Last week I did a prediction on the list of players FC Dallas would protect and expose in the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft and the real list is now out.
The 2020 MLS Expansion Draft is tomorrow and Austin FC will be picking 5 players. FC Dallas is eligible to have a player selected and can protect 12 players from their senior, supplemental, and reserve rosters.
There was a half-day trade window yesterday morning in which the club, as I suggested in the prediction piece, traded Callum Montgomery to Minnesota United.
FC Dallas Exposed List
Here is the official list of players FCD exposed to selection in the Expansion Draft.
| Player | Note |
|---|---|
| Francis Atuahene | His time in Dallas was already at an end after the club declined his option. |
| Nkosi Burgess | A low-risk exposure of a project player FCD has some high hopes for. Ema Twumasi protected instead. |
| Santiago Mosquera | Contract options declined but he will still be in the expansion draft. He’s already talking to multiple teams back in South America. |
| Reto Ziegler | Out of contract, 35 years old in January. |
| Kyle Zoback | A 30-year-old 3rd string keeper is a very low risk of selection. |
FC Dallas Protected List
So by extrapolation, here’s the actual list of the 12 players FC Dallas protected.
| 1 | Bryan Acosta |
| 2 | Bressan |
| 3 | Michael Barrios |
| 4 | Matt Hedges |
| 5 | Ryan Hollingshead |
| 6 | Franco Jara |
| 7 | Jimmy Maurer |
| 8 | Phelipe |
| 9 | Fafa Picault |
| 10 | Andres Ricaurte |
| 11 | Thiago Santos |
| 12 | Ema Twumasi |
Needing to expose the five players they did means Twumasi must have been protected.
Verified by the FCD actual protected list.
FC Dallas Automatic Protection List
This is the key for Los Toros. They have a massive list of automatically protected players. It’s a side benefit to having so many Homegrowns 25 and under.
It seems both Ema Twumasi and Francis Atuahene were graduated from Generation adidas. Only two seasons into his career, Johnny Nelson likely wasn’t graduated for age (22 during 2021) or for playing time (just 20 games).
| Player | Protection |
|---|---|
| Edwin Cerrillo | Homegrown |
| Justin Che | Homegrown signed for 2021 |
| Jesus Ferreira | Homegrown |
| Eddie Munjoma | Homegrown |
| Johnny Nelson | Generation Adidas |
| Ricardo Pepi | Homegrown |
| Paxton Pomykal | Homegrown |
| Bryan Reynolds | Homegrown |
| Thomas Roberts | Homegrown |
| Dante Sealy | Homegrown |
| Brandon Servania | Homegrown |
| Tanner Tessmann | Homegrown |
Expansion Draft Rules
I’ve tried to simplify these rules, if you want to verbose version go here.
- If a player’s contract expires at the end of 2020, he is still part of the club’s Roster.
- If a club protects a player, the club is not obligated to exercise the player’s option and may renegotiate a new contract.
- Free Agents are not automatically protected and are eligible for selection.
- Generation adidas players who have not graduated and Homegrown Players (ages 25 and under) are automatically protected.
- Designated Players are not automatically protected.
- If a player has a no-trade clause in his contract, his MLS club must protect him in their 12 player list.
- If a player retires, he will not be a part of the Expansion Draft, but his club will lose its right of first refusal to him should he ultimately decide to re-enter the league.
I get protecting Twumasi instead since he’s been playing in Austin, but I swear, if Austin swipes Burgess I’m going to flip out. FCD will have drafted two CBs with their first pick in consecutive drafts, and both will be gone.
I hear yeah, if they lose him they got some work to do finding two CBs. I don’t think it’s likely though.