With the possibility of pursuing two sports on the table for this fall, FC Dallas Academy standout Tanner Tessmann opted to stick with soccer for the time being.

The Alabama native became the 28th Homegrown signing at FC Dallas on Thursday, as the club announced a three-year deal with the central midfielder from Birmingham.

"I’m excited to get started,” Tessmann said in a press release. “Signing a professional contract has been a goal of mine since I moved to Texas to join the Academy at 14 years old. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices to get this opportunity, so it meant a lot to have my family here with me today.”

𝙏𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚. 😍@frantanjam5#DTID | #SomosFCD pic.twitter.com/HJ025IYjEH

— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) February 27, 2020

Tessmann relocated to North Texas to join the Academy in 2016, he's played in 67 games for various age groups at the FCD Academy. He scored 25 goals during that stretchand he won the U19 Golden Ball following the 2018-2019 season, where he led FCD to the Dev. Academy title game.

The No. 15 ranked player in the 2020 Boys IMG Academy Top 150, Tessmann signed to play soccer and football at Clemson starting in the fall.

During the 2019 USL League One season, Tessmann debuted as an amateur for North Texas SC. He played in 16 matches, including the League One final triumph. Born in 2001, he has the opportunity to be a key midfield piece for the U.S. Under-20 MNT during the 2021 World Cup cycle.

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