Dax McCarty

McCarty was raised in Winter Park, Florida and attended Winter Park High School. During his early years, McCarty was a member of the United States Soccer Residency program and attended the Edison Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He was also a member of the Ajax Orlando Prospects in the USL Premier Development League the summer after his freshman year in college. McCarty played college soccer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2004 to 2005. Over that span, he appeared in 45 games, scoring 4 goals and assisting on 11 others. In 2005, he was named to the All-ACC first team.

FC Dallas

Opting to forgo his last two years at North Carolina, he was drafted in the first round, 6th overall, of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas. McCarty made his MLS debut in the 85th minute in a 3–0 loss against Chivas USA on July 1, 2006. Dax had his best season as a professional in 2007 making his first start against the Los Angeles Galaxy in a 2–1 victory on April 12, 2007, and scored his first career MLS goal against the Galaxy on September 23, 2007. McCarty featured in Dallas' 3–2 loss to the New England Revolution in the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final. He finished the 2007 campaign leading the team with seven assists in 31 appearances throughout all competitions, including appearances in the 2007 North American SuperLiga. In 2008, McCarty was limited to only 17 games due to injury, but made eight starts for FC Dallas while recording two assists. In May, McCarty underwent sports hernia surgery in Germany during the middle of the season in hopes of speeding up his recovery time. McCarty played an important role in the FC Dallas 2009 season, sitting in central midfield as a deep playmaker. He recorded his best statistical season with the club scoring 3 goals and 6 assists. On November 11, head coach Schellas Hyndman made it a top priority to retain McCarty, signing him to a new deal. During the 2010 season McCarty was once again a key player for FC Dallas helping the club reach the MLS Cup Playoffs. On November 6, McCarty scored the winning goal…

McCarty was named to the United States U-20 men's national soccer team for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He was named to the roster of the United States U-23 men's national soccer team for the 2008 CONCACAF Men Pre-Olympic Tournament in March 2008. He played in every match for the U-23 squad and was named to the All Tournament Team with teammates Maurice Edu and Freddy Adu. He was also voted to the "2008 Best XI" as a midfielder by the CONCACAF Technical Study Group. McCarty received his first international cap with the United States national team as a late substitute for Michael Bradley during the international friendly between Slovakia and the United States on November 14, 2009. He earned his second cap four days later in a match against Denmark. In 2010, McCarty played the last 13 minutes in a friendly against Honduras. 2011 looked to be the beginning of a more consistent McCarty role with the national team as he was called up by Coach Bob Bradley to participate in the January Camp and then led the team as captain in their match against Chile, which resulted in a draw. After a long absence from the national team, McCarty was called into the January 2017 training camp by Bruce Arena.

McCarty's middle name, and now nickname came from the main character in his father's favorite book; The Adventurers. He was listed as one of the top American soccer players to follow on Twitter because of his funny remarks, critiques of referees, and banter with rival fans. His French Bulldogs, Koji and Bali, also have their own Instagram page. In June 2016, McCarty appeared in a cartoon advertisement for Affinity Federal Credit Union, along with teammates, Luis Robles, Connor Lade and Felipe.