Building for 2024: Where the FC Dallas roster stands before the preseason begins
MLS preseason camps open next weekend.
It doesn’t seem like a lot of time has passed since FC Dallas was eliminated from the MLS Cup Playoffs in a Round One loss to the Seattle Sounders back in November. But the calendar pages tend to fly off quicker this time of the year, and now we’re looking at a new set of months.
Within a blink of an eye, preseason camp is set to begin around Major League Soccer on January 13. Yeah, next weekend.
As of this writing, we don’t know FC Dallas’s full plans for the preseason, but we have seen enough moves this winter already to be able to dive back into the roster to see where things are going and what space is left.
For a little recap, here is where things stood in our previous roster-building series from a few weeks ago left us:
Following the 2023 season, FC Dallas only made a couple of roster cuts. Jose Martinez, Facundo Quignon and Homegrown Colin Smith saw their options not picked up. Jimmy Maurer and Amet Korca were said to be ‘in discussions’ for coming back in 2024, while Austin selected Jader Obrian in the Re-Entry Draft.
From there, FC Dallas signed U-22 winger Enes Sali, Homegrown midfielder Alejandro Urzua, Homegrown forward Malik Henry-Scott, NTSC produce Tomas Pondeca and drafted forward Logan Farrington1.
For those keeping track, that is six players out and five players in. Simple, right? Well, nothing is truly simple in MLS roster building. As we’ve seen in recent years, draft picks tend to be stashed away with North Texas SC. Some Homegrown products go on loan, and other moves tend to pop up before the start of a new season.
You also have to consider how MLS teams can build their rosters. They are given 18-20 slots for the senior roster (the area that deals with the salary cap) and ten supplemental roster spots that are broken down by various categories (these are players that don’t count against the salary cap).
If you look at it through those lenses, FC Dallas cut four senior roster players and two supplemental roster players while adding what looks to be one senior roster player and four supplemental roster players this winter.
Based on these moves, I see the current roster looking like this:
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