“I’ve tried to be a good teammate.”
Dax McCarty said that when asked about the frustrations of the 2024 season here in Atlanta, but it’s also a statement about his entire career. One of the all-time greats in Major League Soccer, McCarty is calling time on his playing career at the end of the season and prepares for his final home match with Atlanta United on Saturday night.
“The things that I have enjoyed are trying to help out younger players, trying to help out the team from a perspective of maybe more of a zoomed out lens view of not being on the field as much and seeing it from the sidelines and how to be able to help and be a positive voice,” McCarty said when asked about making the adjustment to becoming more of a role player at this stage of his career rather than playing his typical amount of minutes.
In addition to the amount of minutes he has played this season, the team’s results have also not measured up to the expectations at the beginning of the year. “I think by and large, if I were to describe my career, I would have an overwhelming sense of pride with actually how well it's gone and how many more times I've been on the end of a win than a loss and how many times I've ended the season on a good team fighting for trophies,” McCarty said. “But this year has been a little bit of an anomaly in terms of, a little bit like my time in Chicago, a little bit inconsistent with a little bit of talent and not a lot of consistency with performances.”
When asked if the season changes his mind in what he wants to do next, McCarty said, “It's just all a learning experience. I don't think it's going to change the direction that I go when I'm done playing, but I do think it's good perspective. I think it's good to understand maybe where things have fallen short and you use that, whether that's in a coaching role or whether that's in a management role, a technical staff role, or even a media role, you can use this experience to talk about it, to learn from it, to make sure that the same mistakes aren't made again and describe the things that winning teams do on a consistent basis. Which, you know, it just requires everyone, it requires everyone at the club to be successful and so it's definitely good perspective and a learning experience. Even at 37, you can always learn.”
While his legacy in Atlanta has not been as strong on the field as he envisioned, Dax McCarty’s legacy at Atlanta United will live on through the young players in the club. It was evident from the beginning of preseason training that McCarty was going to invest a great deal of time and energy into the next generations of Atlanta United.
“I think some guys, like the older guys, Dax McCarty, do a good job of it,” said Alan Carleton. “He'll come over to you and maybe point out some things that you don't even notice, and you're like, wow, I didn't even think about stuff like that before.”
“As a midfielder, the first thing you do is ask questions. You watch him [McCarty] in training and you learn little things he does and you try and add it to your game because you can always pick up something from somebody else,” Jay Fortune said. “For someone who's been in the league for so long, you just know that he's doing something right, so you want to know what it is that he's doing and what he sees in your game that can help elevate it.”
Cooper Sanchez said, “They compare me with Dax McCarty a lot, our technical ability and size. I'm not the biggest, we're both not the biggest, but I do video with him as well a lot, so that's cool. He gives me a lot of tips and everything. When asked about some of the lessons he’s learned from studying video with McCarty, Sanchez said, “For me, it's just the little things, I would say, like certain movements or certain ways to open your hips just so you can play forward more often. His one thing was don't be afraid to make mistakes at all. Even if he misses a pass, cool, move on to the next one.”
When asked about why he devoted so much time to the young players on the way up, McCarty said, “Well, because that's how I was brought up on teams early in my career. I credit a lot of the older veteran experienced players that helped me come into my own when I was young.” Looking back at those days, McCarty said, “I was a lot different of a personality and a player back when I first started playing than I am now. And, it wasn't all positive. I had my ups and downs. I had my frustrations with inconsistency in how I played, with inconsistency in my playing time, with the ebbs and flows that come with (being) a young player. And I had so many great leaders and so many great older players that helped keep me focused and not lose sight of the bigger picture. I think that's why I can attribute my longevity and success to those guys. I think it would be really unfortunate for someone of my experience level to not pass that along to younger players who I see so much potential in.”
There comes a time for all of us when we start to think about legacy, about what we leave behind when we leave a place. McCarty said, “There are a ton of ways for a professional athlete to leave a lasting impact in their career and how they're talked about and how they're remembered. Some players leave a lasting impact through just sheer talent and sheer winning and being able to point to trophies and individual honors and goals and assists. Other players can point to other things that they do off the field, philanthropic efforts, charitable efforts, being embedded in the community. Other players can point to how they affect their teammates and the way they carry themselves every day.”
“Of course, you want to try to leave an imprint in all of those things. But, the reality is you might only leave an imprint in one or two of those areas, right? One of the areas that I've told myself (is) when I grew up and got a little bit more mature and when I realized that I was going to be captain on certain teams and when the leadership aspect came a little bit more natural to me than it did to other players is I wanted to be an open book when it came to helping people and helping players reach their full potential because I had that when I was young,” McCarty said.
“I think behind closed doors, how people talk about you. I think it speaks volumes and that's how I would love for people to talk about me and in the way that I carried myself. Even if I was only at this club for a year, I definitely wanted to make an impression,” McCarty said. “First and foremost, a positive impression on the field. When I look at myself, I hold myself to a high standard and I haven't left that lasting impression on the field that I maybe wanted to leave. When that doesn't happen, you have to do it off the field. That's what I've tried to do. I'm really humbled and honored that the young guys talk about me like that because I have great relationships with a lot of them.”
McCarty said, “They keep me young. I enjoy their banter. I enjoy their humor. I don't understand it all the time. Sometimes they give me crap because I'm kind of like the old guy trying to stay young. But, I do feel like I've cultivated some really nice moments in relationships with the younger guys.”
It was a fortunate start to Dax McCarty’s professional career to be drafted by FC Dallas in 2006. It was there that he met two of the mentors that would be instrumental in shaping his career and view of making a life in this game.
“One of the best leaders that I've ever been around and a guy that was in my corner ever since I was a rookie in FC Dallas, he's a guy who's no longer with us, unfortunately, but Bobby Rhine iis forever one of the best leaders that I've ever been around. Merely because… nothing was ever about him. He was the most unselfish leader that I've ever seen in my entire life. His positivity was infectious, whether he was playing, whether he wasn't playing, whether he was injured, whether he was playing some of the best soccer of his career,” McCarty said.
Expanding on the impact Rhine had on him, McCarty said, “He was the same person every single day. Yeah, he had his moments where he was frustrated with different things, but by and large, he carried himself the same way that he always did from day one to the last day of the season. He was someone who always put his arm around me when he could tell I was frustrated.”
“When I was young, I was very demonstrative. I very much wanted to make it known that I was frustrated and I was kind of a little petulant and immature. He always had a great way of communicating with me about, ‘Okay, yeah, it's okay to be upset at things and to be frustrated at times, but there's a right way and a wrong way to handle situations. And this is how I handled it. And this is how I think you can do it.’”
McCarty said, “You always need time to blow off steam. He was always a guy who was like, ‘Look man, train hard. And then if you want to vent and blow off some steam, let's go grab a beer after training.’ Laughing about his relationships with some of the younger players at Atlanta United, he said, “I can't do that now with some of these kids because they're way too young.”
He continued, “But you know, that was for me just a really grown up moment. So he's someone who I look to and who I've always looked at as one of my favorite people I've ever come into contact with my whole career and one of the best teammates I've ever had.”
Another key player in McCarty’s career was on that 2006 FC Dallas roster in Richard Mulrooney. He said, “Older MLS fans will know him as just the consummate professional, really soft spoken, totally different personality than a Bobby Rhine. Bobby Rhine was larger than life. He was hilarious. He always cracked jokes. He always kept the mood light. Richard Mulrooney was all business, all focus, all the time. How can I make my team better? How can I be better? How can I hold myself accountable? And, he passed that on to me.”
“Those two guys I'll always remember as guys in my early years that I really wanted to take a combination of both of their leadership skills. How can I pick and choose little things from both of those guys to just be a better person and be a better teammate. I'll be very forever grateful to both of those guys,” McCarty said.
It’s obvious that their influence was strong on McCarty and greatly affected how he carries himself in a locker room. In times like this season for Atlanta United, those lessons can resonate even more loudly.
When asked about what advice he gives those young players who might be dealing with a frustrating season for the first time, McCarty said, “You can't really point to many players whose career trajectories are just continuously climbing up the mountain and then staying on top of the mountain until you decide to call it a day. I think failure and I think frustration and I think hardship… it really sharpens you and it makes you better and it makes you learn and it makes you feel what it's like to fail. So then you never want to have that feeling again, right?”
“Anyone with two eyes and who has any modicum of honesty would describe this season for Atlanta United as not a good one, not one that's up to the standard the club has usually set for themselves. The young players, they have to feel that it hasn't been good enough from top to bottom, and they have to understand where it went wrong personally and as a team and then they have to try to improve and get better,” McCarty said.
“You know, one thing I tell them is that yes, of course you're young and of course you can make mistakes and it's okay. Can you learn from those mistakes? So you become more consistent and not make those same mistakes, but also at a certain point, you have to take ownership of what's happening in not only your career, but on this team, because it's easy to put your hand up as a young player and say, well, when the team's not doing well, I'm going to do my best, I'm going to keep my head down. I'm going to stay quiet and I'm not going to feel like it's like I'm really the one that needs to drive the bus because I'm young.”
“No, that's not right. That's incorrect. You have just as much ownership in what's happening as the 40-year old captain of the club who's already won an MLS cup and who's been a professional soccer player for 20 or 21 years. You have the same amount of ownership stake in the success or failure of the team. Now, you may not play as much as him, and you may not sign as many autographs as him, because he's the face of the franchise, and of course, we're talking about Brad Guzan here in case anyone was confused. But when we step on the field, everyone is equal and everyone has a chance to push the team forward and make the team successful.”
McCarty continued, “Don't just wipe your hands of any responsibility and accountability because you should hold yourself accountable and you should be holding yourself to a higher standard. If you're not playing as much as you want to go ask the coach why, go ask the coach what you can do to be better and to be on the field more so then you can show yourself and maybe help the team in ways that you couldn't.”
“Some of these things you can control, some of these things you can't control, but what you can control is, you're not just a young player and you don't have any say in the success of the team (because) you do. Find your voice. If something's not right, say it. Don't be scared because you'll regret it when you're older. There are times where I was younger where I didn't say anything and I regret it. And there are times when I was older and I said too much and I regretted that because I didn't say the right thing or I didn't do the right thing. So you have to learn from failure and these guys understand (that) failure comes with the job. That's part of it. Hopefully they've all learned from that and they can learn from a season like this.”
With one more regular season home match to play in Atlanta, this is how Dax McCarty wants to be remembered at Atlanta United. “Someone who tried to push the level every day and make the team better, whether he was on the field or off the field. Lead with humility, try to lead by example.”
“If not so much with your voice, because if you're not on the field, it's hard to lead with your voice. So lead by example, lead behind the scenes. Try to show, just try to show the younger generation how to be a good pro. If I can be remembered for that, great.”
McCarty also stressed in how he wanted to be remembered here, “And also trying to take time for the supporters, because I feel like we get caught up in feeling sorry for ourselves when we're not having a great game or when we're not having a great season. These kids, we were their idols and these people, they pay hard earned money to come watch us. We haven't been good enough at home this year, winning only five games at home is unacceptable and they've still come out and supported us. I don't like it when when we don't clap them at the end of the game and when we don't stop in some of the clubs to take pictures and sign autographs because it could change a kid's life. Who knows? Maybe they'll forget about it, maybe they won't care, maybe they'll lose the t-shirt you signed, but maybe they'll keep it and they'll frame it and they'll become a homegrown player and be the next Caleb Wiley or Noah Cobb or any of these people.”
“I certainly know that the season wasn't what I wanted or what the club wanted, but you have to try to find silver linings in moments and seasons like that too. And, you know, that's what I've tried to do.”
✍️: Jason Longshore
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