Hollingshead Signs New FC Dallas Contract
Frisco, Texas (September 17, 2019) – FC Dallas defender Ryan Hollingshead has agreed to terms on a new, two-year contract, with a club option for the 2022 season, the club announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Ryan is having a phenomenal season,” said FC Dallas President Dan Hunt. “He represents everything we stand for here at FC Dallas and we’re thrilled that he will be wearing our colors for years to come.”
Hollingshead, 28, is having his most productive season in MLS, with a career-high six goals and three assists in 30 games in 2019. He has recorded 11 goals and nine assists in 139 regular-season appearances since joining FC Dallas in 2014 and was part of the team that won both the 2016 MLS Supporters’ Shield and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
“I would say on a personal level, I’m playing the best soccer I’ve played in my entire career. At the age that I’m at and amount of the experience I have, I still feel like the best soccer, the best football, is in front of me and it’s in my future,” said Hollingshead. “My wife and I are really thankful and optimistic for what this club has ahead of it in the next two years.”
In 2017, Hollingshead earned the 2017 MLS Works Humanitarian of the Year award for his heroic effort on an icy night in January. Hollingshead suffered three fractures to his cervical vertebrae while providing roadside assistance to another vehicle. He was sidelined for three months and returned to the field in the final minutes of the New York City FC match on May 14 at Toyota Stadium. He played 820 minutes, starting in nine out of 18 regular season appearances.
Hollingshead played at UCLA throughout his college career, scoring 16 goals and 21 assists in 81 appearances, and was named Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2012. He was selected by FC Dallas as the 20th overall pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft but declined Dallas’ pick to help his brother fulfill a promise and build a church in his hometown of Sacramento. Once the church was complete, Hollingshead signed with FC Dallas in 2014 and made his professional debut on May 31 in a 2-1 loss at San Jose Earthquakes.
