It’s not often that you get the chance to play not one, but two sports in college. Furthermore, it’s not often that you get the chance to sign a pro contract and have to decide between the two.
Tanner Tessmann joins us to share his story of being the next FCD homegrown player to join the first team. Strong family support, solid faith, success through the FCD Academy and NTSC all contribute to Tanner’s opportunity to make his mark in the MLS, and we’re excited about it.
Enjoy episode #58 with Tanner Tessmann. And, listen to more episodes from the Hustle & Pro archives.
Show Notes
- [00:28] Quick Hits
- [03:03] Clemson & Football
- [07:03] Using Size in the FCD lineup
- [09:15] Family & Faith
- [13:15] Friends & Chum Chat Podcast
- [18:20] Adjusting from Eric Quill to Luchi Gonzalez
- [20:35] Goals
Resources within this episode:
- FC Dallas: Website
- Tanner Tessman: Bio | Twitter: @frantanjam5 | Instagram: @frantanjam5
- Kelly Walker: Instagram @kelly_walkertexas | Twitter: @kelly_walker_TX
Connect with Lifestyle Frisco:
Transcript: (machine-generated)
Welcome to Hustle and Pro season two talking sports and Frisco from youth to pro. Now here’s your host, Kelly Walker.
Welcome to Hustle and Pro. We have a fun episode for you today. So not only is Tanner Tessman another FC Dallas homegrown, we’re going to brag about, he’s a fellow podcaster too, so I’m sure he’ll entertain us today. Hi Tanner.
Hello. How are y’all doing?
Yeah, I’m glad to have you on. Um, so I’ve talked to you before, but I’m ready for our audience to hear about your story. It’s pretty fun. So first I have some quick hits. I want to know who’s your favorite athlete of all time?
Oh, my favorite athlete of all time. That’s tough. I would probably go with, um, Ronaldinho he’s a soccer player, but I’ve been watching some, uh, formula one on Netflix and Louis Hamilton might be my guy. So Louis Amundson or Ronaldinho, probably my drive to drive to succeed or whatever that Netflix.
Yes.
So good. So good.
Yeah, he’s pretty amazing. Yes, Ronaldinho, he knows one of those soccer guys. You can just watch forever. Yeah, that was with the ball at his feet. What about favorite sports movies?
Favorite sports movies? Um, definitely Remember the Titans is one and then a Miracle. I love Miracle, the story and the background. So those are probably my two favorite maybe. Um, what’s that one about? Uh oh Rudy. I like Rudy but then obviously like Rocky, Rocky is my all time favorite movie series but it’s more of like boxing so, but yeah,
I like Rudy too, but it’s been ruined for me over the years. Hearing people talk about it, how it’s not like it’s kind of true and accurate is the movie makes it look so, but I like it. It’s a good story. All right. What about superstitions? You have any game day superstitions or routines that you’ve got to do?
Well I have it everyday superstition. I have, no matter what it is, I have to put my left foot in it first. So like if I’m putting on shoes and has to be my left foot goes in the shoe first and then my right foot. And then when I take off my shoes, I have to take off my right shoe first and then take off my left shoe. It goes with socks as well. I have to put my left sock on first and then my right sock. That’s just how it is. I don’t know why, but that’s pretty much it. I don’t really have any, any superstitions. If I don’t do something then something bad’s going to happen. But that’s pretty much it.
Just the kind of random left foot first thing.
Yes. Left foot. No, I’m right footed. I’m right footed.
All right.
Yes. Weird one.
It’s a little weird. No, that’s good. I mean it’s like a habit you just have to like, once you’re in it, you don’t want to break it I guess. Huh?
Exactly. Exactly.
Okay. So I, I’m always love on this show, learning about the history of athletes and like if they were multi-sport athletes. So if I’m talking to a high school kid that’s committed to play somewhere in college, I like knowing like how many sports they played and how far into their life did they play them. And of course with pro athletes, it’s even more fascinating to learn that I’m with you. It’s a little bit kind of not necessary because you are definitely a multi, multi sport athlete up until like a second ago. So, um, can you tell me that football story and history and kind of the story about Clemson?
Well, yeah, so I’ve been playing a bunch of sports ever since. I was little, always the main three were soccer, basketball and football. I had a little bit of tennis, um, other sports here and there, but those were the main three. And um, I really, my two favorite sports are basketball and soccer. Those are my true loves football. I never really got into as much I could say. Uh, just didn’t really like it as much. But, uh, so I, I played football all the way until eighth grade and then on in ninth grade I moved here to um, Frisco and started playing, um, for FC Dallas Academy. And so I couldn’t play basketball anymore and I couldn’t play football either because here at FC Dallas Academy you can only play once, you have to focus on soccer. And that, that’s just how it is you, it takes up so much of your time, mornings, afternoons, games, everything. So you really don’t have time to do anything else. But, so when I moved here, I was solely focusing on a soccer and then, um, then I kinda got started in the recruiting of, um, of colleges and a bunch of colleges wanted me or whatever and, and Clemson and always been on my radar cause I grew up going to Clemson, uh, with my connection with [inaudible]. Um, I grew up going to games, going there on holidays, uh, with him and things like that. So Clemson was always in my heart. But, uh, at the time I was really open to any, any school to go play for, but then not playing soccer. Yeah, just playing soccer at, no other school had a, any other sports or anything like that. But I made jokes, uh, to, I went on a visit to UNC, North Carolina and I was like, look, if I come here, I’m playing basketball too. But it was just a joke. Like, I would never actually do it, but I would probably go try out. But I was, basketball was really my true love. Uh, besides soccer. I love basketball. I still do. But, um, but then Clemson started recruiting me and started talking with, uh, [inaudible] and, and it was, it became a possibility cause I came, I went to, uh, I went to up to Clemson, won a break. I had a weekend and that the team was practicing in and I got out on the field just with me and couple of my friends that are on the team. And I started hitting some field goals. And, and it really came true to me and Dabo and my family that I could actually do this like it. Like I, I never had practice since the eighth grade. And, uh, it was still natural to me. So I was, I was hitting, I was kicking in eighth grade. I was a wide receiver in eighth grade and I was a safety in eighth grade. And before that I played a whole bunch of positions, but those were the best positions. I was at wide receiver and safety were probably my best. And then obviously kicker. But, um, yeah, so then he saw me kick, uh, when I was at Clemson and then I came to a camp and then we kind of started talking with, I committed to Clemson, but then after I committed, we kind of had to talk with a coach, Noonan and Dabo about the logistics of it and, and how it was going to work because it’s tough to, to handle with, uh, two sports that are in the same season as well as academics. So, but we, we sorted it out and, and we had everything set to go and then FC Dallas obviously came up. So, but that’s pretty much the rundown. Yeah.
How long did you have to consider signing your pro contract with FC Dallas versus staying in Clemson and playing two sports?
Yeah, so he, I was, it was a really short timeframe that I had to decide, but it was only short because I made it short. I could, uh, I could have kept prolonging the decision and, um, they gave me as much time as I wanted FC Dallas, they it wasn’t a rush. Uh, Clemson, obviously they were going to take me. And so, um, but now after they offered, it was kind of like a, like, what am I doing moment? Like this is what I, I moved for four years. Like this is what I’m doing. Like this is what I saw I’ve been working towards and it kinda just take a, I had to take a step back from the, the, the small picture and look at the big picture of what I’ve been doing. So it was, it was maybe a couple of days that I had to decide down in, uh, in Florida. My family came to Florida, uh, and the preseason trip when we went to Tampa and, uh, it was two or three days that we decided and then we told Luchi, so then we move forward.
Yeah. That’s awesome. Okay. So speaking of Luchi, so something I want to talk about is like your physical, your physicality. You have definitely brought some size to FC Dallas. Um, so in the first home game, um, homes, the season home opener, I missed a cue a few times out there for Ryan. Um, we weren’t, you know, we weren’t used to seeing you out there yet playing. And so some of the people sitting around us were saying the same thing, so I’m a season ticket holder just FYI. Um, and so talking to people, they were like, man, that’s, you know, who’s this new kid that looks like a grown man out there with Ryan and Matt back there. So tell me about how your size, um, you know, kind of jives with this first team and how Luchi is going to take advantage of that.
Yeah, for sure. I think for me, having size is such an advantage for me, especially as a young player because you see other players like, uh, that a bunch of homegrowns that we have that that may not have that size aspect, but there definitely have the technical ability and the, and everything else. But it just, it just, the size of the MLS is kind of tough. So I think for me that really plays to my strengths and being able to just hop out there and, um, be able to play with those guys that are in the MLS and not be scared to go in tackles and things like that, especially in the midfield. But I think I can dominate the midfield in any, in any, um, league with my, with my size and ability. So, uh, just the belief that Luchi had in me to play me really let me showcase that ability. But that’s something I’ve been working on trying to stay strong because once you, once you grow like that, it was a, it was a quick growth spurt and then I was really skinny and a lanky. So after, after a while I had to start getting in the gym started getting bigger. So now I’m stronger and I think it really helps. I, I think, like you said, you can see it. Um, let mistake me for Ryan, he’s a big guy, so, yeah.
Yeah. Uh, when was your growth spurt?
I grew in the ninth grade, summer, eighth grade summer, I guess. Kind of, but yeah, I just, I just shot up. When I moved to Dallas, I was a very tall and I was growing when I moved here. So.
So are you playing on the outside? Is that, what do you mean? Like are you an outside midfielder?
No I play, uh, like six, eight, uh, midfield, like center mid. But, uh, when I’m, when I played in Academy, I played every position but uh, right back and left back so.
Okay. Going on to see a few times yet. So this season, so haven’t gotten it in my brain yet. What that starting 11 looks like. But, um, okay. So I also want to talk to you about faith and family. So I can tell just from the little bit that I have seen of you already that, um, it plays, they can family play a big role in shaping your life. So is that, is that accurate?
Oh, 100%. Yeah.
So tell me about that. Like your, your family support and like you said, you guys made the decision as a family to move to Frisco a few years back. And so tell me about that and, um, how the faith plays into your, your life.
Well, yeah, I mean faith is the biggest thing. It’s my foundation. So what did I do? Everything based off of, and, um, I try to just, um, show the glory that God’s given me in the blessings that he’s given me, uh, to relate it all onto people that, uh, might not know him. So that’s the biggest thing. And just to try to inspire people through him is my goal as a person. And, and uh, it’s something that I really believe in strongly, but my family’s also helped me with that belief and they’ve taught me and raised me the right way, I believe in. Um, they definitely sacrifice a lot for me and they’re, they’re huge supporters. Uh, I have a bunch of family. They, they, they share on all my, my goals and um, things I’ve done to other, uh, their friends and family. So my support, my support behind me is, is, is massive. Uh, it’s a bunch of people that all believe in me and they want what’s best for me. So, uh, even just a couple of weeks ago, they were on a, on a cruise ship. Uh, [inaudible] had a, um, his 50th birthday and, uh, they went down to the islands on this private boat and there was about 40 people in my, my parents bought a, we were supposed to play in New York. That’s when we got canceled or whatever, but we’re supposed to play New York on that Saturday in New York. And my dad had brought hats for everyone to wear FTL sat, so he bought like 40 FC Dallas hats. So that just shows the support that they have for me and what they’re willing to do to say, get people on my team. So I saw his glory to them and God that, uh, that really helps me where I am today so.
That’s awesome. Do you have brothers and sisters?
I have an older sister. Yeah. She, uh, she used to play soccer and, uh, but right now she’s at, she goes to college at Belmont in Tennessee and, uh, she plays the guitar. She’s really into music. She’s unbelievable on the guitar. Uh, she’s, she, she’s in a band. Um, she, she does a lot of gigs, but now since the Coronavirus she’s, she hasn’t been able to do much, but yeah, she’s, she’s amazing on the guitar.
Wow. Okay. I’m curious about the prayer circle. So after games, before you guys leave the field, um, so how does that work? Does anybody just jump in or is this something you guys talk about beforehand or who gets to go? Like, cause I know that there’s like, I’m a guy, right? I don’t know if he’s like officially a chaplain or what, but um, he kind of waits on everybody. Maybe even if you’re doing like interviews, like Reggie’s usually pulled off to the side or Paxton and different guys and you all wait until a certain amount of people are, there are certain guys who are there. And then there’s a prayer said before y’all walk off the field, how’s that work out?
Yeah, I mean guys are doing different things, cool down, but then other guys need to get their fitness in so they’re running. But we all know as a team, even if you’re, if some people aren’t religious, that it’s a, it’s a group thing that we all try to do and a just say a quick prayer cause at the end of the day, um, we thank God for letting us be able to play and, uh, get through the game that if, if we, everyone’s safe, we pray about that. But, um, no, it’s, it’s a blessing to be able to do what we do and, and we have to thank God for that cause uh, any day could go, it could be gone. So we’ve got to take every moment and keep moving forward. So we just thank him and we hoping to keep giving us blessings and move forward. So yeah, it’s, but it’s, it’s tough sometimes cause we’ve got people that do interviews and some people forget cause you’re caught up in the moment, but we all try to remind each other there and hold people accountable so.
Yeah, I love it. Do you guys get to, to voice your own thoughts at that time? Or is it just the leader?
It’s just the leader. Yeah. Yeah.
I think it’s cool. I’ve always thought that’s neat. That’s where we sit. We sit on that corner flag right there. And so we’re all, we always hang out for awhile after the game and so we’re always curious about what’s going on over there and how that all works. But it’s very cool that you guys do that. All right. And so I also want to talk about, talk about your friends. So I have heard you talk about your teammates, your team, roommates. When you travel, your locker mates, your former teammates, um, are most of your closest friends? Soccer guys?
Oh, 100%. Yeah. All my, I’d say all my friends are soccer guys. I don’t really have any that, uh, that aren’t maybe a few back in the high school or middle school that, uh, that I’m cool with. But right now, closest friends, all soccer players for sure.
Yeah. So then I talked at the beginning about how you have your own podcast. So your podcast is your soccer friends, right. So it’s, it’s another, um, well it’s a international player and there’s another MLS player.
He plays, he plays in college. He played at Clemson and now he transferred to SMU. So
yeah.
Oh, he’s here. Okay.
Yeah, he, he does move back and this will be his next year, will be his first year at SMU. He’s still technically in Clemson, but the Coronavirus, so he’s doing all the classes online.
Gotcha. And then who’s the other, who’s the other friend that you do your podcast with?
Uh, Johan Gomez. He plays for Portugal. Porto in Portugal, but uh, he, he played FC Dallas, uh, last year and he played with North Texas with me. And uh, but he moved to Porto to try to chase his dreams and, and start there. But yeah, he’s, he’s on the national team as well with me. The U 20, so.
Okay. So you guys talk about, um, everything from girls and tattoos and soccer, lots of soccer and different goals and things like that, right?
Yeah, that’s, that’s pretty much our, our podcast I guess. But the main goal for us was continent just to, to find people success. But at the same time, uh, we all miss each other. You know, last year we were really close. Um, we, I mean we did everything together, pretty much workout. Me and Johan went to personal trainers together. Um, we, we ate lunch together, we went to school together. Uh, we did everything together, we traveled together, we played together, we were together all the time. So kind of this year missing that we kind of started a group chat and then it kinda just came about start a podcast and it’s kind of a, our way of staying in touch with each other, but at the same time doing some fun that we love to do and touch other people that that might need to be touched. So that’s kind of our goal with our podcast and what it is so.
Yeah. That’s cool. Are you all having fun?
Oh yeah. It’s so fun. I wish there’s some episodes that we wish we could release but I don’t think I’d get a lot of like it would just be pointless. But they’re so funny.
Cause y’all are just going on about nothing or what?
Yeah, we’re just talking about nothing but it’s just like, it’s just a good, like a good chat, you know, like with our best friends cause it’s lighthearted and we’re just, we’re just having a good time. But at the end of the day like it wouldn’t, like it didn’t have a purpose, some of those episodes, but maybe we’ll get some in there.
Yeah. Why not? It’s fun though. That’s why I asked to start this one because I cover all the local sports teams around here for Lifestyle Frisco and um, it’s great and it was fun interviewing players and coaches and writing articles about him. But it’s more fun to just be able to have a conversation. You get a lot of different information that way. It’s just, I like the medium better to be able to just hear it, hear the conversation, read it rather than type it out and read it. I think it’s stuff for sure. And it’s fun. This podcast is fun. It’s called Hustle and Pro because we interview everybody from youth to pro. So I’ve had a couple of middle school kids on and then we work with FISD to get basically kids who’ve maybe committed or are just high level athletes, whatever sport. And so, um, it’s fun talking to basketball players and I mean everybody really not just soccer. We do a lot of soccer. Soccer is one of my favorites. So we do a lot of soccer. Um, you mentioned basketball. Who’s your, who’s your basketball team? Who’s your NBA team?
I don’t have as like an NBA team. I just like to follow a players. A Kyrie Irving really touches my heart. He’s um, the uncle drew series. Is is something else? If you haven’t seen the uncle drew series, you got to go see the uncle drew series. But I just, I dunno, basketball just is a different, I don’t know, it’s a different thing in my heart I would say. Cause I love soccer is my true love. But basketball is, is close. I, I really enjoy playing basketball and, and getting out there. I haven’t been able to get out there lately, but, uh, usually I go in the summer and play couple of pickup games and, uh, at the beach we’ll play. So hopefully we can do that soon.
I’m dating this podcast, but today I think would be national championship game day, I think. Does that sound right? March madness tournament would be wrapping up. I think so. I heard that earlier on a ticket and made me a little sad that that’s what today was. I got sad last week cause it was opening day of baseball of course, didn’t happen. And so it’s wrapping up college basketball season today didn’t happen. But um, yeah. So there’s your college team then like are you, are you still a Clemson guy?
Yeah, I’m so guy. Person. All sports call.
Probably North Carolina too.
No, I don’t know. I’m all Clemson except for soccer. I would say I’m Clemson and UAB, UAB, Alabama team, Birmingham. I got a couple of friends that play for them, so I love to support them. But I’m Clemson all the way, all sports Clemson, so.
Okay. Very good. Okay. One last thing about, um, like you mentioned some of your teammates from NTSC, the transition moving over from Eric Quill to Luchi. So was there much of a learning curve to get used to their coaching styles?
Well, the thing is with, uh, with Luchi, I’ve known Luchi ever since I’ve been with the FC Dallas, uh, he was the person that brought me to FC Dallas, so I’ve kind of always known Luchi for, so for him to get the job as head coach, uh, really helped me because he knows me and there’s not much to, he knows me. He’s been watching me, so he believes in me. But an air coil, he was, he’s a really cool guy, a great coach. Uh, I love the style of coaching that he does. He, he likes to, he likes to be active and he likes to talk to players and things like that. So they’re both say what.
I think. I felt like he played at Clemson.
He did. Yeah. Eric Cole played at Clemson and then you went pro yet. But, uh, yeah, so we connect me and Eric connected right off the bat with that. And then also just being cool. But yeah, I think they’re both great coaches and the, the transition from Eric Quill, uh, to Luchi Gonzalez is very similar. They’re very similar coaches, uh, would their styles and the way they coach. So it was pretty easy to be honest.
Yeah, I think FC Dallas has done a good job of that of obviously they’ve done a good job of their homegrown system because we, you know, we believe in that. But also just that that kind of hand off from one team to the other and the coaches working so well. And I don’t know if you could plan that because it’s like happened so much over time with Luchi being in a system, the other end of it, but maybe they didn’t plan it, I don’t know. But it’s working out right, especially for the players. It’s making, making a huge difference in seeing some of these guys come back. Like guys like Eddie who did go off to school and you’re coming back. I mean if that was a different coach set up, I don’t think that he would’ve come back or, or [inaudible] as a viable option to come back.
Yeah. I mean I think, I think there’s the relationships we build, cause Eddie stayed in touch with Luchi over those over those four years and then, and then he came back. And I think just the relationships we build, they, they’re there forever. Even if Eddie didn’t come back and later on if, if Eddie needed something in life that I think Luchi would be there for him. So I just think the relationships we create in the Academy and then in the pro level, I think those are, those are beyond any other club that in the US that can do that so.
Yeah, I love that. So what’s, what’s next? You’ve made the first team for FC Dallas what are your next goals for yourself?
Yeah, I mean my 2020 goals, the first one was to sign pro. So to kind of start off the year with that was incredible. But my goals now are just to try to become a main guy in the, in the 11 at FC Dallas, try to get as much minutes as possible and uh, do what the club needs me to do and then also, uh, get called to the U 20 world cup. Obviously that’s on hold with Coronavirus and the qualifiers and things like that. But um, we’re, I’m in touch with them and hopefully we can, uh, get back on the field soon. But that’s my goal to make the U 20 world cup and then my goal is always to win the world cup. That’s my goal. Ever since I was a little kid, my dream was to win a world cup. So, uh, to, to win the world cup would be unreal. But those are my short term goals right now so.
Yeah, you’re getting there. Well, best of luck. Keep training and keep the faith and here’s to your next FC Dallas match sometime sooner than later.
Yes ma’am. Yes ma’am. Sit down with us. I know everything’s weird right now. It’s not like everybody’s busy outside of their houses, but still it’s, it’s different. They were not getting to be in the studio, but thanks for jumping on the screen with me so that we could chat.
Oh, yeah, of course. Yeah. Anytime. I really enjoyed it.