Image: FC Dallas via Twitter
12/02/2021
FC Dallas has officially announced that former USMNT assistant coach, Nico Estevez, will take the reigns as their new head coach for the first team. The official release came two days after it was reveled on Twitter that Estevez had interviewed the position.
FC Dallas' Official Article: (https://www.fcdallas.com/news/fc-dallas-announces-nico-estevez-as-head-coach)
Estevez began his career in 1999. He coached the youth side of CF San Jose and later on joined Valencia and worked with their young players.
He soon managed Huracan Valencia CF from 2011-2013 in Segunda Divison B, a third tier soccer league in Spain. In the 2011/2012 season, Huracan finished in third place in the league. In the 2012/2013 season, they were second in the league and reached the third round of Copa Del Rey. He left Huracan in July of 2013 and joined Valencia B, Valencia's reserve team, as their head coach.
Estevez later led Valencia's first team in two matches as their interim manager. In his first game in charge, the club won a Copa Del Rey match 1-0 against Gimnastic De Tarragona. In his second game, his players suffered 3-2 loss against Real Madrid in La Liga. Except for that short spell, Estevez has spent most of his career as an assistant or a youth coach.
In 2014, he joined the Columbus Crew as their Director of Methodology and stayed in that role until 2017, when he was promoted as an assistant coach for the first team. He worked with then Crew manager, Greg Berhalter. In both years, the Crew made runs into the playoffs. In 2017 they reached the Eastern Conference final, losing out to eventual MLS Cup Champions of that year, Toronto FC. In 2018 they only reached the Eastern Conference Semi-Final.
Information on Nico Estevez's Career: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nico_Est%C3%A9vez)
Columbus Crew 2017 Season: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Columbus_Crew_SC_season)
Columbus Crew 2018 Season: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Columbus_Crew_SC_season)
In 2019 Gregg Berhalter was announced as the new head coach of the USMNT. He brought Estevez with him as his assistant as he sought to make the US competitive in international soccer. Due to his role in the USMNT, he has already worked with many current and former FC Dallas players, most notable are Ricardo Pepi and Jesus Ferreira.
Due to his previous experience with Dallas' youth, many are hopeful that he'll be able to convince Pepi to stay with Dallas for another year before pursuing opportunities in Europe. The next World Cup is only months away and playing meaningful minutes will be the best way for Dallas players to earn a spot on the WC roster, should the US qualify.
Since the days Oscar Pareja led Dallas, the franchise adopted a culture of "playing the kids" and became a developing club and stepping stone for players yearning to play in Europe. The hiring of Estevez continues this trend. His and the club's first real test will come in late February as Dallas opens their season with a home match against Toronto FC.
By Toros95
Twitter: @Toros9596