There are some big changes coming to the FC Dallas front office today. André Zanotta has signed a new multi-year deal and was named FC Dallas’ new Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director.
FC Dallas also named Sandro Orlandelli as its new Technical Director and re-signed Director of Scouting Leonardo Baldo to a new multi-year contract.
Zanotta's promotion follows a historic offseason during which FC Dallas shattered its club transfer fee with the acquisition of Petar Musa from S.L Benfica, alongside spearheading FC Dallas’ talent development partnership with the historic Portuguese team.
During Zanotta’s tenure with FC Dallas, he has overseen the record-breaking transfer of Ricardo Pepi to German club FC Augsburg, Alan Velasco’s transfer from Independiente of Argentina, and has played an integral role in building the first-team roster, managing the salary cap and recruiting on-field, coaching and support staff talent to the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
“We are excited for André Zanotta to be the Chief Soccer Officer of FC Dallas,” FC Dallas President Dan Hunt said in the club’s press release. “Soccer has such a global footprint. As the game evolves over time, so does the business side of the game. As Chief Soccer Officer, Zanotta will be in charge of all things related to the soccer business. The role of the technical director has changed in the global game. We see it happening in MLS. The transition to Chief Soccer Officer gives André the credit that he deserves because he does an outstanding job running our entire soccer business from top to bottom here at FC Dallas.”
Baldo earned his new contract as the club’s Director of Scouting after the 2024 offseason. He and the scouting department were responsible for scouting the club’s offseason signings, Patrickson Delgado, Enes Sali and Petar Musa.
The new guy in all of this is Orlandelli. He assumes the role of Technical Director after Zanotta’s promotion. Orlandelli brings a wealth of experience, having served as Sport Club Internacional’s Technical Coordinator. Following Red Bull Bragantino’s takeover by Red Bull GmbH, Orlandelli was named the first-ever Technical Coordinator at Red Bull Bragantino. Orlandelli oversaw Natan Bernardo de Souza’s transfer from Flamengo for $3.7 million. Natan was later sold to SSC Napoli of Serie A for $10.8 million. Orlandelli also oversaw the club’s largest sale of Claudinho to Zenit St. Petersburg for $12.9 million.
At FC Dallas, Orlandelli will work closely with the academy director and academy, the second-team coaching staff, and the first-team coaching staff. Orlandelli will oversee the player pathway and assist Baldo. Orlandelli will also assist in the player development partnership with Benfica to enhance the development pathway at FC Dallas.
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