Matt Hedges
Hedges with FC Dallas in 2021
Personal information
Full name Matthew James Hedges
Date of birth (1990-04-01) April 1, 1990
Place of birth Rochester, New York, United States
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1]
Position(s) Center-back
Team information
Current team
 Austin FC
Number 2
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2010 Butler Bulldogs 59 (12)
2011 North Carolina Tar Heels 26 (6)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009 Fort Wayne Fever 9 (0)
2010–2011 Reading United 24 (4)
2012–2022 FC Dallas 310 (18)
2023 Toronto FC 14 (0)
2023– Austin FC 6 (1)
International career‡
2015–2017 United States 5 (0)
Medal record
Representing  United States
WinnerCONCACAF Gold Cup2017
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:23, October 22, 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 19, 2017

Matthew James Hedges (born April 1, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back for Major League Soccer club Austin FC.

Hedges has been considered one of the better defenders in MLS since 2014, landing on the MLS Best XI in 2015 and 2016, and winning the MLS Defender of the Year Award in 2016.

Career

College and amateur

Hedges was born in New York but grew up in Carmel, Indiana.[2] He attended Carmel High School (Carmel, Indiana), where he was a member of the 2006 Greyhounds soccer team that went undefeated, and won both the IHSAA Boys' Soccer State Championship[3] and the NSCAA National Championship. He played college soccer at Butler University between 2008 and 2010, and at the University of North Carolina in 2011. During his time at Butler, Hedges was named to the NSCAA All-America Second Team as a junior, and he was also named Horizon League Defender of the Year in both his junior and sophomore years. After transferring to North Carolina, he was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and to the NSCAA All-America First Team. He scored 6 times on the season and helped lead the Tar Heels defense to a 0.69 goals-against average en route to the 2011 NCAA National Championship.

Hedges spent time with USL Premier Development League club Fort Wayne Fever in 2009, making 9 appearances. He also spent time with USL PDL club Reading United in 2010 and 2011, scoring 4 goals in 24 appearances.[4]

Professional

FC Dallas selected Hedges in the first round (No. 11 overall) of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.[5] He made his professional debut on April 5, 2012, in a 1–0 victory against the New England Revolution. Due to injuries and his excellent play for a rookie, he became a regular starter for the club. His first goal in the 2014 season was a header in the 90th minute against Sporting Kansas City off a free kick taken by Michel. The goal tied the game, 1–1.[6]

Hedges captained the team for the first time in 2014,[7] a move that eventually became permanent.[8] Since becoming captain, he has led the club into the MLS playoffs in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Also in 2015, the club was the Western Conference regular season champions and Supporters' Shield runner-up. For the 2015 MLS season, he was named to the Best XI[9] and as a finalist for Defender of the Year.[10] Dallas was even more successful in 2016, winning the Supporters' Shield and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Hedges was once again named to the Best XI[11] and, this time, was the winner of the Defender of the Year award.[12]

In 2020, he became the all-time leader in MLS appearances for FC Dallas, passing Jason Kreis.[13]

In December 2022, he signed a two-year contract with Toronto FC beginning in the 2023 season.[14]

In July 2023, he was traded to Austin FC in exchange for General Allocation Money.[15] He signed a new contract with the club through the 2024 season, with options for 2025 and 2026.[16]

International

Hedges made his United States men's national soccer team debut on February 8, 2015, when he came on as a substitute in the 72nd minute against Panama in a friendly.[17] He was selected to the U.S. squad for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which the U.S. ended up winning. Hedges started and played 90 minutes in victories over Martinique in group stage play and El Salvador in the quarterfinals.

Career statistics

As of match played October 21, 2023[18][4]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Playoffs National cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Fort Wayne Fever 2009 Premier Development League 90————90
Reading United 2010 ??—1[lower-alpha 1]0——??
2011 ??—1[lower-alpha 1]0——??
Total 26600200000286
FC Dallas 2012 Major League Soccer 283—1[lower-alpha 1]0——293
2013 333—2[lower-alpha 1]1——354
2014 323302[lower-alpha 1]0——373
2015 311401[lower-alpha 1]0——361
2016 261204[lower-alpha 1]23[lower-alpha 2]1—354
2017 272—1[lower-alpha 1]04[lower-alpha 2]0—322
2018 332112[lower-alpha 1]02[lower-alpha 2]0—383
2019 331112[lower-alpha 1]1——363
2020 19020———210
2021 201————201
2022 28120———301
Total 31018152154910034925
Toronto FC 2023 Major League Soccer 140—00——140
Austin FC 2023 6100——1[lower-alpha 3]071
Career total 36616224174911040832

Honors

University of North Carolina

FC Dallas

United States

Individual

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Matt Hedges". FC Dallas. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Matt Hedges, a Schellas Hyndman kind of player". January 14, 2012.
  3. ↑ IHSAA. "IHSAA Boys Soccer State Champions". www.ihsaa.org. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Uslsoccer.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  5. ↑ SportsDayDFW.com. "FC Dallas drafts defender Matt Hedges in SuperDraft | Dallas Morning News". Dallasnews.com. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  6. ↑ "By The Numbers: Sporting KC at FC Dallas - March 14, 2015".
  7. ↑ "Why FC Dallas coach Oscar Pareja made Matt Hedges youngest captain in team history". March 27, 2015.
  8. ↑ "8 New Faces Klinsmann Should Consider for the U.S."
  9. ↑ "2015 MLS Best XI revealed: 10 first-time selections get the nod".
  10. ↑ "MLS Announces 2015 Awards Finalists".
  11. 1 2 "MLS Best XI revealed: Who was the best at each position in 2016?".
  12. 1 2 Stejskal, Sam (November 11, 2016). "FC Dallas' Matt Hedges named 2016 MLS Defender of the Year". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Matt Hedges Breaks FC Dallas' All-Time MLS Appearance Record". FC Dallas. August 21, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Toronto FC sign defender Matt Hedges". Toronto FC. December 19, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Toronto FC send Matt Hedges to Austin FC in exchange for GAM". Toronto FC. July 26, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Austin FC Acquires Defender Matt Hedges In Trade with Toronto FC". Austin FC. July 26, 2023.
  17. ↑ "MNT Earns First Win of 2015, Shuts Out Panama 2-0 at StubHub Center".
  18. ↑ Matt Hedges at Soccerway
  19. ↑ "U.S. men's national team defeats Jamaica to win CONCACAF Gold Cup". USA Today. July 26, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Butler Lands Eight On All-League Men's Soccer Team". butlersports.com. Butler University Athletics. November 10, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Horizon League Announces Men's Soccer Award Winners". horizonleague.org. Horizon League. November 8, 2010. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  22. ↑ "2015 MLS Best XI revealed: 10 first-time selections get the nod".
  23. ↑ "2017 MLS All-Star Roster".
  24. ↑ "2018 MLS All-Star Roster".
  25. ↑ "2019 MLS All-Star Roster". Major League Soccer. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
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