CHICAGO (Sept. 17, 2024) – As part of its mission to develop winning teams, U.S. Soccer has appointed Alex Aldaz as the new head coach of the U.S. Under-16 Men’s Youth National Team.
Aldaz joins U.S. Soccer after six years coaching in the vaunted FC Dallas academy set-up and served as the first assistant coach for the U-17 MYNT during the 2022-23 cycle. Most recently, he served as first assistant for North Texas SC, the MLS NEXT Pro outfit for FC Dallas, and the club is currently at the top of the league standings. In total, Aldaz sports more than 20 years of experience coaching across the American soccer ecosystem.
“Coaching a U.S. Youth National Team is a privilege and we’re excited to have Alex join U.S. Soccer to lead our U-16 Men’s Youth National Team,” said Barry Pauwels, Head of Development – Men’s Youth National Teams. “Alex has a passion for inspiring and developing young players and we were impressed with his qualities as a person and as an assistant coach during the last U-17 World Cup cycle. We’re confident that he is a cultural fit and will help grow our U.S. Youth National Team program.”
Aldaz holds his U.S. Soccer Academy Director and “A” License, as well as a UEFA “B” License. He’s fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.
The Argentine-American joined FC Dallas as an academy head coach in 2018, leading the U-15 age group. In his work with the U-15s and several seasons with North Texas SC, he helped develop a number of players that were promoted to the first team and/or sold to European clubs, including several that have gone onto feature in the U.S. Men’s National Team program such as Justin Che, Jonathan Gomez, Nolan Norris, Ricardo Pepi, Bryan Reynolds, Dante Sealy and Tanner Tessmann.
Before joining FC Dallas, Aldaz worked in the Portland Timbers academy and was named U.S. Soccer Development Academy Western Conference U-15 Coach of the Year in 2018.
“I am incredibly humbled and honored to have the opportunity to lead the U-16 MYNT,” Aldaz said. “We look forward to establishing a culture that lives by U.S. Soccer’s values and standards, while creating an optimal development environment for our country’s top young players. We will relentlessly work to develop our top young talents into world-class players that will make our country proud at the senior national team level.”
With U.S. Soccer, Aldaz served as U-17 head coach Gonzalo Segares’ first assistant for the duration of the 2022-23 cycle, which saw the U.S. qualify for a record 18th FIFA U-17 World Cup. At the World Cup in Indonesia, the USA advanced to the knockout stage for the first time since 2017 before a narrow defeat to eventual champion Germany. He also served as a National Team scout for the Federation from 2014-17.
Prior to coaching in the MLS youth ranks, Aldaz had an extensive career in the college game. He spent four years as an assistant with Southern Methodist University, leading the Mustangs to a conference title and earning American Athletic Conference Coaching Staff of the Year honors in 2015. He was associate head coach at Florida Gulf Coast University for six years, where the Eagles won five Atlantic Sun Conference regular season and tournament titles and he twice won Atlantic Sun Coaching Staff of the Year. As an assistant with Xavier University from 2005-2007, he helped the Musketeers reach their first Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament since 1997.
Aldaz’s first training camp with the U-16 MYNT is taking place Sept. 15-22 in Fayetteville, Ga. About 25 miles southeast of Atlanta, Fayette County is the new home of U.S. Soccer as the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center is currently under construction in the county.
In his role, Aldaz will work closely with U-17 MYNT head coach Segares to maximize the development, evaluation and movement of players between the age groups for training camps and matches during the run-up to the 2025 Concacaf U-17 Championship and 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup.