Two months is a long time in soccer; just ask FC Dallas

Back in late July, FC Dallas had lost five of their last seven matches and found themselves in peril of missing out on the postseason for the second-straight year. Since then, they’ve gone seven matches unbeaten, with three wins and three draws apiece. Their last match was a draw that had the flavor of victory, with Dallas going behind twice only to escape Portland with a 2-2 stalemate.

“Coming into a team where there’s a lot of new faces and different players from different backgrounds, sometimes it takes time for everything to come together,” stated FC Dallas defender Lalas Abubakar in an exclusive Big D Soccer interview. “I feel like, early in the season, we were just getting to know each other, understanding each other and getting together. Compared to the first half of the season, you can tell that we are more together now. When I’m not playing, me, Osaze Urhoghide and a lot of other players will sit together and have a chat because we know it’s a brotherhood. Whatever we're doing, we’re doing for a cause; we have a goal that we want to reach.

“We are more like brothers from the front to back, we push each other to do our best, and if someone doesn’t do something right, we’ll call them out on it, because we know that all of us, individually, can do better. Right now, we’re all trying to stay honest with each other, because that's the only way. I need to be honest with myself and give everything that I have to give to help the team. The next man up also knows that he needs to be honest, so right now, we’re feeling the togetherness. Everybody’s being honest with each other and working out, and we’re just pushing together right now.”

Born in Kumasi, Ghana, Abubakar was raised in the Ghanaian capital of Accra and started playing soccer for the University of Accra before making the move across the Atlantic in 2014. When one of his teammates was selected to join the Dayton Flyers soccer program, he recommended Abubakar to the team, who offered him a scholarship. Abubakar made his mark at the collegiate level in Ohio and earned the interest of Columbus Crew, who signed him with the fifth overall pick of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. After initially plying his trade with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL Championship, Abubakar was brought back to Columbus, where he emerged as a regular contributor in MLS and made 36 appearances.

However, when Caleb Porter replaced Gregg Berhalter at the helm, Abubakar descended the pecking order in central defense and was forced to make the move to Colorado Rapids in 2019 in order to gain regular minutes. Abubakar thrived in the Rockies, winning the team’s Defender of the Year in 2019 and 2020 and making 153 appearances for the club before deciding to leave for Dallas at the end of the 2024 season. He joined the club on December 19, 2024, signing a two-year contract with a one-year option.

“It’s a big difference, going from Colorado to Texas,” recounted Abubakar. “I remember going from Columbus to Colorado and thinking, ‘Wow, this is a different world.’ I loved Colorado. I moved here and when summer came, I was like, ‘Wow, what is this? It’s not even this hot in Ghana.’ I remember coming here on September 15, 2018, when we drew 0-0 at Dallas, and telling my Ghanaian teammate Jonathan Mensah after warm-up, ‘Bro, I cannot play this game, I’m dead’ and he was like, ‘Lalas you can do it.’ I never knew how hot it was until my first game here…I couldn't believe it.

“But, man, I’ve loved it so far in Dallas. I live in Rivendale, which is like 12 minutes away from the stadium…I love how close it is. I love to take my time, take care of myself, take care of my body before I come home, so knowing that I have a short drive to and from the stadium is really helpful. In Colorado, I lived far away, like 45 minutes away from the stadium, and to be honest, and I didn't like it. But now, I love where I live…everything is closer.”

After commencing the 2025 season on the bench, Abubakar grew into his role and established himself as a key figure under new manager Eric Quill, playing 28 times thus far across all competitions. He played the full 90 in 10 straight matches before dropping to the bench on September 14 vs. Austin. After coming on for the final quarter-hour vs. Austin and Colorado, Abubakar came on for the final 10 minutes of their match vs. Portland, replacing Logan Farrington in a bid to shore up the defense.

“You can ask Eric, anytime I’m not playing, I’ll have a meeting with him and ask him, ‘Coach, do you want me to do more?’ I just want to be in the lineup. I want to do whatever it takes. That's who I am,” said Abubakar. “When I came in, it was hard for me at the beginning to get into the team but because of the experiences that I've had, playing all these years, I kew that if I remained patient and kept working hard, my time would come – I’m going to get the opportunity to play. That’s what I’ve done, and I’ve just got to keep pushing myself.”