The first week of the 2023 regular season is off to a big start. FC Dallas made a big splash on Monday as they traded Homegrown midfielder to Toronto FC in exchange for forward Jesús Jiménez and a 2023 international roster spot.
Toronto will retain a portion of Jiménez’s salary budget charge, which clocked in at $815,000.00, according to the MLS Players Union.
The 29-year old joins FC Dallas after spending the 2022 season with Toronto FC, where he scored nine goals and three assists in 33 MLS regular season appearances. Before joining Toronto, Jiménez spent four seasons with the Polish first-division side Górnik Zabrze. The Leganés, Spain native, appeared in 134 matches, scored 43 goals and recorded 26 assists in all competitions (Ekstraklasa, Polish Cup and Europa League) for Górnik.
“We’re excited to bring Jesús Jiménez to the group,” said FC Dallas Technical Director André Zanotta in a club-issued press release. “We wanted to bring another attacking option to the roster. Jesús is an experienced player with a proven goal-scoring record in the league and we felt like he would complement our group really well.”
The 23-year old Servania departs FC Dallas after appearing in 74 appearances across all competitions and recording five goals and seven assists. While with the club, he also participated in two FC Bayern Munich training stints as part of the clubs’ Elite Player Development partnership that was created in 2018 and had loan stints with USL Championship side Tulsa Roughnecks FC (2018) and SKN St. Pölten (2021).
“We love Brandon, his personality, the way he plays and everything he’s done for the club throughout the years after coming to Academy and reaching the first team,” said FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez. “We wish him all the best.”
Our take
Yeah, this one is tough, as it is never easy to see a young HGP go to another team in the league.
The more you dive into this deal, the better it looks for both sides. Servania was kind of an odd man out in the Dallas midfield after the club acquired Sebastian Lletget toward the end of last season. I even pondered at the of the year if FCD should find a new home for Servania.
This move should be a nice boost for his career and hopefully one that can mirror Kellyn Acosta’s path from Colorado to LAFC. A change in scenery can be good for these young guys, and that should be the case here for Servania in Toronto.
Plus, he gets to link up with Matt Hedges there, so that isn’t too bad.
As for acquiring Jimenez, this is a need getting filled for FCD. Behind Jesus Ferreira, the forward options are very thin. Jimenez had a solid first season in MLS with Toronto in 2022 and could thrive under a Spanish coach like Nico Estevez.
Jimenez is the kind of striker that will run at defenders and take chances in and around the penalty box. His best goal last season came against New York; on a play, he drew the keeper out of his goal before finding the back of the net.
If he can do that for FCD this season, we’ll be very happy with this addition.
I also like FCD’s bit of business here by getting an international roster slot that Jimenez will occupy and having Toronto chip in for a portion of his salary budget charge.
What do you all make of this move? Disappointed to see Servania traded? Let’s discuss it below.
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