Last season's record: 9-13-12 (39 points) 42 goals scored / 47 goals against

US Open Cup: Third Round loss vs Charlotte Eagles

Additions: Peter Luccin, Stephen Keel, Bradlee Baladez, London Woodberry, Raul Fernandez, Walker Zimmerman, Eric Hassli, Kenny Cooper, Michel, Je-Vaughn Watson

Subtractions: Bryan Leyva, Bruno Guarda, Ruben Luna, Matias Jara, Kevin Hartman, Julian de Guzman, Scott Sealy, Ricardo Villar, James Marcelin, Brek Shea

Projected Starting XI(4-4-2): Chris Seitz; Michel; George John; Matt Hedges; Zach Loyd; Andrew Jacobson; Bobby Warshaw; Jackson; David Ferreira; Blas Perez; Kenny Cooper

Bold Prediction: David Ferreira will challenge for MVP. The move out to the left side will revitalize El Torito who absolutely thrives with the most attacking talent he's ever had around him in Frisco. He won't be quite the target of physical play outside that he was in the middle and will find a way to return to the top of the MLS MVP discussion.

Biggest Fear: FC Dallas struggles to hold the midfield and is in search of an effective midfield pair all season. I have a ton of confidence in both Andrew Jacobson and Bobby Warshaw, but if things end up going wrong, Dallas is going to have to scramble to find replacements. Injuries could hurt things in the center of midfield as well.

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With a revitalized squad containing ten new players, optimism abounds in Frisco. While nine of the top 14 minute eaters from last season are back, the bench and depth are almost completely overhauled with only the top talent left over. Additions of Kenny Cooper and Eric Hassli give Schellas Hyndman options at forward that he's never had before while the return of a fully healthy David Ferreira could end up being the biggest story.

The squad is not perfect as there are still depth issues at positions on the wing and central midfield, but with a strong defense a team can go a long ways and the FCD defense has looked sharp in preseason. Dallas is getting no preseason hype around the league, but there's plenty of reason to believe that FCD could sneak up on many teams around the league this year and be primed for a playoff push in one of Schellas Hyndman's biggest seasons.