The offseason is moving fast for FC Dallas, as one of the rumored moves is now official.
FC Dallas has announced the acquisition of Ecuadorian international Anderson Julio from Real Salt Lake in exchange for defender Sam Junqua, $200,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM), $200,000 in 2026 GAM, and up to $100,000 in incentive-based GAM. Julio will occupy an international roster spot, pending receipt of his P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC).
Julio joins FC Dallas after spending two seasons with Real Salt Lake, where he made 129 appearances across all competitions. He scored 28 goals and recorded nine assists.
In 2024, Julio set a career-high with nine goals in the MLS regular season.
Before joining RSL, Julio played for Liga MX side Atlético San Luis from 2020-21, making 20 appearances for the team from San Luis Potosí.
A product of Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito’s youth academy, Julio made his senior team debut in 2016 and scored two goals in 14 appearances for L.D.U. Quito during his first season. Over the following years, he made 133 additional appearances for L.D.U. Quito, scoring 27 goals and registering 27 assists. Julio led the club to its 11th Serie A title and a Copa Ecuador trophy.
Internationally, Julio represents Ecuador and made his senior national team debut on June 21, 2023, in a 3-1 win against Costa Rica.
BDS Take
I discussed a lot of my thoughts on this move last week when it was first reported.
Still, this is a very interesting move for FC Dallas to go out and make this winter. Even if they weren't looking to trade either Jesus Ferreira or Paul Arriola, this would be one of those moves that we'd still get pretty excited about seeing happen.
Julio brings a lot of qulaity to the attack. The more video I watch of him, the more I think he’s in the mold of a Fabian Castillo-type player. Plenty of skill, likes to take people on with the dribble and can find the back of the net fairly well.
On the other hand, replacing a guy like Junqua won't be easy. The club got him cheap before the 2023 season, and he turned into one of the team's most dependable players over two seasons.
Going into the offseason I wouldn’t have pegged the left back as a spot for FC Dallas to need to address. But, with this move today, it now becomes a need just like the right back slot.
Comments