FC Dallas technical director Fernando Clavijo has apparently wasted no time in getting the club academy’s first senior college prospect locked down to a Homegrown deal.
On a Tuesday afternoon conference call with reporters, Clavijo revealed that a Homegrown contract has been extended to University of Maryland center back London Woodberry.
“We have made a solid offer to the league in regards to London Woodberry,” Clavijo told reporters. “He’s somebody that coach feels can definitely be of help. We have not had any information that he has agreed to sign yet, but if he does we are more than happy to make him one of our players. We’re waiting for information from the league.”
An NSCAA Third Team All-American, Woodberry was a member of the first FC Dallas Academy class back in 2009, and the defensive anchor of the Terrapins squad that fell to Georgetown in the semifinals of the College Cup last Friday.
“I think what has happened is probably the academy is starting to blossom to produce players to the level that we’ve hoped it would,” FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman told reporters via conference call. “The players who are going on to college seem to be very productive, very early.”
Woodberry served as defensive depth for Maryland in his first two years under Sasho Cirovski before breaking out in his junior year earning second team All-ACC honors. In his senior year, Woodberry started 22 games, amassing a team-high 2,024 minutes played as well as a career-high three goals on the season, including a tally in the NCAA Tournament third-round win over Coastal Carolina.
While he’s played center back for most of his college career, Woodberry likely slots in as a fullback at the professional level, potentially replacing the departed Carlos Rodriguez as a versatile backup. For a team that needs to add depth in many positions this offseason, signing Woodberry as well as getting contributors from the Nos. 7 and 20 overall SuperDraft picks will be a huge factor in getting back to the MLS Cup playoffs.
