FRISCO, Texas -- After nearly a month without a permanent head coach, FC Dallas announced Schellas Hyndman as their new head coach on Tuesday. Hyndman, 58, had been the head men's soccer coach at nearby Southern Methodist University since 1984. He had a 368-98-38 record leading the Mustangs and led them to the NCAA tournament in 24 of his 25 seasons there, including two trips to the NCAA College Cup.
"We feel that he's the right type of leader for this team to help us reach our potential," said FCD president and general manager Michael Hitchcock. "He's a passionate leader and a strong leader. A trademark of the teams that he has coached is that they're disciplined, they're hard-working, fight for one another and are difficult to play against. That's a direct reflection on the type of leader Schellas is. We're confident that Schellas will be able to take this team forward and help us reach our potential."
Hyndman's name has surfaced as a candidate for the FCD job several times before but what made this opportunity different was the timing.
"This is a really special day for me and my family," he said. "I'm excited for many reasons. Years ago, when they started MLS, I wanted the opportunity to coach at the highest level. I've had some opportunities but the timing really wasn't right. When this opportunity came around, my family and I talked about it and decided that this was the best time in my life for me to be a part of such a great organization."
The new Hoops boss was in attendance at Sunday's 1-0 win against the Chicago Fire at Pizza Hut Park, along with former Real Salt Lake coach John Ellinger, who will be Hyndman's top assistant, and liked what he saw.
"I've been a great fan (of this club) for all these years and don't think I have ever missed a game either on TV or in person," Hyndman said. "This team is outstanding with the talent that they have and they play the type of soccer that I believe in, which is more of a possession style and quality control style."
For Hyndman, the move was all about leaving his comfort zone.
"We all go through life in a comfort zone," he said. "I've been at SMU for 24 years and it's been a very comfortable position. I could be there for the next 10 years. We all strive to do something special and I think this is that opportunity to do something special. My goals are very simple, to continue to find success for FC Dallas, to compete for an MLS championship and to make Dallas very proud of the team we put on the field."
It had been rumored that Hyndman would hold the dual role of head coach and technical director but Hitchcock put that to rest.
"Right now, we're not hiring a technical director but that's something that we'll continue to evaluate and something that I think we'll consider in the future," he said. "More and more teams are heading in that direction, hiring someone that can provide more resources and bring in a different perspective."
Hyndman looks forward to working with Ellinger, a longtime friend, once again.
"Having John Ellinger come on board for us will be tremendous," he said. "Not only is he a good friend but he has also coached recently at Real (Salt Lake). I think there will be a learning curve but I feel very comfortable about it."
One pressing issue for the new head coach is filling some open spots on the FCD roster.
"I think right now there are three roster spots open, so we'll be looking for players to fill those spots," Hyndman said. "I think this is a very good team. There are outstanding players on this team who are capable of continuing to find success like they did on Sunday in ungodly temperatures."
But first, he and his staff, which will include holdovers Marco Ferruzzi, who served as FCD's interim head coach after Morrow's dismissal, and goalkeeping coach Drew Keeshan, need to evaluate their current personnel.
"You have to give the coaching staff the opportunity to evaluate the players in training and to evaluate the players to see if they can do the type of things that we're going to ask them to do for our system of play for their job description," Hyndman said. "A designated player would be a player who would add something special to this team. We have no idea who that may be or if that may be someone. Right now, we will be evaluating players first."
Hyndman wanted to emphasize that even though he is new to MLS, he doesn't plan on changing his approach to training.
"I think I'm more of a hands-on person," he said. "I think it's important that coaches run the training sessions so that they can develop relationships with their players. Some coaches like to sit back like a manager and watch training sessions but my strength is more being on the field. I think I have to have complete respect for my staff that they're also very involved in the sessions."
He also said that his goals and those of the players are already in sync.
"I want the same thing that the players want -- personal success for them and personal success for the team," Hyndman said. "I think the players will know if a person can coach or can't coach. There are no pretenders here. I think coaches will know if players can play or can't play immediately. The greatest adjustment is going to be understanding the rules, salary cap and those types of things. The area that I feel most comfortable with is the coaching."
Being able to stay in the Dallas area, where he has coached since 1984 was another perk for Hyndman about the FCD position.
"It feels fantastic (to be able to stay here)," he said. "There have been opportunities to go other places but I love Dallas and my family loves Dallas. The fact that I can stay here in a city that I love and try to win a championship for a professional team is everything I could dream of."
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