Big D Weekly - January 15
Big D Weekly - January 15
The cold has hit North Texas as preseason camp begins.
Preseason is finally here! FC Dallas opened their camp up over the weekend with players reporting for their annual medical exams before starting practice today. Thankfully, the team has moved their scheduled training indoors to the Ford Center in Frisco. The cold weather that hit the region over the weekend forced the team to move indoors.
Right now, the club looks pretty set going into the start of their training. Jimmy Maurer is back on the roster. Omar Gonzalez has (finally) joined the team as he looks to wrap up his professional career. Some moves will certainly need to be made with the roster at 32 players right now, though the team will have a little over a month to get the roster compliant before the start of the regular season.
We have talked a lot about what all moves the club still needs to make before the start of the season. Depth in some areas still isn’t quite there. Injuries will help open some roster spots for a period of time. As will loans, trades, and buyouts. I know the club hasn’t been nearly as active as some of us might want them to be in the offseason, but they’re not done yet.
As we deal with 10-degree weather in Dallas, what is important today is that the preseason is here. A new season is coming up quickly, too. Before we know it, we’ll return to our regular posts routine on this space. I can’t wait!
🔥 Recent items from the blog
Other FCD-related recaps/updates from the week
Here are some other posts from the last few days that are worth a read:
Omar Gonzalez returns home to Dallas (FCDallas.com)
FC Dallas returns to the Cotton Bowl after 15 years (WFAA)
FC Dallas signs Omar Gonzalez, gets shot to represent hometown (Dallas Morning News)
📋 From Around MLS
The preseason is underway across MLS, and every team still has plenty of things to address as the camps get going. Matt Doyle broke down both the East and West last week with his usual in-depth look. His FC Dallas notes were pretty spot on, as the club still needs some defensive depth.
Elsewhere, Colorado continued their massive makeover this offseason. Cole Bassett signed an extension, and Sam Vines appears on his way back to go along with Djordje Mihailović. Honestly, it is hard to ignore what they’ve done this winter.
Up north in Minnesota, their coaching situation is starting to get pretty concerning, with a permanent coach nowhere near lined up as preseason starts.
Need to know how each team’s offseason move has looked, there is a nice running commentary on each move over at Backheeled. Let’s just say they weren’t too kind on FC Dallas’ move to sign Omar Gonzalez. However, that was before it was announced that it was a ‘cap-friendly’ signing.
And lastly, is MLS really a selling league? Denis Bouanga and Thiago Almada’s transfer status appears to throw some dirt in the transfer waters for the league.
That’s it for this week’s newsletter. Thank you all for subscribing (and if you aren’t subscribed, just hit that button below and get signed up now)!