FC Dallas has had a long history of additions to the squad, but fans have been eagerly awaiting for Argentinian forward Franco Jara ever since he was announced by FCD on January 21, 2020 on a pre-contract. Jara, 31-years-old joined as a Designated Player upon the opening of the Secondary Transfer Window in July.

President Dan Hunt knew he could become an essential piece to FCD’s future:

“After we saw how well Franco Jara played against us during 2017 CONCACAF Champions League matches, I promised myself that I would work to get him in an FC Dallas uniform if that opportunity ever became available. He is a proven goal scorer. We’re confident that when he arrives in North Texas, he’ll be able to contribute right away.”

Jara has already played in Frisco before. Representing Club Pachuca from Mexico, he faced FC Dallas in the 2016-17 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League in a 2-1 loss. Jara scored for his side, and again in the return leg of the semifinals, he scored against FCD. Pachuca and Franco went on to win the CCL against Tigres of Mexico.

With the unfortunate events of COVID-19, the regular 2020 Major League Soccer season went on hold due to the increasing pandemic. Luckily, Jara could see minutes when the team travels to Orlando for the MLS is Back tournament that will start on July 8, 2020. FC Dallas will play in a miniature version of the FIFA World Cup with group stages, knockout rounds, and the final.

Jara plays as a center-forward and has managed to score a total of 118 goals and rack up 36 assists for  various clubs and countries throughout his career. His goals and club experience will prove to be beneficial for the younger players in the squad. Ricardo Pepi, 17, and Jesús Ferreira, 19, must take this opportunity as a learning experience when Czech International Zdeněk Ondrášek and Jara get together in the field.

Jara and FC Dallas were drawn on June 11, 2020, in Group B alongside the Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps, and San Jose Earthquakes for the group stages of the upcoming MLS tournament. Given that this is a small tournament and every team is guaranteed to play three games, this could become an excellent opportunity for Luchi to include Jara in his field lineup. Including him could increase team chemistry. This tournament and opportunities will be beneficial for when the MLS season starts back up later in the year.

It will be exciting to find out what Luchi does in regards to lining up Jara. Franco will be an essential asset in FCD’s attack. Fans will appreciate him when he manages to score his first goals in an FCD jersey.