New coach Nico Estévez wants to win titles but do it the FC Dallas way - The Dallas Morning News

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FRISCO — FC Dallas has become known as a club that develops players and doesn’t shy away from selling young talent to clubs in Europe as they look to take the next step on the development pathway. That has made it difficult, however, for the team to win trophies at the first-team level, with the MLS original still looking for its first-ever MLS Cup.

Now, it’s turning to Nico Estévez, who leaves a role as assistant coach with the United States men’s national team, in the hopes that he is the man who can deliver that elusive silverware while still producing impressive young players. Estévez said Friday at his introductory news conference that he understands the challenge and is ready to take it on.

Estévez joins the club after a search led by FC Dallas technical director Andre Zanotta. The technical director and U.S. national team manager Gregg Berhalter have known each other since the two did an interchange in 2014, and Berhalter was a strong reference for Estévez, who leaves the U.S. national team’s coaching staff to join FC Dallas.

The new manager was somewhat coy when initially asked about what style of soccer he wanted to play, joking in the press conference that it’s a “tricky question for coaches,” since if he claims to favor one style and then uses a different one, it can be used to criticize him.

Later, however, Estévez said fans can expect something similar to what Berhalter looks to put on the field. The two worked together with the U.S. national team and the Columbus Crew.

“I’ve always liked to be a manager whose teams dominate the game with the ball, utilizing possession to advance in the attack and create scoring chances,” he told The Striker Texas. “Within that, I like to have a very compact team defensively that is aggressive when it’s time to put pressure on and win the ball back quickly to be able to counter-attack or have the ball and dominate the opponent. That’s a bit of the idea I’d always have when I came to the U.S. Gregg has a very similar idea, which is what made me decide to come here to the United States.”

Estévez signaled that he understood the balance between developing players, and said rather than winning a title with a bevy of new additions, he’d rather lift a trophy having worked within the FC Dallas way.

“Fans want titles. All fans in the world want their team to win. I want to win. My nine-year-old wants to win when we play in the hallway. That’s something human-beings have inside them,” he said. “But I’m also a bit romantic in the sense that if FC Dallas is going to win titles, it should win in the way it has built its identity. It’s difficult but sometimes when you achieve things in a difficult way, that makes it that much more valuable.”

That’s not to say the 41-year-old isn’t hoping to get some reinforcements as he looks to get FCD back to the playoffs. The manager said he and the front office have “a lot of work to do,” with Zanotta looking to back a coach he said “checked all the boxes” during the search.

“We’re finalizing the details to announce the coaching staff and also are working on new players and the needs that we have,” Zanotta said. “This is going to be, and has been, the busiest offseason I’ve had and will continue to be very busy.

“I’m hoping we can start getting those things done as soon as possible and announce them to our fans so they can get excited about new players coming, having the coaching staff structure ready, all those things. We’re very excited for next season.”

The season kicks off earlier than most MLS campaigns with a February 26 start because of the November-December FIFA World Cup, meaning Estévez will be busy. He is making time for one last national team camp with the U.S., where he’ll be joined by a trio of current FCD players ahead of a December 18 friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Jon Arnold is a staff writer at The Striker Texas, which partners with The Dallas Morning News to provide coverage of FC Dallas and other notable Texas soccer stories. Find more soccer coverage at thestrikertexas.com.

1/12New FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez (right) is congratulated by defender Collin Smith after his introductory press conference at the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Frisco, Texas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

2/12Signboard in Toyota Stadium welcome new FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez before his introductory press conference at the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Frisco, Texas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

3/12New FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez (second from left) laughs with, from left, team chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, technical director Andre Zanotta and president Dan Hunt during his introductory press conference at the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Frisco, Texas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

4/12New FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez smiles during his introductory press conference at the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Frisco, Texas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

5/12A group of FC Dallas players listen as new head coach Nico Estévez addressed his introductory press conference at the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Frisco, Texas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

6/12New FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez (right) laughs with FC Dallas president Dan Hunt during his introductory press conference at the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Frisco, Texas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

7/12New FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez dons a team scarf during his introductory press conference at the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Frisco, Texas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

8/12New FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez (right) shakes hands with team president Dan Hunt as chairman and CEO Clark Hunt looks on during his introductory press conference at the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Frisco, Texas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

9/12Frisco mayor Jeff Cheney (right) listens as new FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez addresses his introductory press conference at the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Frisco, Texas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

10/12New FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez (facing) hugs defender Edwin Munjoma after his introductory press conference at the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Frisco, Texas. Forward Benjamin Redžic is at left and team chairman and CEO Clark Hunt.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

11/12New FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez walks through the stands at Toyota Stadium after his introductory press conference at the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Frisco, Texas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

12/12New FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez poses for a portrait following his introductory press conference at the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Frisco, Texas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

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