Last week saw the close of the summer transfer window in Major League Soccer. You had a large variety of how active some clubs were this summer, with some teams doing a lot of big moves and then some doing very little.
FC Dallas fell somewhere in the middle of those groups.
Now that the dust has settled (or mostly settled, more on that in a moment), let’s dive into each move and then discuss where things are going this year.
Outgoing
FC Dallas has made several moves this summer as they really have moved into a new era or phase (as the club will typically call it). Some where surprised, some were loans ending, and then there is one that we all know was very needed.
Antonio Carrera - I probably didn’t have a Homegrown keeper being sold on my bingo card this year. But, good for Carrera and the club to get a spot for him. He didn’t end up as Maarten Paes’ back up at the beginning of the season when Michael Collodi beat him out for the spot. So, this was one of those moves that made sense all around.
Drew Epperley
Show - The Angolan midfielder was brought in last summer on loan from an Israeli club. While he was a pretty consistent fixture in the lineup last year, he never found his footing this season with Quill. Not purchasing him off his loan this summer was the right move.
Leo Chu - I talked about Chu a lot when the move happened. He was very much in the ‘we hardly knew ya’ camp of players.
Drew Epperley
Marco Farfan - Like Carrera, I probably wouldn’t have had Farfan on my transfer bingo card this year either. He was easily one of the most consistent players with the club over the last few years, but an injury that pulled him out for a couple of months and the emergence of some quality Homegrown players in his position made him expendable when Tigres came calling. It was the right decision for the club to pick up some money for a guy that they could lose for free down the road.
Drew Epperley
Lucho Acosta - Again, I’ll say this about the Acosta move: they tried and admitted it was a mistake. I applaud them for making the cash deal to land him, but I also appreciate the club working to get him off the roster and not losing money on the deal in the end.
Drew Epperley
Tarik Scott - It is risky to send a young Homegrown player out on loan this late in the season, but I still think if he can get minutes in the USL-C, it will be worth it.
Drew Epperley
Still to come?
There have been several rumors floating around the web lately for more outgoing transfers from FC Dallas. There was a few days last week that saw Petar Musa’s name get mentioned with Liga MX side Monterrey, but that was turned out to be more of a dud than an actual rumor to report on. But there is still one to keep watch over in the coming days:
Tsiki Ntsabeleng - I touched on this one earlier in the week. I've been told he's already left Frisco and is back in South Africa completing this deal.
Drew Epperley
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Incoming
Some may argue that the club wasn’t busy enough this summer. I get that. The club picked up one Homegrown, a pair of supplemental roster players, a former academy player and a guy that scored against the US in this year’s Gold Cup. I get it, this was a very hard summer to get excited about.
Josh Torquato - Boy, the runway for Torquato was quick. The club really came close to signing him before the regular season started, but opted to sign him with NTSC instead. Then injuries popped up and they needed him. Thankfully, he shined and the club quickly made sure to give him the HGP deal he deserved.
Drew Epperley
Sam Sarver - I love Sarver’s story this year. A second round draft pick out of Indiana. He had the makings of a player that would be a fan favorite. He’s done very well at NTSC this year, being their leading scorer. After a couple of good appearances off the bench, FCD made sure to give him a senior deal.
Drew Epperley
Jacob Jackson - After Carrera left for Mexico, it looked like the club may just carry two keepers and only do the emergency keeper call up when needed. But with Maarten Paes picking up a hamstring injury (I’ve been told he’s been carrying it since the USOC loss at New York), the club had to get another keeper on the books.
Drew Epperley
Chris Cappis - A deal that was probably a few years too late for some folks. This kind of move signaled that the club is clearly going for Quill-type players more and more.
Drew Epperley
Louicius Don Deedson - I think after a couple brief appearances off the bench, we need to drastically tamp down our expectations for Deedson for this season. The club gave him a long contract, which tells me they hope they can potentially flip him back to a European club at some point.
Drew Epperley
Enes Sali - The club has been suuuuuuuuupppppeeeeeeerrr quiet about Sali’s return. They’ve mostly run him at North Texas SC so far. I still have a hard time believing that we’ll see him in a FC Dallas uniform.
Final thoughts
In a weird way, it was six in and six out. That is if you really include Sali. It's seven out once the Ntsabeleng deal wraps up.
There were some true like for like moves, too.
| Player Out | Player In |
|---|---|
| Antonio Carrera | Jacob Jackson |
| Leo Chu | Deedson |
| Marco Farfan | Josh Torquato |
| Show | Chris Cappis |
| Tarik Scott (loan) | Sam Sarver |
The big thing to note is the club didn’t replace Acosta. And for that the club will always get dinged by pundits for them not doing enough this summer.
But look, if you are going to sell a DP in the manner that FCD sold Acosta, having a replacement lined up is super tough. I’m not making excuses for the club here, but getting a replacement in the summer window for a DP is extremely unlikely to be done, and to be done well.
These moves this summer, while limited, were ones that help move the needle more down the path for what Quill is building here. Getting players like Cappis, Sarver, Torquato, all show the club is getting more guys on the roster that fit the mold that Quill is wanting in a player.
Overall, I’m not mad at the moves made this summer. For me, Acosta was addition by subtraction. The rest of the moves were good business for the most part. Could they have done more to get a DP in before they sold Acosta? Maybe, but the summer DP additions in MLS have been historically tricky to get right. With the team slightly in the playoff run at the moment, adding a big figure that might not work out right away could end up being the right gamble to take here.
Time will certainly tell on whether or not it was the right call.
