2023 FC Dallas Player Recaps: Maarten Paes

Paes continues to be one of the most underrated keepers in all of MLS.

Our 2023 FC Dallas player recaps continue with goalkeeper Maarten Paes.

Paes completed his second season with FC Dallas in 2023. Like Marco Farfan, he was one of two players on the team to start 30 or more games this season.

Stat breakdown

I recall being asked ahead of the Seattle playoff series how I felt about FC Dallas in a shootout. At the time, it felt like that series would see one or two games decided on penalties. That didn’t turn out to be the case, but the one thing I said I felt confident in was Paes. These penalty-saving numbers confirm that.

Outside of that, Paes ended the season with the best save percentage in MLS (not including Dorde Petrovic, who left New England in the summer after starting 22 games). He only gave up a goal a game across 30 games; only a couple of other keepers in MLS did better in that regard. He finished the year with seven clean sheets, which appears to be the item that voters care about most for the Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Highlight

There is a saying with goalkeepers that you want them always to make the saves that they are supposed to make and then one or two that they shouldn’t make. Paes routinely makes those one or two stops that you have no idea how he makes, but they keep FC Dallas in games or help them earn valuable road points like in Houston.

Or this one in Philadelphia.

But who can really forget the double-PK save early in the season against Sporting Kansas City?

What can we expect from him in 2024?

More of the same, if not better, would be ideal. Hopefully, we’re seeing more clean sheets and around the same amount of goals given up (that would keep FC Dallas in the top 3-5 teams in MLS defensively).

I’d love to see him find a way to get into the conversation for the Dutch national team keeper pool, but that may be tough for him to do in MLS.

Photo via FC Dallas

Final thoughts

When FC Dallas took a gamble on Paes last year, it was one that some people weren’t quite sure of at the time. As the last year and a half have progressed, Paes has repeatedly proven his worth and status with the club. Not only does he make the big saves, he continues to improve in goal each game.

The bigger question will really come down to how much longer will FC Dallas be able to retain him? While he is locked in for the long haul (through 2025, with options for 2026 and 2027), you do wonder at what point will someone in Europe come calling for him. He appears to love Dallas, though, so it will have to be the right move to get him to return home.

For now, I say we enjoy our ride with Paes in goal while we can.