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Five things to know about Peter Luccin, FC Dallas’ interim head coach

Luccin took over as interim manager following the departure of Nico Estévez.

With just three wins so far this season, FC Dallas parted ways Sunday with head coach Nico Estévez.

Assistant coach Peter Luccin took over on an interim basis while the club searches for a permanent replacement.

FCD sits second-to-last in the Western Conference standings after 16 matches. Luccin’s first match as interim manager will be against St. Louis FC at home this Saturday.

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Here are five things to know about Luccin as he strives to salvage the 2024 season.

1. This is his 12th year with FC Dallas

The Marseille native joined FCD as a first-team player in 2013. The Frenchman played two seasons, making 15 total appearances.

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Luccin transitioned straight into coaching, working with the U-12, U-13, and U-14 age groups in the youth academy. He holds a UEFA B coaching license while pursuing his A coaching license, according to FC Dallas.

He became a first-team assistant coach under head coach Luchi Gonzalez in 2019. He maintained the position under Estévez’s leadership for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

2. This is not his first time at the helm

Estévez was placed in MLS health and safety protocols in January 2022 after testing positive for COVID-19, missing the beginning of the first team’s preseason trip to Bradenton, Fla. Luccin, alongside assistant coach Ben Cross, managed a noncompetitive match against the U.S. U-20 men’s national team.

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3. He had a successful professional career

The 5-foot-11 midfielder began his professional career in 1996 with AS Cannes in Ligue 1, France’s top tier of professional soccer. Luccin then played for Bordeaux (1997-1998), Marseille (1998-2000) and Paris Saint-Germain (2000-02), totaling 131 Ligue 1 appearances.

Luccin was the youngest member representing France in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, advancing to the quarterfinals.

He was loaned to Spanish club Celta de Vigo in 2001 and remained through the 2004 season. Luccin joined Atletico Madrid (2004-07) and Zaragoza (2007-10) with a one-year loan to Racing Santander (2008-09). He made 207 league appearances and scored 10 goals in Spain’s Primera Division.

Luccin signed with FC Lausanne-Sport, a Swiss Super League team, in 2011 before joining Dallas in 2013.

After playing in Spain and the US, Luccin is now trilingual.

Haley Berg, left, trains with former FC Dallas player Peter Luccin at Performance Indoor...
Haley Berg, left, trains with former FC Dallas player Peter Luccin at Performance Indoor Training in Frisco, Texas, Friday, March 18, 2016. (Jae S. Lee/The Dallas Morning News)(The Dallas Morning News)

4. He knows good players when he sees them

The 45-year-old played on the France U-20 team with Thierry Henry. He played with Ronaldinho at Paris Saint-Germain. He faced Lionel Messi’s Barcelona when he was with Atlético Madrid.

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Luccin will have the opportunity to pull up any promising talent from Dallas’ youth academy and MLS Next Pro teams, international markets, and the MLS transfer portal prior to the MLS roster freeze date, Sept. 13.

5. His son follows closely in his footsteps

Luccin has two sons and one daughter with wife, Sandra.

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Marlon Luccin, his eldest son, is a U17 striker in FC Dallas’ youth academy.

“When my dad is at practice, he motivates me,” Marlon Luccin told FC Dallas in 2021. “He tells me just to keep working and fighting to the end. It makes me want to work harder and never give up even when I am hurt and down.”

“I just want to tell him thank you for sharing the sport,” added Marlon Luccin. “Without this sport, it would be hard. I am glad that he shared this sport with me. It makes me happy. I always want to tell him thank you.”

BONUS: He was banned for spitting

UEFA imposed a four-match ban on Luccin in 2003 after he spit on striker John Hartson in Celta de Vigo’s UEFA Cup third-round second-leg match against Celtic FC (Scotland). The organization used TV evidence to mount the investigation after the referee missed the incident, despite standing just yards away.

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Celtic FC won the game with Hartson’s lone goal and went through to the fourth round of the tournament.

Luccin’s punishment set the precedent for spitting incidents involving S.S. Lazio’s Sinisa Mihajlovic and Liverpool’s El-Hadji Diouf later that year.

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