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Coming home: Woodberry returns to the Metroplex, signs with FC Dallas
By Richard C. White, rwhite@starlocalnews.com
London Woodberry is coming home.
The former Maryland Terrapins standout defender signed a Homegrown deal Thursday with FC Dallas. Woodberry played soccer for McKinney High School before taking his talents to Maryland.
Now he's returned to the Metroplex to play professionally.
Woodberry is particularly excited about the prospect of playing in front of loved ones.
"All of my friends and family are here," he said. "It's a great feeling and much better than moving to play somewhere in a place where I don't know anybody. That was a big part of it."
FC Dallas technical director Fernando Clavijo has had his eye on Woodberry for years.
"London was someone I had in my sights for a while from when I was working for a different club," he said. "It only made sense. I spoke to his coach and he rated him as high as I did."
Woodberry earned third team NSCAA All-American honors as a senior for the Terrapins in 2012, helping his squad to eight shutouts over the course of the season. Woodberry appeared in 77 games during his collegiate career, notching four goals and four assists.
"He's a player we can use at different positions on the field," Clavijo said. "He's a player we can utilize right away. His speed, his size, his intelligence; he's not afraid to crash people and is a good-sized kid."
In addition to his physical abilities, Clavijo is encouraged by Woodberry's intangibles.
"He's a very confident young man," he said. "He'll understand right away the different between college and pro."
Woodberry is excited to not only return home, but to join his new FC Dallas teammates for the upcoming season.
"We've got a bunch of guys who are hungry and competitive," he said. "There's a winning attitude throughout all the individuals in the club, players and coaches. I'm very excited."
While he's excited for his professional future, Woodberry hasn't forgotten the life lessons he learned while playing for the McKinney Lions and head coach Alan Pocock.
"My time at McKinney was so much fun," he said. "I made a lot of friends and had a lot of exposure from that. I've got to give a lot of credit to coach Pocock. He helped me mature a lot. He helped my development a lot and I'm thankful for all the memories I made at McKinney."
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