Preseason may be light on results, but it’s heavy on decisions. As FC Dallas ramps up camp ahead of the 2026 season, minutes, roles, and depth-chart positioning are very much up for grabs.
Every year, a handful of competitions quietly determine how the season unfolds, even if the answers don’t fully reveal themselves until opening day.
With a mix of returning players, new additions, and young talent pushing for opportunities, this preseason is no different. Some battles are about starting jobs, others are about rotation roles, and a few are simply about staying in the conversation once the roster tightens.
Here are three roster battles to watch closely during FC Dallas’ preseason camp, each with the potential to shape how this team looks once the games start counting.
Starting goalkeeper
Going into the offseason, it seemed like FC Dallas could have made the call early on, moving directly to Michael Collodi as their keeper for the next…I don’t know…ten years (I still firmly believe that he could be that guy). Instead, we’re going to get a battle for that starting spot between the sticks with Collodi and Maarten Paes.
In all honesty, that is a good thing. It keeps the young guy motivated, while also pushing Paes to be more like his 2023 self than anything else (we can’t ignore the regression in 2025).