Yeah, we’re in a weird period of time with FC Dallas.
No games. No roster news yet to dive through. No coaching hire updates.
It is just a weird time.
I discussed in our Monday newsletter (cheap plug, now that it is email only), that I believe those roster moves are at least closer to being announced in the coming days. With some of the players who would need their 2025 option picked up playing for North Texas SC in their MLS NEXT Pro title run, it didn’t make sense to me for the club to make roster announcements before NTSC was finished for 2024.
So, that leaves us with a few days to sit back and dream a little bit. I did one of these pieces last fall after the club’s playoff exit in Seattle. Looking back on it, it’s weird how many of those thoughts are going to be the same today. I think we got one of those ’wishes’ last year in the form of Peter Musa, so it wasn’t a fully wasted venture.
FC Dallas has already expressed that they want to rebuild the defense for 2025. So, it should be no surprise what a couple of spots will be on this areas of improve will focus on.
Let’s get into it.
A TAM-level center back
Thankfully, I think the club knows they have to spend bigger on their defense this winter.
I get that a lot of this area will depend on a few things. One being who the new head coach will be. The second being who out of Sebastien Ibeagha, Nkosi Tafari, Sam Junqua, Herbert Endeley, Ema Twumasi, Ruan, Omar Gonzalez, and Amet Korca are kept for 2025.
But for the take of this piece, let’s assume that the club retains Ibeagha (at a lower salary), Endeley, Tafari, and Junqua. That would open up a lot of cap space to do some good work in this area, while also promoting some younger players from NTSC up to FCD.
It is something I wanted to see happen last offseason. And maybe the one before that.
