2023 FC Dallas Player Recaps: Eugene Ansah

Our 2023 FC Dallas player recaps continue with forward Eugene Ansah.

FC Dallas signed the Ghanaian forward to a one-and-a-half-year deal back in July. Head coach Nico Estevez called him a dynamic player who could hold the ball well and help facilitate the attack.

Ansah was a constant bench option for Estevez, appearing in 11 regular season games, three playoff games against Seattle, and all four Leagues Cup matches. Across both competitions, he scored three goals.

Either one of his Leagues Cup goals were good finishes. I appreciate how quickly he adapted himself to the team during that competition to find goals off the bench like this one.

It was always a bit surprising not to see him pick up a start or two late in the year, especially when the team was dealing with seven games in a 21-day stretch during September and early October.

We did see some frustrating play at times when he was on the field, particularly in St. Louis when he missed a golden chance to put the team up despite being down a man due to a Maarten Paes red card. While he redeemed himself with a goal in stoppage time that night, you have to wonder if that miss had lasting effects on him for the rest of 2024.

He’s got to find more time on the field, though, in 2024. He’s a physical player that could cause a lot of problems if he puts himself in the right spots.

In previous years, I probably would have labeled this a Clavijo Special of a signing. Ansah quickly proved me wrong in the Leagues Cup with his goals off the bench. By the time the playoffs came around, I had begun dubbing him and Jader Obrian as the new Bash Brothers for FC Dallas off the bench.

Yeah, I don’t think the Bash Brothers thing will catch on, but I do see Ansah being a solid role player next season for FC Dallas. The club isn’t locked in long-term to him, which may motivate him to do more in 2024. Contract years are a hell of a thing for some players. Maybe it will be for Anash.