Brian Dunseth Isn’t Sold on FC Dallas—and History Might Back Him Up

We are just one month away from the start of the 2026 season, which will see FC Dallas face off against Toronto FC at home. Excitement is starting to build amid an offseason that has seen Dallas acquire Ran Binyamin from Hapoel Tel Aviv and Herman Johansson from Mjällby AIF. But whilst many are backing Eric Quill’s side to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs for a second-straight year, others like ex-Dallas player Brian Dunseth are not quite as confident.

“History tells us it's just not a reality. I love Eric Quill, he was a part of that 1997 Project 40 class, he's one of my favorite competitors that I've ever seen on the field, and I know that he's got that same competitive fire off the field,” stated Dunseth in an exclusive Big D Soccer interview. “But I would put the Colorado Rapids, Real Salt Lake, Portland Timbers, Houston Dynamo, Austin FC, and FC Dallas in the same category…they’re shopping in the same lane. Now, Austin spent an incredible amount of money, but the proof and concept of spending money and having that talent equal goals and assists in terms of return on investment, that hasn’t proven true, although lot of that to do with Brandon Vázquez going down with an ACL injury early in the season. I thought Houston was on the right track up until the beginning of the year, where defensively, they ended up losing Micael to Palmeiras right before the season which threw their plans into havoc.”

“I would put them all into that similar category of ‘Are they elite? Are they going to spend the money that top teams spend? Do they have an identity? Do they have a tactical acumen that you can see every single time that they're on the field? Are they exciting to watch?’ Eric Ramsey’s Minnesota United weren’t necessarily fun, but they were incredibly effective with the way that they competed in the Western Conference. You also have the outlier of LA Galaxy, and what in the world has happened to Sporting Kansas City and St. Louis City SC? I would throw all those teams in that second tier of the Western Conference. With the stadium built and the infrastructure conversation that's happening down in FC Dallas right now, they've shown the ability to spend money, but do they have the right roster build and right construction to be a consistent playoff team? As of right now, no.”

Born in Upland, California, on March 2, 1977, Dunseth started impressing for Upland Celtic and earned an invitation to a tournament in England when he was 12, only to be cut after the tournament. Similarly to others like Keinan Davis, Dunseth was forced to deal with early rejection and find his way back to Square One. He started working with two ex-convicts and making $2.75 an hour as a dishwasher at a convalescent hospital, but nevertheless remained committed to becoming a professional soccer player. And after excelling for Damien High School, Dunseth was recruited to Cal State Fullerton, where he transitioned from attacking midfielder to a center back, and where he eventually grabbed the attention of the U.S. national team setup. After heading to Malaysia and competing in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship (now the U-20 World Cup), Dunseth became one of the first players to sign a Project-40 (now Generation Adidas) contract, allowing him to be fast-tracked into the fledgling MLS and sign a contract with New England Revolution on July 5, 1997.

“Let me set the scene: I'm a kid who grew up wearing high tops like Jordan 1s, baggy jeans, a hoodie, a backwards, flat-brimmed hat…I had my own little look from Southern California. I go to Boston and everyone's wearing Doc Martens, cords, flannels, it was Hollister all over the place, they’d have these hats that were totally brimmed out but frayed…it was almost as if they were chewing on their hats. I was like, ‘Where am I?’ I was just a sore thumb, and I'll never forget the very first day that I get into my apartment in Norwood, on the way to Foxborough. I walk into this ice cream parlor and say, ‘Can I get vanilla?’ He’s like, ‘Alright, brother, you want any Jimmys? I was like, ‘I'll take some sprinkles,’ and he said, ‘Brother, Jimmys and sprinkles are the same f***ing thing.’ In England, a Jimmy is a condom…of course, I don’t want a condom on my ice cream. All of a sudden, the slang and accents and all of these things were crazy, but I loved every second of it. There were no phones back then, there was no MapQuest, I was buying maps and highlighting paths and searching the city, I was going to all of these amazing historical markers up in New England. I absolutely loved living in the Boston area for four years, and it was such an important time in my life from 19 all the way to 23 when I got traded down to Ray Hudson in Miami. It was something special with some incredibly iconic players that I was just obsessed with not only playing with, but also becoming the best of friends at the time.”

Dunseth played 82 times for New England, during which time he also competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, before being traded to Miami Fusion for Jay Heaps and a second-round pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft. Unfortunately for him, he lasted just a few months before Miami dissolved, with Dunseth then being selected by Columbus Crew in the 2002 MLS Dispersal Draft. Dunseth racked up 46 appearances for Columbus, leading them to the verge of the MLS Cup Final and guiding them to the U.S. Open Cup Final, where they defeated the Galaxy 1-0. He was then traded to Dallas Burn (now FC Dallas) in September 2003, where he played just nine times before departing at the end of the season and heading for Swedish side Bodens BK.

“That was at a time when we had no rights as players, our rights were effectively owned by the team, even though we're league employees. I was training with the Galaxy every single day, and Ziggy Schmidt was trying to trade every single day to get me, and they wouldn't trade me for anything other than a top 6 first-round draft pick. Zig's like, ‘You're not worth that, I can't trade that.’ I had no other options, so that's why I ended up going over to Sweden, because it was left so late. Bodens was bringing in quite a few American players at the time like Wolde Harris, Leighton O'Brien, Steve Shak, and Luchi González. They offered me a short-term contract and gave me the opportunity to play before moving in the summer. My roommate on the trade deadline to get down to Dallas was Ollie Curtis, who got traded from Tampa…we were both living in the Harvey Hotel for 3.5 months together. Every single day, and we were just bored out of our mind and going crazy, because the team was horrible. And it was in this moment that they were announcing what was happening at Frisco and Toyota Stadium. We were playing in a high school stadium (Dragon Stadium) at the time, we were getting kicked off the field because the cheerleaders had to practice. It was a disaster of a time; it was horrible.”

But although Dunseth was never able to make a name for himself in Dallas, he nevertheless left a legacy on quite a few other teams. And just like other players like Wayne Thomas, Dunseth was able to enjoy a mid-career resurgence after his time abroad, returning from Scandinavia and hitting his stride with Real Salt Lake. Dunseth played 24 times for Salt Lake before being traded to Chivas USA for Douglas Sequeira and Christian Jimenez, but he only trained with them rather than playing, with Dunseth being traded to the LA Galaxy on the eve of the 2006 season, making just a handful of appearances before hanging up his boots in the summer of 2006. He has spent the past two decades making an impact in the punditry world, and today, he’s playing a leading role in Apple TV’s MLS coverage as well as SiriusXMFC’s soccer coverage.

“Tony Meola has always been my big brother, and I am so lucky each and every day to be able to be a part of his life in a private way and in a public way. What we've created on Counterattack from the afternoons to the mornings on SiriusXM FC has created this cult following with our listeners, and I'm constantly reminded of how important our shows have become in this little niche soccer world. Everywhere I go, somebody says something to me about Counterattack, or something about our relationship, which is as important as my relationship with Max Bretos. He was the first person I called a game with, a friendly that saw David Beckham’s Galaxy play against Hong Kong. It was a 4 am kickoff time in Southern California, and that was my first introduction to Fox Soccer Channel with Max, which is why I call him Tío Max or Uncle Max. The fact that I get to be with him for 34-40 dates a year, he's one of my best friends in the business…between Tony and Max, I couldn't ask for better human beings. We have so much fun, and the conversations, and the walks, and the laughs, and the jokes, and the text messages, and the busting of the balls, I’m a very fortunate human being. And then to have that same relationship with a guy like Shaw, our leader on the broadcast coverage for Turner, and being able to get to know guys like Luke Wilman, who I think is one of the premier play-by-play voices in North America. I am insanely fortunate to be a part of what I do on a daily basis.”