“I’d tell the Dax of Then to maybe appreciate the opportunity a little bit more,” Dax McCarty said of his first Open Cup Final, way back in 2007 with FC Dallas, when he was still what he calls an “arrogant” teenager. “We’re talking 17 years ago and I thought I’d be playing in a Final every year.
“But the Dax of Now, well, he realizes, “sh*t, that is not the case,” said the player, who still has a youthful gleam in his eye but, at 37, is in the late, leafy autumn of his playing career. “I lost that Open Cup Final and I lost one MLS Cup Final – and I haven’t been back to either.”
There are lots of ways to define success. McCarty’s lack of Open Cup and MLS Cup trophies, over the course of a nearly two-decade career, is a fact. So is his status among the pantheon of MLS’ best-ever holding midfielders – and a pair of Supporters’ Shields with the New York Red Bulls. The general esteem he’s held in by teammates and opponents alike speaks its own kind of truth. Now with Atlanta United, his sixth MLS club, he’s aiming at finally lifting a trophy he holds close to his heart.
“I love the Open Cup; I’ve always loved the Open Cup,” said McCarty, who’s three wins away from lifting American soccer’s oldest prize and going one step farther than he did as a 19-year-old with FC Dallas in his first full year as a pro. “I love the history of the tournament and how it’s a pain in the ass going to these lower-division sides and having to figure out how to get through them and move on.”
Old Man Dax & the Atlanta Kids
The first two games of Atlanta United’s 2024 Open Cup campaign saw a lot of fresh faces called up from the academy. That’s a necessity in an increasingly cramped calendar, and with the natural squad rotation employed by many MLS sides in the early stages of our annual tournament. And in among that flock of young guns, McCarty was the old steady head – the calming influence and occasional firefighter.
The Round of 32 game, in Kennesaw, Georgia against third-division Charlotte Independence, began with an “oh-crap moment.” McCarty, who had more Open Cup appearances (22) than all of his teammates on the day combined, laid a loose ball back near the edge of the opponents’ penalty area that fell to the feet of an Independence player. A lightning counter-attack ensued as the huffing-and-puffing McCarty gave desperate chase for a full 80 yards before committing a foul and receiving a yellow card for his troubles. “Ok, well, not a great start to the tournament for me.”
