FC Dallas midfielder Paxton Pomykal seemed to be just about ready to return to the starting XI as the decision to suspend the MLS season was announced. The 20-year-old had come off the bench for FCD in their first two games of the season and he was set to feature in at least the gameday roster as the team were set to take on New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on March 14.
But that wasn't even the most important item on the young midfielder's schedule. He was set to leave the club after the match and join his teammates with the United States U-23 team as they looked to qualify for the 2020 Olympics. The tournament was ultimately postponed and more news was announced on Tuesday — the Olympics themselves have been postponed. But Pomykal isn't too concerned about that at the moment.
"At the end of the day there's so many more important things to be worried about right now than going to the Olympics. You know, hundreds of thousands of people are losing their jobs — living paycheck to paycheck — so for me to be upset about one tournament that's going to eventually happen is kind of selfish in a way. So I'm I'm not too upset about it. It will happen eventually. I'm more concerned for the general well-being of everybody else right now."
Pomykal had been dealing with a groin injury since the end of the 2019 season and underwent offseason surgery to help in his rehabilitation. He was ultimately forced to pull out of full national team camp in January due to the injury.
As proof of his full return to health, the Texas native confirmed that his current training regimen is about the same of his teammates — with some emphasis on strengthening different areas.
"I'm feeling great. It's unfortunate timing to be honest because I just came off of surgery, four months of rehab, and I started feeling good for the first time in a while. Obviously now we have to dial it down a little bit."
Pomykal moved out on his own five months ago but is passing the time by returning home to be with his family. He has plenty of time to stay active with his brothers and continuing his education in cooking, though he is passing on the opportunity to play video games with Reggie Cannon and other teammates online.
"Hanging out with friends is the one that I kind of miss the most, especially because all my friends are home from college now because all the universities switched to online [classes]. So while my hometown boys are back here and I can't even hang out because we're chilling."
