Year two for Eric Quill and FC Dallas is going to be less about rebuilding a roster and more about proving something. The foundation has been laid for improving in 2026, continuity should be a regular feature, and the roster is now reflecting more about what Quill and his staff want to do.
As we dive into 2026, Dallas has shifted back into its roots with youth development being a key feature to its identity again. The moves made on the roster in the offseason prove that the flexibility is now more expansive than before.
At the same time, questions still linger. Can this group continue to progress? Can the defense hold in a 3-4-3 formation for a full season? And can the club hold on to Petar Musa after the World Cup?
It is time now to dive into the full season preview. We’re going to look at where FC Dallas came following the 2025 season, what they’ve done in the offseason, and what we should expect from this group.
TL;DR: 2026 FC Dallas Season Preview
The 2026 season feels like a defining one for FC Dallas. The youth movement has returned, continuity will be key, and roster flexibility may finally be there for manager Eric Quill. The range of outcomes is still wide, but improvement from 2025 should be manageable.
- Best-case scenario: A clear identity emerges under Eric Quill, internal growth hits, and Dallas hosts a playoff game
- Biggest question: Can the defense actually improve?
- Key player: Petar Musa
- Floor: A team fighting for a wild card spot late in the season
- Ceiling: Top 4 in the West, earning a chance to host a playoff series
Can we rewind a bit to 2025?
2025 season: 44 points (11-12-11), 7th in the Western Conference
The 2025 season was a wild one for FC Dallas. It started with some serious promise as the club paid a then-record cash transfer fee for former MLS MVP Lucho Acosta. The club started with four points in their first two games on the road, including a win at rivals Houston.
But then, the home slate of games turned out to be a bit of a disaster for the club through the first few months of the season.
By the summer, Dallas was struggling to pull consistent wins. In late July, the team was in 13th place, and Acosta was transferred to Brazil.
And then, the team went on a run, as they found their form at home to match their form on the road. Dallas went 5-1-4 in their final ten games, including a Decision Day victory at Vancouver that elevated them to 7th place, avoiding a Wild Card round game. Dallas would end up losing to the Whitecaps in Round One of the playoffs.
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What the FC Dallas Roster Looks Like Heading Into 2026
Compared to previous offseason/preseasons, FC Dallas has been fairly light on moves in and out.
| Players In | Players Out |
|---|---|
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Note: this is the current roster moves as of Feb. 14, 2026
Who are the new players worth talking about?
FC Dallas was pretty ’light’ on offseason moves. The club added their usual slew of Homegrown players, while also picking up a couple of Generation adidas players through trades in the SuperDraft.
The bigger pieces added this winter include:
- Herman Johansson - The Swede (shown above) might be the biggest name added to the roster. The speedy fullback appears to be a lock as a starter in Quill’s new 3-4-3 setup.
- Ran Binyamin - Dallas continues to experiment with U22 signings, and Binyamin is no different than previous U22 signings. He comes into a crowded midfield and will need to find a way to make a name for himself to get minutes this season.
- Joaquin Valiente - While you could argue the Uruguayan is the biggest signing of the offseason, the 24-year old didn’t get to appear with the club in the preseason campaign.
Okay, which key players left in the offseason?
You might think given the longer list of outgoing players to incoming players that there were a lot of big departures from the club this winter. In all honesty, you can only point out a couple of names that were truly ‘big’ losses.
- Maarten Paes - While the Dutchman lost out on a starting job late last year after he picked up an injury, Paes was a massive impact type of player both on and off the field for the club. Replacing what he brought off the field, with the eyeballs from Indonesia, will be tough to replace.
- Sebastian Lletget - The veteran midfielder had some decent moments with the club over the last couple of season, but injuries always got in the way of making him a truly impact player.
- Pedrinho - This may have been the one surprise of the offseason moves back in November. The former North Texas SC star had plenty of good moments in 2025, but after a midsummer visit to the doghouse for Quill, the young Brazilian never seemed to be himself with the club.
What does the new kit look like for 2026?
We're back in Hoops, baby!
Drew Epperley
It may very well be the best primary kit the club has released in over a decade.
How will the club be under Quill in 2026?
The club has been pretty consistent with its messaging since the end of last season, going into the new year. Last year was all about laying a foundation with Quill and finding what worked and didn’t work. In 2026, the club wants to build on that foundation, improve on their finish in the 2025 season, and compete for trophies.
The big change will be seeing how long the club stays with a 3-4-3 (or 5-2-3) formation this season, which is the same look that got them turned around in 2025 and into the playoffs.
Because of that late season switch, the defensive structure became a bit more consistent and set. The team stopped leaking multiple goals in a game, and the counter attack became a viable option.
Quill would prefer a 4-2-3-1 formation, but he claims to be done tinkering with the formation and go with what worked for him last year.
The preseason saw the club only use the 3-4-3 formation. Quill rotated players through positions on the regular during the preseason camp, too.
Opposing clubs will have more film on Dallas in that new look in 2026, so how he adjusts his tactics will be worth keeping an eye out for in the new year.
Key Player Who Will Define FC Dallas’ 2026 Season
In a league where the premium roster spots are centered around Designated Players, Dallas has one of the best in Petar Musa. The Croatian is looking to make his case to join his country’s national team roster this summer at the World Cup in North America. If he continues the steady scoring that he’s had over the last two seasons (34 goals, nine assists), not only should he make that roster, but he will likely also be in line for a big transfer in the summer window.
Unsung Heroes Who Will Guide FC Dallas’ 2026 Season
The way that Quill has built this club, there are probably several players that could qualify as unsung heroes, so I’ll give you two to keep an eye on this year:
- Ramiro - There is a solid chance that Ramiro is going to be more of a role player off the bench this season for Quill, than a regular starter. But, the way Ramiro conducts himself in the locker room and on the training pitch is why he’s a leader on this roster. Some wondered why he was a captain late in the season last year, but it is because of those small intangibles that Ramiro displays.
- Chris Cappis - When Cappis returned to Dallas last summer, it felt more than just a homecoming. Cappis is indeed the definition of a Quill Guy. His abilities and calmness in the midfield is something that doesn’t get picked up on the stat sheet each week.
Who needs a big year more than anyone else?
We’ll cheat a little and give you two names: Paxton Pomykal and Anderson Julio.
The reasons for both are a little different, but the one common factor for each is the club is spending a lot on each player with TAM deals. Pomykal earns over $1m and has been mostly injured the last two years, while Julio earns right around $800k or so and struggled to find a place in Quill’s lineup last season.
Both players need to find ways to earn a lot of minutes and produce in 2026.
What pieces are missing from this roster?
The big one: another Designated Player in the attack.
Sure, Dallas went out and snagged Joaquin Valiente, but seeing how he didn’t spend much time with the team in preseason, it is hard to assess how good he will actually be for the team compared to a DP-level #10.
Aside from another star player in the attack, Dallas is still lacking a third backup goalkeeper behind Michael Collodi and newly acquired Jonathan Sirois.
Drew Epperley
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Why 2026 will be a success
Because NO ONE expects them to be a contender.
It will kind of be the same theme as last year. You won’t find many writers or pundits picking FC Dallas to do anything special. If they can navigate some touch stretches on the schedule, like their summer road trip, they’ll likely surprise people.
While the club didn’t spend big this winter on another Designated Player, there is something to be said in this league about roster continuity and flexibility. Dallas currently has the depth at each position right now to handle the grind of a 34-game regular season, plus competitions like Leagues Cup.
Why 2026 won’t be a success
The defense still doesn’t hold up, and injuries play a big factor once again.
There were good signs at the end of the 2025 season that the defense has turned a corner, but if enough teams figure out how to wear down this group and Michael Collodi doesn’t turn out to be a good enough replacement (long-term speaking) to Maarten Paes, then we’ll be discussing more and more about the lack of defensive additions to this roster.
Drew Epperley
Even after leaking 55 goals last season, the club didn’t go out and spend big on defensive reinforcements to go alongside Osaze Urhoghide and Shaq Moore.
Last season, we saw a lot of games where Dallas struggled to play out of the back and gave up a lot of chances on goal as a result. The more teams put this group under pressure, the more the attack could struggle as a result.
Outside of the defense, if injuries creep back in for another season, it will be a long year. The depth is better, but it is also young and inexperienced. Should someone like Musa miss more than a handful of games, it could spell disaster for the long-term success of the season.
Why 2026 won't be a success part two
Musa gets sold in the summer...
As much as you want to pin it on the lack of a second DP signing not happening before the start of the season, it really will come down to whether or not FC Dallas will end up selling Musa in the summer window following the FIFA World Cup.
Say the team is mid-table come May, and earns that call up from Croatia, and he scores at least one goal in the World Cup, someone will likely come and offer Dallas a stupid amount of money for him.
If that happens, the season could end up being done before the team returns to Toyota Stadium following its nine-game summer road trip.
What is FC Dallas’ floor or ceiling?
Matt Doyle of TacticsFreeZone has set FC Dallas’ points over/under at 48.5 points.
Matthew Doyle
That should be enough for another playoff appearance for the club. Doyle and David Gass opted to go with the over, while Tom Bogert went with the under.
I believe this could be a 50-point club if things go well for them. But the lack of a second DP going into this season does give me pause that the team can hit that 48 point mark.
Who should we expect to see start in the opener?
Quill has landed on a 3-4-3 formation. Based on how things have gone this preseason and the moved made in the offseason, here is a best guess starting XI for the season:
Projected Starting XI
Formation: 3-4-3Going into the preseason, I would have pegged Patrickson Delgado as the starting #10 until a DP was signed for that spot. The U22 midfielder didn’t spend a lot of the preseason with the first group and appears to have lost out on that starting spot to Chris Cappis for the timing being. Newcomer Joaquin Valiente should be the eventual starter in that spot.
Bold Predictions for 2026
Best case scenario: 3th; worst case scenario: 13th
This Dallas team has the talent to surprise some folks in 2026, but they are an injury away from being a team that will struggle to reach the playoffs.
Here are three bold predictions (to go along with the ones we published at the beginning of the year):
- FC Dallas finishes 5th in the West
- Musa leads the team in goals with 19, and finally breaks the club’s all-time mark in a single season
- Nolan Norris and Michael Collodi gobble up minutes for the Homegrowns, while Ricky Louis picks up between 700-1000 minutes as a rookie
