USL Feature
Saturday, March 10, 2012
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – At first glance, FC Dallas’ Matt Hedges appears to be a tradition central defender. At 6-foot-4, the former Reading United standout is good in the air and the sort who is usually able to clear away danger under pressure at set pieces.
But dig a little deeper, as Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman did this preseason, and you’ll find someone much more well rounded, and better suited to the modern game that requires center backs to be more than just a defensive presence.
“The thing we weren’t too sure about was his one-on-one defending, and we weren’t too sure about his distribution and of his speed,” Hyndman said recently. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised with his speed and we’ve been really pleased with his distribution, especially some of the longer passes he’s able to make, and then his one-on-one marking has been better than we might have thought originally, so we’ve been very pleased.”
For Hedges, who was a PDL All-Conference selection while helping Reading to reach the PDL Championship Weekend in 2010, changing people’s expectations of his capabilities has been something he’s always had to work on. A national champion with the University of North Carolina last fall, he was projected by many as the best senior and best defender in the draft thanks to his ability to not only win possession but also make good use of the ball subsequently.
“People see how tall you are and they tend to overlook how well I can play the ball with my feet and I can defend one-on-one against quick guys or big guys,” Hedges said. “Really anyone I can defend against, so they see my height and they think, ‘oh, he’s great in the air’, but I have other traits that make me a good defender.”
With the question of whether George John would return to Dallas after a loan spell with West Ham United still up in the air, and the club looking to add defensive depth for the future, Dallas had Hedges targeted as a potential selection when they picked 11th in the SuperDraft.
When he fell to them with their pick, with Generation adidas player Andrew Jean-Baptiste and former Chicago Fire Premier standout Austin Berry being taken before Hedges, Hyndman was delighted.
“We really did our homework and he was one of the guys,” Hyndman said. “We felt like we wanted to get a center back, that was our first choice, if Mattocks had been available it might have been different, but we did our homework on it. We had a few players on our list and he was one of the players on that list and then all of a sudden when he popped up, we hadn’t expected it, we were very lucky to be able to draft him, and he’s done very well with us.”
With John’s return to Dallas, experienced captain Ugo Ihemelu and Carlos Rodriguez expected to make the bulk of the starts this season for the hoops, there should be time for Hedges to learn and grow behind his more experienced teammates. But should the need arise for the 21-year-old, who turns 22 on April 1, to step into the breach, Hyndman has confidence he could replicate the early performances of one of those better-known teammates.
“I think if Matt’s given the same opportunity that George was, I think he could live up to that level,” Hyndman said.
Should that arise, Hedges appears ready. After some solid performances at the Disney Pro Soccer Classic as Dallas closed out its preseason, he said he’s learned a lot from Ihemelu and other teammates, and believes he’s adapted to the quicker speed of play in Major League Soccer.
And while he would be a long-shot to make an appearance in Dallas’ season-opener against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, getting to be part of the atmosphere of his first game as a player in MLS is certainly something Hedges is eager to take in.
“It’s going to be great,” he said. “It’s going to be fun, on TV in front of a great atmosphere at FC Dallas Stadium, I’m just excited to be a part of it.”
In time, he could be center stage on the national stage himself.