Two years ago, FC Dallas finished 11th in the Western Conference and fired its coach in June. Then entered Eric Quill, the former North Texas SC manager who guided the club’s second team to its first title back in 2019.
The first season in charge was all about laying a foundation. Going into 2026, one preseason preview picked Eric Quill's team to finish 14th. Today, FC Dallas finished second in the West with 58 points and a club-record 62 goals scored. Dallas also finished among the top five teams in MLS for the first time since 2016 while earning 58 points, the third most in club history.
That's not a bounce-back. That's a rebuild that skipped the boring part.
The Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year usually goes to the guy with the best team or the biggest jump. Quill doesn't have the best team in Major League Soccer, but he might have the biggest jump in the league over two seasons, and he did it while his home stadium was half torn down. Let's dive in.
| Season | Coach | West finish | Points | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Estévez / Luccin (interim) | 11th | 41 | Missed |
| 2025 | Quill | 7th | 44 | Round One |
| 2026 | Quill | 2nd | 58 | Clinched Oct 14 |
Year one, Quill dragged a team that sat 13th at midseason into the playoffs and pushed Vancouver to penalties in Game 2.
This season, there was no dragging. Dallas clinched with five matches to spare. The earliest the club has ever clinched a playoff spot.
He changed what Dallas is
Dallas under Quill is annoying to play against, and that is a compliment. The base shape is a 3-4-2-1 that flips to a back four when the matchup calls for it. Dallas leads MLS in interceptions per 90 and ranks third in aerial duels per 90. That is a coached identity, not a personnel accident.
Then there’s the attack. Dallas has scored 59 goals, the most in club history in a single season, hitting that record with three games to go on the season. Petar Musa gets the headlines, but the service around him changed. Joaquin Valiente became a double-digit assist creator in his first MLS season. Logan Farrington went from a depth piece into a double-digit goalscorer. Guys like Kaick, Santiago Moreno, Sam Sarver, and Bernard Kamungo add in attacking flair.
Before the MLS season started I created a model to predict the season that turned out "predicted xPoints". 18 teams are within 3 xPts of predicted. The delta, to me, is a indicator of just how well a team performed vs expectations. The big leader? FC Dallas. For that reason Eric Quill is my COTY.
— Paul Harvey (@paulharvey.theoutfield.nyc) November 3, 2026 at 2:03 PM
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The home field he didn't have
For most of his first season, Toyota Stadium provided anything but a home field advantage for FC Dallas. And it appeared that early on in 2026, that was going to be more of the same. The Frisco-venue is in the middle of a long renovation, with seating capacity capped around 11,000.
After the club’s nine-game summer road trip, Dallas returned home and regained the fortress that it once was, despite the renovation. Dallas lost only three of its 17 home games in 2026. You could argue that Quill’s built a fortress out of scaffolding.
He didn't buy his way here
When the summer window opened with Dallas in fourth, Quill publicly questioned whether the club needed to sign anyone. The improvement came from coaching up who was already in the building, while also adding a depth piece in Clay Holstad and a U22 player in Daniel Job.
