Before his time with FC Dallas, Perez was an accomplished forward on the Panamanian National team, becoming the second-highest all-time scorer, playing in the 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cups, reaching the tournament final in 2013, and being honored on the 2007 Gold Cup Best XI list. In 2018, Perez retired from MLS, and in 2022, he began his indoor soccer career when he signed with a professional arena soccer team, the Dallas Sidekicks.

10. Drew Moor

2010 MLS Cup Winner with the Colorado Rapids
2017 MLS Cup Winner with Toronto FC
2015 MLS All-Star
Three-time winner of the Canadian Championship
2017 winner of the MLS Supporters’ Shield

It is important to note that Moore did not accomplish the above achievements until after his time on the FC Dallas team. That being said, Drew Moor played as a center-back and a right-back for FC Dallas from 2005 until 2009 when he was traded to the Colorado Rapids, the team where he spent the majority of his professional career. This Dallas native made 123 appearances for FC Dallas and started in 111 games during his five-year career, and during that time, he became known as one of the most reliable players on the field.

While most of Moor’s professional accomplishments were obtained during his time playing for the Rapids and Toronto FC, FC Dallas fans, soccer analysts, and Burn coaches alike all seem to agree that regardless of where he won most of his accolades, Moor is still considered one of the best athletes to ever play for FC Dallas. If the team had gotten to keep him longer, he likely would have led them to some very impressive victories. Moor retired from professional soccer in 2022 after 18 seasons in MLS.