What questions went unanswered in FC Dallas' preseason?

A couple more weeks could have helped things out but that isn't how MLS operates these days.

Photo via FC Dallas

In the old 2.0 days of Major League Soccer, the offseason and preseason would drag on for months. When teams would begin training in late January, the preseason camps would last for upwards of two months and would provide you with a lot of details about where things would be going in the new season.

In 2024, that isn’t exactly the case. Preseason began in the middle of January and wrapped up just a little over a month later.

For FC Dallas, they had to pack a lot into a little amount of time. Let’s dive into some of the biggest unanswered questions left on the table as they are set to begin the regular season on Saturday evening against San Jose.

Did the new formation get finalized?

Nico Estevez and his staff spent the entire preseason working out kinks and getting players ready to take on a new look in 2024. The 3-4-3, 5-2-2-1, or 3-4-2-1, whatever you want to call it, has taken over for the previous 4-3-3 formation that we saw in the first two seasons under Estevez.

The main difference is getting more attackers onto the field to create more scoring. That is how Estevez has put it to me at least twice this preseason in different media calls. This is due to the real lack of scoring in 2023.

The move makes a ton of sense in some areas. You want to see guys like Jesus Ferreira have the ability to be on the ball more to create chances for newcomer Peter Musa. You want your wingers to be able to cover a ton of ground and provide an extra look in the attack, especially in transition when teams show a high press and turn the ball over.

It also gives difference-makers like Asier Illarramendi a chance to be a bit more protected in the middle of the field and allows him to put his stamp on more games without having to chase the ball a ton. Pairing him with Liam Fraser, Paxton Pomykal, or even newcomer Patrickson Delago gives Illarramendia a chance to be a bit free on the field.