Michael Dax McCarty (born April 30, 1987) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer. Early career McCarty was raised in Winter Park, Florida and attended Winter Park High School. During his early years, McCarty was a member of the United States Soccer Residency program and attended the Edison Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He was also a member of the Ajax Orlando Prospects in the USL Premier Development League the summer after his freshman year in college. McCarty played college soccer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2004–05. Over that span, he appeared in 45 games, scoring 4 goals and assisting on 11 others. In 2005, he was named to the All-ACC first team. Professional club career FC Dallas Opting to forgo his last two years at North Carolina, he was drafted in the first round, 6th overall, of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas. McCarty made his MLS debut in the 85th minute in a 3–0 loss against Chivas USA on July 1, 2006. Dax had his best season as a professional in 2007 making his first start against the Los Angeles Galaxy in a 2–1 victory on April 12, 2007, and scored his first career MLS goal against the Galaxy on September 23, 2007. McCarty featured in Dallas' 3–2 loss to the New England Revolution in the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final. He finished the 2007 campaign leading the team with seven assists in 31 appearances throughout all competitions, including appearances in the 2007 North American SuperLiga. In 2008, McCarty was limited to only 17 games due to injury, but made eight starts for FC Dallas while recording two assists. In May, McCarty underwent sports hernia surgery in Germany during the middle of the season in hopes of speeding up his recovery time. McCarty played an important role in the FC Dallas 2009 season, sitting in central midfield as a deep playmaker. He recorded his best statistical season with the club scoring 3 goals and 6 assists. On November 11, head coach Schellas Hyndman made it a top priority to retain McCarty, signing him to a new deal. During the 2010 season McCarty was once again a key player for FC Dallas helping the club reach the MLS Cup Playoffs. On November 6, McCarty scored the winning goal against Real