FC Dallas proved that a lot can change in a short amount of time. The club moved on from veteran keeper Maarten Paes on Monday, by completing a transfer for Dutch giants Ajax, only to quickly follow that move up by acquiring Canadian keeper Jonathan Sirois via trade with CF Montreal.
On paper, the two moves reshaped one of the most stable positions on the roster almost overnight.
Naturally, these moves have left fans asking a lot of questions. With the preseason at a turning point now that the club has returned from its Portuguese camp, it is worth taking a step back to discuss what happened, how we got here, and what to make of all the changes in the goalkeeper position.
The club wanted competition in 2026
When the 2025 season ended for FC Dallas, the one thing I was told (almost on repeat) for a few weeks was that the club, particularly the coaching staff, wanted competition at the goalkeeper position in 2026 between Maarten Paes and Michael Collodi.
With the failed World Cup qualifying behind Paes, the club was hoping to see 2026 in a new light for the veteran keeper. After a disappointing 2025, which saw injuries and a dip in form, the club was looking to use the final year of his contract as a way to boost his value.
Drew Epperley
As the preseason got going, so did the transfer markets in Europe and in the US. The club could either strike while the iron was hot, so to speak, with Paes or hold on to him and work toward a potential deal following the 2026 season.
Again, the statement I kept getting was that they wanted competition in 2026.
On paper, the move to have just Collodi and Paes on the roster made sense. The early days of the preseason camp showed that both were going to compete for minutes as they split time in the first friendly in Portugal.