2025 Season

FC Dallas 30th Anniversary: Top 5 Players

top5 players DL

The 2025 season is FC Dallas and MLS’s 30th campaign since the league was introduced in 1996. As one of the league’s original clubs, FC Dallas is honoring its 30th season by looking back at 30 top moments from the past three decades.

Together, we're reviewing five top moments in the following six categories: goals, landmark moments, rivalry moments, community moments, kits and players. Five moments from each category will release once a month from March to August, and fans have the opportunity to vote for their favorite.

March: Top 5 Goals

July: Top 5 Kits

August: Top 5 Players

For August, we’ll round out our list with the Top 5 Players in FC Dallas/Dallas Burn history.

Top Moments in FC Dallas History

Top Moments in FC Dallas History

FC Dallas celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025. Vote on your favorite moments at fcdallas.com/30

Jason Kreis | 1996-2004

A goal scorer, a creator, and a talisman all wrapped into one, Jason Kreis has the best argument to be known as the greatest player in FC Dallas/Dallas Burn history. The Duke product was among the club’s first signings having joined in early 1996 via MLS’s Inaugural Player Draft and he’d go on to score the club’s first-ever goal en route to becoming one of the league’s defining players. In his nine seasons in Dallas, Kreis helped the club win its first major trophy (the 1997 U.S. Open Cup), played in three All-Star games, and was named the 1999 MLS MVP – the first American-born player to earn the award. Even now, over two decades since departing Dallas, Kreis’ 91 regular season goals and 65 assists are still club records. As Dallas’ first transcendent player whose major records are yet to be surpassed, Kreis is undoubtedly among the very, very best to don the club’s colors.

Óscar Pareja | 1998-2005

Óscar Pareja may very well be the most important figure in FC Dallas history having played major roles as a player, academy director and head coach. After a decorated career in his native Colombia, Pareja joined the Dallas Burn after a short stint in New England and became an instrumental piece of the midfield for the next seven seasons. In all, Pareja made 176 regular season appearances (7th most in club history), was named in the 2002 MLS Best XI, and registered 47 assists – second only to Jason Kreis. But Pareja’s playing career was just one part of his legacy. Following retirement, Pareja helped found the FC Dallas Academy which, under his direction, became a cornerstone for youth development in U.S. soccer and gave the club a new ethos: build from within. Pareja then set his sights on a head coaching career. After two seasons leading the Colorado Rapids, he returned to FC Dallas in 2014 and began a five-year journey that produced the club’s most successful period: four playoff berths, the 2016 MLS Supporters’ Shield and the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. As a standout player, youth director and head coach, Pareja’s influence on FC Dallas simply cannot be overstated.

Bobby Rhine | 1999-2008

Like Pareja before him, Bobby Rhine left a multi-fold legacy on FC Dallas. Having joined the club as the sixth overall pick in the 1999 MLS College Draft, Rhine went on to rack up 212 regular season appearances (3rd most in club history) while earning a reputation as a do-it-all player who could contribute all over the field. Rhine became a constant fan-favorite and scored 23 goals and added 22 assists (8th most) over eight full seasons in Dallas. Following retirement, Rhine stayed with the club to contribute first as Manager of Community Development and then as the team’s color commentator. Tragically, Rhine passed away unexpectedly in 2011 but his legacy in Dallas will never be forgotten. The FC Dallas supporters’ section in Toyota Stadium was named “The Rhine” in remembrance and the #19, which Rhine wore as a player, was given to midfielder Paxton Pomykal by the Rhine family, allowing him to carry forward the BR19 legacy.

Dávid Ferreira | 2009-2013

Although Dávid Ferreira “only” played five seasons with FC Dallas, such was his impact that he earns a place in this Top 5 among much more tenured players. Ferreira, a Colombia international, joined Dallas in 2009 after a decade playing in Colombia and Brazil and went on to become one of MLS’s elite No. 10s. Although he accumulated 24 goals and 39 assists over five seasons, Ferreira’s time is best remembered for his outstanding 2010 campaign. The playmaker led Dallas to its only Western Conference title and lone MLS Cup appearance with numerous individual efforts that earned him the MLS MVP award and a place in the Best XI. While FCD fell at the final hurdle in 2010, Ferreira’s goal-and-assist performance in the Western Conference Final at LA Galaxy will go down as one of the most important individual performances in club history. Ferreira’s legacy in Dallas was further carried by his eldest son, Jesús, who developed in the Academy before becoming the most decorated Homegrown player the club has ever seen.

Matt Hedges | 2012-2022

Quite simply the best defender in FC Dallas history, Matt Hedges was an ever-present part of the club’s backline for over a decade. Originally drafted 11th overall out of UNC in 2012, Hedges became a starter his rookie year and kept his place for the next 10 seasons. The club’s captain for much of his time in Dallas, Hedges is FCD’s all-time appearance leader having played 310 regular season games. He was also the anchor of the team during the fruitful mid-teens, leading Dallas to the top of Western Conference in 2015 and 2016, as well as the Supporters’ Shield and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup double in ’16—the club’s best-ever season. Individually, Hedges was recognized as the 2016 MLS Defender of the Year, was in the league’s Best XI in ‘15 and ‘16, and played in three-straight All-Star games (2017-19). Hedges’ quiet off-field demeanor was contrasted with his critical on-field impact and he redefined the standard for defenders during his 11 seasons in Dallas.

Top Moments in FC Dallas History

Top Moments in FC Dallas History

FC Dallas celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025. Vote on your favorite moments at fcdallas.com/30