EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Football is a family affair for the Flowers brothers. They just differ on the definition.
Aaron Flowers plays American football for No. 2 Oregon, while younger brother Benji was developed by the vaunted FC Dallas soccer academy and just signed a deal with Chelsea.
Benji, now 15, will join the Premier League team when he turns 18. Until then, he'll continue to work on his game in Texas. He became the youngest player to sign a professional
contract with the senior team as a homegrown player in late July.
Benji jokes that he wasn't cut out for his big brother's brand of football.
“Well, he was way bigger than me, and also I think that he could take hits more, way more than me, and he was like twice my weight, twice my height, like around my age. So I think that’s probably why my parents thought it was like really dangerous for me," Benji Flowers said. ”So they put him in it, and they told me to stick with soccer."
Aaron, meanwhile, ultimately chose the other football. A four-star safety out of Forney, Texas, where the brothers grew up, Aaron went with Oregon over USC, Baylor, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Alabama.
“So I played soccer as well growing up when I was younger. But then I got bigger and I was too physical and getting red cards. So I stopped playing,” Aaron said. “But my little brother, I mean, he played soccer. He wasn’t as big as I was, obviously, he was shorter. So then my parents were too scared to put him in football, and he just blossomed and then became really good at soccer."
With the Dallas academy since he was 10, Benji made his debut with Dallas' MLS Next Pro team, North Texas SC, this year. The Dallas academy has previously produced such U.S. stars as Ricardo Pepi and Weston McKennie, who were both on the roster for this summer's World Cup.
Benji Flowers knew he wanted to make soccer a career well before he joined the academy.
“When I first started playing, at that point I was just playing for fun, and then around the age of like, I’ll say 6 is when I made my dream that I want to be pro, and I want to make this my living," he said. "So, yeah, that’s when I really started taking stuff seriously.”
Chelsea's fee for Benji is a reported $3 million, but add-ons could take it to $10 million.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber told The Associated Press that the contract with Chelsea shows the league's push to build up its academy system is paying off.
“It’s probably the single-biggest validation of our player-development programs in recent memory, and I’m really excited about it, and I’m proud of it because we’ve been working for a long time and spending enormous resources in improving the player-development programs at our clubs,” Garber said.
Flowers is also a prospect for the U.S. national team. He has played for the U.S. under-15 team and has scored two goals in three appearances this year.
“Benji has embraced every step of that journey through hard work, determination and the support of his family,” FC Dallas President Dan Hunt said in a statement. “His signing is a reflection of the tremendous work being done throughout the FC Dallas Academy and reinforces what is possible for the next generation of players.
Aaron, who also ran track in high school, utilized a redshirt after appearing in two games for Oregon during the 2024 season. He broke out in 2025, starting in all 15 games for the Ducks as they made a run to the national semifinals. He ranked third on Oregon's defense with 70 total tackles, including 37 solo.
Last season, Aaron Flowers was paired with safety Dillon Thieneman, now with the Chicago Bears. This season, he'll likely start in tandem with Koi Perich, a transfer from Minnesota.
Oregon went 13-2 last season, with the losses coming to Fernando Mendoza-led Indiana — once in the regular season then again in a College Football Playoff semifinal.
Aaron said he's sure Benji will be watching the Ducks, who aspire to reach the playoffs again, from afar. And of course, as a proud older brother, he'll be following Benji's career.
"I already knew he was really good," Flowers said. “When I came back home, he scored five goals in one game. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this dude’s going pro.’ And then just seeing it happen just really made me proud, and just happy to see that for him.”
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