FC Dallas leaned into youth and upside at the top of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft, selecting two Generation adidas players with the No. 2 and No. 3 overall picks. The club used those selections to draft attackers Ricky Louis (Georgia Southern University) and Nicholas Simmonds (University of Virginia), two prospects who now join the club without counting against the salary cap.
FC Dallas traded up to the number 2 spot, in a deal that sent the No.12 pick (that was acquired earlier in the day by the club in a deal with New York) and $400k in General Allocation Money to Atlanta United. This may be the largest amount of GAM traded away for a SuperDraft pick in league history. They had moved up last week to the number three spot, when they struck a deal with CF Montreal for that pick.
Further down in the first round, FC Dallas used their final pick of the first round at number 16 to select goalkeeper Niklas Herceg (University of Vermont).
In the second round, FC Dallas continued making moves to acquire picks. They sent $75k in GAM (2027 GAM) to the Colorado Rapids for the #40 and #44 picks. At number 40, the club selected midfielder Edouard Nys, from Illinois Chicago. Nys was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2026.
At number 44, FCD selected midfielder Umberto Pela, from the University of Virginia.
In the third round, FC Dallas had one more pick to go. With the 66th pick (acquired in the trade with Montreal), the club selected defender Olayinka Ogunleye, from the University of Louisville.
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Round 1
| Pick No. | Player | Position | College | Generation adidas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Ricky Louis | F/M | Georgia Southern | Yes |
| 3 | Nicholas Simmonds | F | Virginia | Yes |
| 16 | Niklas Herceg | GK | Vermont | No |
Note: Generation adidas players do not count against the salary cap, giving FC Dallas added roster flexibility.
Round 2
| Pick No. | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | Edouard Nys | M | University of Illinois Chicago |
| 44 | Umberto Pela | M | Virginia |
Round 3
| Pick No. | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | Olayinka Ogunleye | D | Louisville |
Diving into the picks
FC Dallas gave up a fair amount of GAM to get two players that won’t impact the salary cap.
Here is a quick recap of those moves:
- Dallas sent $350,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM), $175,000 in 2026 GAM, $175,000 in 2027 GAM and its second-round pick (46 overall) in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft to CF Montreal in exchange for the 3rd overall pick.
- Dallas acquired New York's 12th overall pick in exchange for $100,000 in General Allocation Money ($50,000 in 2026 GAM, $50,000 in 2027 GAM) and the 21st overall pick.
- FC Dallas then traded the 12th overall pick alongside $400,000 GAM ($350,000 in 2026 GAM; $50,000 in 2027 GAM) with Atlanta United FC to move up to the second overall pick.
- In the second round, FC Dallas traded $75,000 2027 GAM with the Colorado Rapids for the 40th and 44th overall picks.
In total, the club gave up roughly $925k in GAM to move up to the second and third spots in the draft. Some of the GAM is in 2026 money ($575k), and some is in 2027 ($350k).
Still, it is safe to say that FC Dallas really liked their options in this draft class.
What are they getting?
With the first two picks, they’re getting two attacking players that will immediately be added to the forward (Simmonds) and attacking midfield depth (Louis). With Herceg, Dallas gets a solid keeper to go behind Maarten Paes and Michael Collodi.
According to ASA’s Paul Harvey, Louis may be a stretch of a pick at number 2. Dallas clearly sees a role for a player like him though, and filling out some depth with a salary cap friendly player isn’t the worst way to go.
Ricky Louis is next. Very dribbly wide forward type. Feels like Dallas gave up a lot to move up from 12th to 2nd, especially since they have the 3rd pick. Not a huge fan of this one.
— Paul Harvey (@paulharvey.theoutfield.nyc) 2025-12-18T19:15:48.416Z
Louis was the first-ever All-American in Georgia Southern men’s soccer history. He earned third-team honors after tallying nine goals and three assists in 2025. His nine goals led all Georgia Southern players and helped him make the Sun Belt First-Team, becoming the first forward to do so since 2020.
We’ll stick with Harvey’s assessment for Simmonds, too.
Nicholas Simmonds goes 3rd, again to Dallas. I feel like Simmonds is a bit of a trap pick. He ran very hot against the numbers but he has low shot volume, low xG, mid xG/Shot, and doesn't make a difference on set pieces or in 1v1 battles. I understand a lot of teams like him but the numbers don't
— Paul Harvey (@paulharvey.theoutfield.nyc) 2025-12-18T19:19:13.835Z
Simmonds earned first-team All-American honors after scoring 10 goals and adding five assists in his freshman season for the University of Virginia. Simmonds’ 10 goals were the most among freshmen from power-four programs and earned the 2025 ACC Freshman of the Year award.
And for Herceg, Harvey notes that he could stay in school with Dallas keeping his draft rights for two years. Unlike Simmonds and Ricky, Herceg is not a signed player as of this writing, so he will have to compete for a roster spot.
Number 16 pick, and the first GK off the board, is Niklas Herceg for FC Dallas. Solid shot stopping but not really a notable distributor. Only a sophomore, so could maintain his eligibility.
— Paul Harvey (@paulharvey.theoutfield.nyc) 2025-12-18T19:41:41.722Z
Herceg was part of the national title team for Vermont in 2024, so the kid does know a thing or two about winning trophies. That is something the FC Dallas brass seem to look more at these days.
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What about the later round picks?
So, $75k for two midfielders in the second round. And one defender in the third round. FC Dallas hopes that they can get another Sam Sarver-like player out of this group.
What should we expect from this group?
While Harvey doesn’t seem to be on board with FC Dallas’ draft strategy today, I think it is safe to say that how players perform in college isn’t always going to be a like-for-like on the professional level.
FC Dallas’ scouts have a pretty solid knack for finding some talent in the SuperDraft in recent years. Sure, there have been duds here and there (Otis Earle, Isaiah Parker and Nicky Hernandez to name a few). But, the hits in recent years like Sarver, Logan Farrington, and in some ways, Tsiki Ntsabeleng have been good for the club.
In all honesty, I would reserve some expectations until we get to preseason camp. If anything, we’re going to see these guys spend a lot of time with North Texas SC this season.
