Former SMU soccer player Jordan Cano signed on to FC Dallas Jan. 18 as a homegrown player.

The defender is a native of Frisco and spent four years on FC Dallas’ youth academy.

“It’s so very exciting,” Cano told FCDallas.com. “I was 15 when I first came to this club and just saw how professional it was and just growing up throughout the youth system and just meeting some of the really good people and being close to home, close to my family.”

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“I played here for four years, gave it everything I had and just being able to go to the next level with this club means everything.”

Cano was a major piece of the SMU team that reached the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament last season. In addition to outstanding defense, Cano notched four assists and netted three goals last season, one of which was an equalizer in SMU’s NCAA Tournament win over Georgetown.

Cano’s roster spot with FC Dallas is not guaranteed, so he will have to compete for a place on the regular season roster.