FC Dallas has signed its league-leading 23rd Homegrown player, midfielder Thomas Roberts from its academy, the club announced today.

Roberts, who will remain with the FC Dallas U19’s, is eligible to be added to the first team roster at any point in the future.

“It’s just a lot of hard work,” said Roberts. “I moved my whole family here for this to happen and for this to finally become my life now, it’s just really exciting. Now that the opportunity has come, I just have to take it and work my way up the program.”

The FC Dallas Academy has now produced 25 professional players for the FC Dallas first team, 23 of which have signed Homegrown contracts. 

“Thomas is a very technical player, he is very smart,” said FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja. “He dominates very well the position underneath the forward, but has been working as well through the process in the academy as a midfielder. He’ll help us. [We’re] promoting a good, good young player who can potentially, someday a national team player.”

Roberts, 17, joined the FC Dallas Academy in 2013 and has appeared in 77 U.S. Soccer Development Academy games over three seasons with 16 goals. Along with Chris Richards, Roberts spent 10 days on loan with FC Bayern Munich earlier this year through the elite player development partnership between the two clubs. He is the No. 29 ranked player in the 2019 Boys IMG Academy Top 150.

Roberts is the first Arkansan to sign for FC Dallas.