What We Are Grateful For

While FC Dallas and North Texas have played their last minutes of the year, we have a lot to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

With a day of food, friends, and sparkling beverages ahead, we wanted to say thank you to all of our readers this past year as we continue to slowly grow this feeble blog.

First, as we look back at a full season, with lots of twists and turns, I’m grateful that even when FC Dallas wasn’t clicking, we had reasons to be hopeful. Petar Musa has the makings to be the best signing in the organization history. Look at Logan Farrington emerging as a huge rookie signing who gives this organization a ton of options, pairing him with Musa, Jesus Ferreira, and other talent for seasons to come. We saw some intriguing signings in Show and Patrickson Delgado. No, it wasn’t a perfect season by far, but there are talented players that the new head coach can seek to place in positions to push this team back into the playoffs.

And even when FCD was struggling, North Texas dazzled with one of the most dominant seasons in MLS Next Pro history, going on to win it all. If you want to have hope, know that some of those youngsters are going to come into training camp with high confidence and a desire to push veterans out of the way. That’s a good problem to have.

Second, I am grateful to follow an organization that wants more eyes on their players, coaches, and gameday experiences. While not every request was workable, I have been impressed by Gina, Edwin, Raul, Michael, and the whole media crew in the organization who try their best to facilitate opportunities to speak with the team. Dallas is a big sports market. There is a ton of competition from other established teams, so FC Dallas has to work with those out there who show a commitment to getting stories out there.

In particular, it was a joy to cover North Texas this season, speaking regularly with former head coach John Gall and interim head coach Michel and getting to know some players and their stories.

Credit too to people like Matt Denny, named MLS Next Pro Executive of the Year, who deserve recognition for their creative work in an unusual market.

Finally, Afterburn Soccer is thankful for the generous support of those of you who have clicked on the subscribe button or just regularly read our offerings. We currently offer our articles for free, but financial support provides the possibility for us to send reps to games and do some special coverage down the line. We hope to expand that, budget permitting. But really, sports journalism is a labor of love for those of us who do it. I always find it difficult at times to keep that boundary between journalism and fandom clear and bright, and truthfully, I think it’s a problem that all folks who follow their favorite sports struggle with. Why else do it if it’s not fun?

In the coming year, we are going to be relaunching our podcast with some new features and trying to get back to streaming on Facebook. If you want to help, follow us over there: facebook.com/afterburnsoccer

Enjoy the day!