As we begin to get into the weeds here in this offseason for FC Dallas, some new information that caught me off guard when I first read it has come out today.
The Athletic’s Tom Bogert discussed in his end-of-the-year breakdown for FC Dallas that both technical director Andres Zanotta and head coach Nico Estevez are going to be out of contract after 2023.
A lackluster 2023 season saw FCD slip down to seventh in the Western Conference thanks to an insipid attack, several key injuries and regression from their top players. The sporting infrastructure is in flux, with technical director Andre Zanotta and head coach Nico Estevez both out of contract at the end of the year. Key players on the roster are in an unsure place as well, with injuries and potential transfer speculation.
The full breakdown by Bogert is excellent; it really lines up well with what MLSSoccer.com’s Matt Doyle had in his season breakdown for FC Dallas yesterday.
I went back to my notes on when Estevez was hired, and no contract length dates were given, but I trust Bogert’s reporting. Estevez was hired at the end of the 2021 calendar year, replacing former manager Luchi Gonzalez.
Zanotta, on the other hand, has been with the club for several years now. He was hired back in 2019 after the late Fernando Clavijo stepped down from that role. The Brazilian has been one heck of a hire for the club, as he helped acquire Alan Velasco at the beginning of last season.
Per Bogert’s reporting, Zanotta was also approached last summer to go back to Brazil with Vasco da Gama, but he declined that offer.
BDS Take
For me, it is a simple thing. Re-sign both of them. You don’t want this sort of thing to loom over the club all offseason. Not only will not re-signing either of them make it difficult for the club to bring in quality players in the winter transfer window, but it will also make it difficult for the club to deal within Major League Soccer.
I know FC Dallas didn’t take the big leap forward that fans would have wanted in year two for Estevez, but plenty of good moments proved to me that he is worth keeping for the long term.
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