It is time for another FC Dallas player recap from the 2025 season, with a look at veteran defender Lalas Abubakar.
Stat breakdown
Dallas brought Abubakar in during the offseason as a free agent signing.
| Name | Games Played | Games Started | Minutes | Goals | Assists | SOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lalas Abubakar | 29 | 18 | 1651 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Let’s dive into some fancy graphs and charts on Abubakar season.
The one thing that stood out to me in 2025 with Abubakar is how steady of a player he can be on the field. That can be both good and bad, too. He’s steady in the sense that you know what you’re going to get out of him. But on the other end, he has a bit of a reckless streak about him that can cause issues.
Take the game against the Philadelphia Union where he picked up two quick yellow cards before halftime. That is one of those more frustrating games out of Abubakar.
Then you have other games where he shows his experience and helps keep things away from goal.
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Highlight
We did see Abubakar score his first goal in a Dallas uniform this season, his first since the 2023 season when he was in Colorado.
Those set piece goals didn’t come often in 2025, but when they did, they hit nicely.
What to expect in 2026?
I kind of mirror Abubakar with what I think about Sebastien Ibeagha. A good veteran player that can get you some solid minutes, but not one that you should build a defense around.
A lot of what I expect out of Abubakar in 2026 will come down to a couple of things: formation and if FCD spends big on another center back. If manager Eric Quill keeps the 5-2-3, Abubakar will be relied on a bit more. But, if we get our wish of another TAM-level center back, I don’t think we’ll see a ton out of Abubakar in 2026.
Final thoughts
I have to point it out, I was calling for Dallas to go after Abubakar this time last year when the free agents were made available in MLS. After they signed him, Abubakar turned out to be a nice piece to the locker room (he’s seriously one of the nicest guys you’ll meet).
As I mentioned above, a lot of what we’ll get out of Abubakar in 2026 will depend on what this team does in the winter. I still think he’s going to get plenty of minutes next season, but let’s just hope it’s not out of necessity due to injuries.
