FORMER NORTHEAST MEN’S SOCCER STUDENT-ATHLETE EDOUARD NYS DRAFTED IN SECOND ROUND OF MLS DRAFT

FRISCO, Texas – Former Northeast Community College student-athlete Edouard Nys (Dottignies, Belgium) was selected in the second round of the 2025 MLS Super Draft with the 40th overall pick by FC Dallas Thursday. The second-round selection is the highest for any student-athlete to a professional league in the history of Northeast Athletics.

Nys scored 48 career goals at Northeast and recorded 49 assists in 49 games played during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He was named ICCAC First Team All-Region during both of his years with the Hawks and was also named NJCAA First Team All-American twice. He was selected by coaches and staff as the Northeast Male Student-Athlete of the Year twice and Nys won ICCAC Athlete of the Week honors five times. As a captain in 2024, Nys helped the Hawks secure the first NJCAA national championship in school history and he was named national tournament MVP at the 2024 NJCAA DII Men's Soccer Championship. After the season concluded, Nys was named the 2024 United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Year and this May was named 2024-25 ICCAC Male Athlete of the Year, an award given to the best player in the conference across all sports.

Head Men's Soccer Coach Adam Potter brought Nys to Northeast in the fall of 2023 and couldn't be more thrilled to see a former player of his achieve incredible heights.

"I am incredibly proud of Edu and this accomplishment," Potter said. "It reflects not only his hard work, discipline and character, but also the values we strive to instill in our program every day. Edu represents the very best of our school. His commitment, resilience and drive to excel in everything he does along with his winning mentality raises the standard for everyone around him. This achievement is so well deserved, and I have no doubt it's only the beginning of what he will continue to accomplish. I'm so incredibly proud of Edu!"

Head Assistant Men's Soccer Coach Adriano Coppolecchia, also born in Belgium, coached Nys during the 2024 season and is excited to see his fellow countryman add to his already illustrious career.

"On and off the field, Edu is an outstanding young man, and he fully deserves this moment," Coppolecchia said. "Coach Potter and I always talk about dominating every drill, every session and every game. Edu lived up to that standard. He put his head down, stayed consistent and worked relentlessly for what he wanted. This is a well-earned step in his journey and FC Dallas got a good one!"

Athletic Director Jerrett Mills has seen firsthand the impact that Nys has had on Northeast's campus and the city of Norfolk.

"First, I am extremely proud of Edu and his many accomplishments throughout his career," Mills said. "He has raised the standard, and it all started at Northeast. His determination and grit are unmatched, and it was an honor to witness. He will continue to make us proud as a member of FC Dallas and throughout the MLS. FC Dallas is getting a determined and hardworking champion that will push everyone around him to get the job done. We will continue to cheer for him often and into the next phase of his storied career."

After two seasons with the Hawks, Nys transferred to the University of Illinois Chicago last spring where he scored 16 goals and led the NCAA in goals per game (0.89) while being named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2025.

"We were aggressive (in the draft) for a couple reasons," said FC Dallas President Dan Hunt. "We have some open roster spots on our supplemental roster, which makes sense to fill with good college draft picks, especially when you can get top talent. This is a really talented group of players, and we listened to the staff talk about them over the last couple of weeks, so I think we filled a lot of needs here."

FC Dallas made a trade with the Colorado Rapids to acquire the selection used to select Nys with pick No. 40. FC Dallas became a franchise in 1996 as a charter member of the league and are owned by Hunt Sports Group, who also own the Kansas City Chiefs in the National Football League. FC Dallas plays their home matches at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.

HAWKS HAPPENINGS:

For all the latest information on Northeast Hawks Athletics, please visit northeasthawks.com. For updates and other exciting content, follow:

@northeastcchawks on Facebook

@northeasthawks on Instagram

@northeasthawks on TikTok

@NortheastHawks on Twitter/X

@NortheastCCMS on Twitter/X