One-on-One with Jaidyn Contreras
In a new year, with a stadium debut on the way, North Texas SC star Jaidyn Contreras is ready to be the leader his side needs and to take the next step in his blossoming professional career.
One of the bright up-and-coming talents with North Texas SC did not have to send a message about his seismic potential, but on September 21, 2025, Jaidyn Contreras got the league to sit up and take notice with a rightly labeled “stunner” from way out on the left wing, giving his side a 2-1 lead over Minnesota United FC 2. Just days after his first goal of the 2025 MLS Next Pro season, the FC Dallas homegrown, a transfer from the Houston Dynamo academy, made clear that something special was brewing once again in North Texas. The strike would go on to be awarded the Goal of the Matchweek for MLS Next Pro, an honor that Jaidyn wants to repeat.
More importantly, his blast gave North Texas SC a vital win in their push to climb back into the playoffs.
Originally from the Sugarland area, Jaidyn’s move to DFW and into the FC Dallas Academy system has given the phenom a platform to raise his game and profile. While he did make his debut in 2024, a championship-winning season for North Texas SC, the flexible striker/midfielder/defender — his role shifting and changing as the team has — took a big step in 2025. He appeared in 26 games with 11 starts (including a playoff match), grabbing two goals and two assists. His performances led him to get the notice of two national team setups, where he was called up to the USMNT U19s and Honduran National team (where his father is originally from).
Already with his first start and full 90 last weekend in North Texas SC’s away draw to Real Monarchs, the future is becoming clearer for the 18 year old.
The year started off bright enough when Jaidyn was announced as one of FC Dallas’ newest homegrown signings.
“It felt amazing,” he told Afterburn Soccer. “It felt like I achieved a goal I’ve always been striving for for the longest. That fact that I was able to accomplish this dream that I have been waiting for, working for. It brought me nothing but happiness.”
As mentioned above, Jaidyn developed among a number of youth outfits in the Houston area, eventually joining the Houston Dynamo academy until a timely email opened the door to one of the nation’s premiere youth development organizations.
“My parents went on the website which showed Cristhian Ospina, the director of scouting for the academy. They reached out to him and asked if I could come try out for them for a week,” he said with a smile. “I guess I impressed the coach at that time, Scott James, and I got on the team right there.”
Soccer has been his sport growing up, though he did run some cross-country for a time to improve his endurance. His skills and upside must have been evident to FC Dallas scouts, and credit to his parents for being advocates.
While he did make a debut in 2024, it was last year that gave him his first taste of the grind and expectations that come with going pro.
“I think I grew with my mentality. I got like 11 starts,” he said. “I had to learn to stay patient and wait for my time to come, instead of getting frustrated. It was a real growth year. Even my coach has said to me, I’ve grown up.”
Of course, from a fan perspective, we typically just see the finished product on the weekends or midweek matches. Many young players dream of going pro, but the intensity demanded through the weekly focus of practice, film, recovery, and nutrition can stay out of view. How does an 18 year old adapt?
“I’ve adapted well. If anything, I’ve put more grind into it, into soccer,” Jaidyn said. “I do private sessions on my own, to stay up there, to stay in shape. I feel like I’ve done a really good job staying consistent.”
But to go from being in an academy where maybe you are a lock to start or clearly more talented among the crowd to competing with other pros, including some who are 4 or 5 years older than you, the upgrade in mentality is not for everyone.
“The guys who get signed from the academy, you are one of the better few. When you go to the pros, you aren’t starting. You have to build up to that, adapting to that change,” he said about his mental growth. “Also not getting lost in the process - I feel like some people do get lost in the process of earning your spot. I was glad to get my mentality in shape and push through.”
He acknowledged the jump in quality and skill from the academy to MLS Next Pro, especially joining the side that would go on to dominate MLS Next Pro and claim the championship. That meant he was training along guys who brought a level of intensity that challenged him, that set an atmosphere that demanded a lot of everyone. That first year, then, prepared him for 2025 when the roster would look different and more minutes were available for teenagers like him.
The growth over the course of 2025 got the attention of a couple of national team setups, and the invites seemed to be confirmation of the fruits of his work.
“Honestly, it gave me even more confidence when I came back,” Jaidyn said about getting the call-up to join the US U19s in Spain. “That’s always been a dream of mine, to represent my country. That was awesome.”
But his international interest didn’t stop there, as he received an invite and joined up with the Honduras U-19 Men’s National Team in the UNCAF FIFA Forward U-19 tournament last December.
“That was my dad’s home country. That was a cool experience - I could see how much it meant to my dad. There was a difference, but it was still like an incredible experience,” he said.
As much as 2025 was a good stepping stone for him, he acknowledged, along with other players and coaches, that the team couldn’t find the consistency they truly needed to be successful in MLS Next Pro, despite a late rise into the playoffs.
“I think that we got too comfortable when it came to wins. We took our foot off the pedal, and that’s why we were so inconsistent,” he said. “We would push for a win, and once we got that win, we thought that was it. The reality is that once you get that win, you have to keep going like a domino effect. We have to keep wanting to win and not get comfortable. That will be a huge part of getting very good results this year.”
With that disappointing end to 2025, losing to the Town FC 3-0 on October 19, wholesale roster changes followed. For a moment, North Texas SC prepared for a new year with just a handful of players on the roster, but with new academy kids coming into the picture, including some college graduates alongside SuperDraft picks and a few other intriguing signings, there is clearly an opportunity to do something better than last year. Contreras then has an interesting role to play as a “senior” kind of presence, to help be a glue for the new guys and holdovers.
And he thinks progress is being made.
“I don’t think it has been a challenge,” he answered about the numerous roster changes. “We’ve grown a lot closer. The team is looking very good right now. The results are showing right now in preseason.”
We asked if he is expected to be a leader for this transformed squad.
“Yes, that is my goal to be a leader of this team,” Jaidyn responded. “Yeah, the fact that my mentality has changed from 2025 to this one has been a huge help. And hopefully that will help our team.”
In addition to the goals the team may place on themselves and the expectations from the organization to compete for hardware, 2026 is special for another reason - North Texas SC will have the privilege of debuting a brand new stadium in Mansfield, TX. The move takes them out of the cavernous Choctaw Stadium and into a venue that will feel bigger in ways by bringing fans of the club closer to the pitch. The shift opens doors to marketing opportunities around being the pro soccer team for a different part of the DFW area.
Contreras is excited about the opportunity to do something really special in this massive year for the club.
“Obviously, we want to be the team for Mansfield,” he nodded. “With that comes the responsibility, making sure the crowd supports us. Our coach brings it up a lot, saying that we should view it as an opportunity.”
Behind this club and behind Contreras’ growth is that voice of North Texas head coach John Gall, a guy with deep roots in the Dallas Burn and youth development. You can hear him on the broadcasts, imploring the players to push for more. In post-game interviews, it’s clear that Gall loves his players and pushes them hard to achieve their potential. Is it tough love? Is this just a coach that fits the FC Dallas way?
“He pushes me in all sorts of way,” Jaidyn said about John Gall. “He helped me with my mentality too. He told me that once I fixed that, things are going to start falling in place for me. Once I fixed it, I started getting consistent starts. I even got my final call up to the U19 national team.”
One question mark out there has been what position Jaidyn will slot into, since he has been listed as a forward or winger type role in the past or even as a midfielder. Right now with the senior team employing two wing-backs, his preseason and focus has been at right wingback, a position he started last weekend against Real Monarchs and looked dangerous. This raises possibilities for a clear pathway to senior team minutes down the line.
And of course, that pathway is a tangible benefit of being a part of the FC Dallas system. Story after story, guys like Ricardo Pepi, Justin Che, Nolan Norris, and Sam Sarver have used North Texas SC as a stepping stone to something greater.
“It motivates us a lot, especially Sam Sarver and his story. Getting called up to Portugal and earning a spot throughout the season,” he said. “All of us see that as a possible dream, possible outcome for all of us. All of us want to push toward our limit to achieve that.”
For the year ahead, Jaidyn hungers to do more and has set high bars for what he wants to achieve.
“I want to score double digits. Also get double digits in assists. Maybe get some Player of the Match,” he answered with a smile.
Finally, as we often do, we asked for a final recommendation, where he would tell one of his new teammates looking for good tacos to go in the Frisco area. It took him a minute to search up the specific spot, but he pointed to Legacy Hall’s Chilangos Tacos as his spot, recommending birria tacos as his go to order.
We’ll be watching Jaidyn take his next steps this season, as the team opens up their first home match at Choctaw Stadium on Saturday against Colorado Rapids 2.