Good Tuesday to you, footy fans! For this week’s Getting to Know You, I chose a player that I’ve admired for a while now.

Seriously, I don’t know why this guy doesn’t get enough credit because even though I’m not a particular fan of his club (sorry Dax), I can say with complete honesty that Dax McCarty is a hell of a guy on the pitch.

Name: Michael Dax McCarty

Club: New York Red Bulls

Position: Midfielder

Age: 25

Birthplace: Winter Park, Fla.

Dax is a product of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he played for two years and appeared in 45 games. After that, he was drafted in the first round – sixth overall pick – of the 2006 MLS Superdraft, beginning his professional career at FC Dallas.

Now, I’ve seen Dax play with three different teams thus far, mostly with FC Dallas, very briefly with D.C. United and now with New York Red Bulls. I’ve also seen him with the U.S. Men’s National team. And I can say the reason I think Dax McCarty is a player everyone should know is because he is a player that makes things happen. You don’t usually see it coming, but when it’s all said and done, Dax was the guy making all the magic happen.

Just ask the Red Bulls – he’s been a needed and welcomed anchor for them in the midfield. He works some magic, there’s no other way around it.

My good friend, Gail, summed up Dax in the best possible way:
“He’s a ginger ninja. And he’s funny. He’s one of those players where they make such a big difference that you don’t even notice until they’re not there.”

And then she added, “And the Daxstache is returning for the playoffs, which is something everybody always wants to see.”

So trust us, Dax is badass. And definitely a player worthy of recognition for that badassness.

Photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls Facebook. And special thanks to Gail, for lending her thoughts to this article.