Our 2024 FC Dallas player recaps continue with defender Sam Junqua.

Dallas’ utility player wrapped up his second full season with the club. In a season full of injuries for the club, Junqua was a steady force in the defense that appeared in 31 games (he started 26 of those).

Stat breakdown

Junqua is an interesting player to break down. For starters, he can play in multiple spots on the field as either a fullback or a center back.

The same issue we’ve seen with other defenders so far in our player recaps, is that their numbers took a hit from 2023 to 2024. Junqua was not immune to that as well.

Still, on the defensive side of things he had 100 duels won (a 64% winning percentage), 27 tackles won (a 77% winning percentage), 30 interceptions, four blocks, and 79 recoveries. He was a fairly discipline player with only two yellow cards this season.

On the attacking side of things, his one goal and two assists was down a bit from two goals he scored in 2023. He had 14 total shots with five on target. He also had 20 touches on the ball inside the oppositions penalty box. He also helped create nine chances in the penalty area.

Lastly, I have said most of this season that I felt Junqua was the club’s best passers or crossers. He had 35 crosses, six of which went into the penalty area (third best on the team), and had 62 passes into the final third of the field.

Highlight

Against St. Louis, Junqua scored his lone goal of the season.

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I still love the color commentator in this clip complaining about how the Dallas build up play was lacking up until this point. A quick long ball from Sebastian Ibeagha to Petar Musa, followed by Musa’s layoff to Paul Arriola and his pass through the St. Louis defense to Junqua quickly quieted those comments.

Should we expect him back in 2025?

We know the defensive group will likely get a full rebuild this winter, but Junqua should be one of the few players that sees his option picked up for next season. At a cap-friendly $200k, I would be surprised to see him let go this winter.

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Final thoughts

Junqua isn’t a flashy player or one that will make a ton of headlines for your team, but he continues to be a guy that any coach can work with. I felt he was the best pick up the team had last season (outside of Asier Illarramendi) and this season he proved he could manage the long season well. The games he missed weren’t due to injury, which tells me there was at least someone who could stay healthy this season.

As much as we need this defensive group rebuilt for next season, Junqua isn’t a guy I would part with during that rebuild. He is a proven depth piece that can work in just about any defensive formation. Plus, he’s not breaking the bank with his salary cap number.