Is this player FC Dallas' newest draft gem?

Over the last few seasons, FC Dallas has found great success in the MLS SuperDraft. From club legends like Matt Hedges to recent stars in Logan Farrington and many in-between, the Burn know how to mine the SuperDraft. If you'd like more on how Dallas does it, check this from Charles Boehm last year.

Enter the 2026 SuperDraft.

Dallas did a lot of maneuvering both prior to and the day of the SuperDraft, dishing out GAM to Montreal and Atlanta to the tune of over $750,000 to end up with the #2 and #3 overall picks. Those picks turned into a pair of Generation adidas talents in forwards Ricky Louis from Georgia Southern and Nicholas Simmonds from Virginia. The Toros also had pick #16 in the first round, selecting Nklas Herceg a goalkeeper from Vermont.

Despite three first rounders, the intrigue from this draft class comes in the second round. Dallas dropped another $75,000, this time in 2027 GAM to Colorado for picks #40 and #44. The latter got them Umberto Pela, a midfielder outta Virginia.

#40 is the one that should perk up Burn supporters. Dallas selected University of Illinois-Chicago midfielder Edouard Nys (pronounced ed-WAR Niece).

The bio

Nys was a standout for the UIC Flames; he won the Missouri Valley Player and Forward of the year, was a candidate for the Hermann Trophy (the nation's top player), and was the MVC's only representative at the MLS College Showcase this year.

Nys' journey to UIC is a a varied one. Born in Dottignies, Belgium Nys came up through a Belgium pro academy. He got his first taste of professional soccer at the age of 17 with KVK Westhoek, a fourth division Belgium side that Nys featured for across two seasons. A desire to improve himself led him to America, specifically Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska.

Success followed Nys; he posted 31 goals, 27 assists, and 173 shots leading the NJCAA during the 24-25 season. That got him D2 First Team All-American honors along with being named the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Year. Prior to arriving at UIC, Nys took a summer sojourn to USL League 2 side Asheville City SC. He talks at length about his experience in Asheville here.

What makes him interesting

What perked my curiosity was this Bluesky post from Paul Harvey, who covers the SuperDraft better than most:

When Paul says a player is the draft's best, that sets off some alarms. Let's get a better look at Nys' chart:

Two categories leap off the charts: progression and creation. Nys is elite at both, and that reminded me of something Dan Hunt said at the end of season press conference a couple weeks ago:

“We have great players here. Petar Musa is a great player, still young in his career, and one of our big focus this offseason will be adding players that will give our forwards more opportunities to score goals. We have plenty of goals there, and I think we've only scratched the surface.”

If you're trying to create more goals for your strikers, acquiring a player like Nys fits the bill. It's not just the goal creation however. Nys is unafraid to make runs into the box and smash goals home. Don't take my word for it though; check out this highlight tape from Nys' own YouTube channel:

The tape shows a player who can do just about everything, and does it with zeal. That's the other part of this coin. Dallas isn't just looking for quality on field talent, they want a certain archetype of person. Nys fits that bill, judging by this quote in the aforementioned Asheville interview:

I think in America, the team is really focused on becoming a family. Here, I think we put a lot of emphasis on becoming a family and that's how we win. Whereas, I find in Belgium, it's really more individual and people focus more on themselves than on the team. It's a slightly more open mentality here. As for the difference in mentality between my junior college and Asheville, I find that the mentality is the same. We want to win at all costs, and I love that. We play as a team and that's how we win our games.

A midfielder with a motor, creativity, and a win at all costs attitude? If that doesn't sound like Eric Quill made him in a lab I'm not sure what does. It's the exact mentality Quill wants from his players as he continues culture building inside Frisco.

What could hold him back

There's a lot of things going for Nys, but there's some logistical barriers that could keep him from achieving first team status. There's the obvious one: stepping up from college to professional soccer is hard. Even the best players can struggle to adapt, and even with hard work it just doesn't always happen.

Putting that aside Nys is a Belgian citizen, meaning he'll require an international roster spot until he can acquire a green card or full on citizenship. That limits him from a roster construction standpoint, especially with Dallas already signing one international first team player and on the verge of signing another.

As it stands the roster is full of players who occupy the space Nys does. Dallas just announced the signing of Ran Binyamin while also expecting big things in 2026 from a healthy Paxton Pomykal. Factor in that the Burn still want to sign a premier attacking midfielder, and the roster math could get fuzzy for a draftee. Injuries and match congestion tends to open up spots in time, but it'd be a shock given the current roster construction if Nys was first team material on February 21st.

The immediate future

Despite the things that might stop him, Nys should get every chance to prove himself. Training camp for all MLS clubs begins in early January, and Nys will be one to watch during camp. Should Dallas makes another overseas trip, I'd expect Nys would make the plane if only to make sure the club has enough numbers. That will give the young man every chance to impress Quill and his staff.

If I was prognosticating, I'd say Nys' reasonable best case scenario is starting for North Texas SC once their season begins. Quill has opened that pipeline up, and if Nys can perform there it'll increase his first team chances.

He's got a great role model for that path. Sam Sarver was pick #46 last year, set MLS Next Pro on fire, and earned a first team contract before the season ended. There's nothing that says Nys can't be the next second round success for Dallas. He's got all the tools, the mentality, and the profile the club wants. The rest is up to him.

Bet against him if you want. With Dallas' long history of finding role players to superstars in the SuperDraft, you won't find me being the one doing so.