One of the things I like to do each season is set some squad goals, set some high individual bars for achievement. The idea is to think about Coach Luchi Gonzalez and each player sitting down for a meeting and setting some season targets for each player.
This gives us a benchmark of expectations and something by which to judge/grade each player at the end of the season.
Quite clearly, not all of these will happen as a great many are mutually exclusive.
| Player | Goal for 2020 |
| Bryan Acosta | Maintain position as the first choice linking-8. More than 1 assist. Start for Honduras. |
| Pablo Aránguiz | Play well enough for U de Chile to get bought this winter. Make the Chilean National Team. |
| Francis Atuahene | Start and dominate for San Diego Loyal, re-sign with FCD or get a phat USL-C contract. |
| Michael Barrios | Break the FCD assist record. Again. Get US Citizenship and then a USMNT Cap. (I have no idea if he’s working on being a citizen, I just think it would be awesome to see.) |
| Bressan | Take over as the starter for Reto Ziegler. |
| Nkosi Burgess | 25+ NTXSC starts, start some early USOC games. Play well enough to stick on the FCD roster for more than 1 season. |
| Reggie Cannon | Cement starting spot in the USMNT, get that phat transfer this summer. |
| Edwin Cerrillo | Show enough with NTX as a single pivot 6 to start 5+ MLS games. |
| Jesus Ferreira | Be FC Dallas MVP. Beat out last year’s 8 goals and 6 assists. Stay in the USMNT pool. Find best position. |
| Jesse Gonzalez | Raise the intellectual side of the game, get into the discussion for MLS Keeper of the year. Play more for the USMNT. |
| Matt Hedges | Get back into the MLS Defender of the Year discussion. Cement legacy as the greatest FCD defender of all time. |
| Ryan Hollingshead | Repeat 2019. Can it be improved on? That would really be something. |
| Jimmy Maurer | Outplay Gonzalez, take the starting FCD job. Or play well enough in spot starts to have MLS teams trying to trade for him. |
| Callum Montgomery | Use SAFC loan to progress game, get recalled midseason, and pass Bressan on the depth chart with an eye on starting in 2021. |
| Santiago Mosquera | Become a dangerous, game-changing super-sub. Play so well and consistently to win back the left wing starting job. |
| Eddie Munjoma | 15+ North Texas SC starts, when Cannon in sold, earn the right back job over Bryan Reynolds. |
| John Nelson | Take the starting left back job. (Which would be a remarkable achievement given how well Hollingshead is playing.) If not, make 10+ MLS starts in various positions. |
| Zdenek Ondrasek | More Kobra, less garden Snake. 15+ MLS goals, score on the road. Get the Euro 2020 call up. |
| Ricardo Pepi | Play in 10+ MLS games, score some goals. Make 1+ MLS start, more USOC starts. Make US U20s for Concacaf Champ. |
| Fafà Picault | Hold down the left wing job. Repeat 2018 numbers (10g, 5a). |
| Paxton Pomykal | Stay healthy. Reclaim a starting FCD position. Be FCD MVP. Cement spot in USMNT pool. Start in Olympics. |
| Bryan Reynolds | Earn starts while Cannon is with USMNT, be the starter when Cannon is sold. Make US U20s for Concacaf Champ. |
| Thomas Roberts | 10+ starts for FCD, 15+ starts for NTX. Get first career MLS goal and assist. Start for US U20s for Concacaf Champ. |
| Thiago Santos | Be the dominant holding mid we expect, stay healthy and don’t wear down in the Texas heat. |
| Brandon Servania | Beat out Bryan Acosta, make 20+ MLS starts. Make Olympic team, get recalled to USMNT. |
| Dante Sealy | Make MLS debut and first career goal. Wrap up that future move to PSV. Make US U20s for Concacaf Champ. |
| Tanner Tessmann | Make 5+ MLS starts, make 15+ North Texas SC starts. Start for US U20s for Concacaf Champ. |
| Ema Twumasi | Make 5+ MLS starts. Repeat strong play with Austin Bold. Get a new MLS contract. |
| Reto Ziegler | Remain the starter for 2020, stay healthy. |
| Kyle Zobeck | Continue to be awesome. Beat out Jimmy Mauer for the #2 FCD spot. |