FC Dallas camp opening roster check-in

It’s time once again to continue the analysis of the FC Dallas offseason roster build using my positional system. This isn’t a depth chart. This winter we started back at the end of 2023 then Checked in again at the beginning of January.

So let’s do a status check on the day players reported for their physicals. And we’ll do a final check at the start of the season.

The big issue right now is that the club is about four players over the 30-player roster limit and two players over the 8-international limit… with one big roster hole, in our opinion, left to be filled.

Down below we’ll have some thoughts and comments on how the club might solve these issues.

The “Start of ’24 Build” column is the roster situation I set up back at the start of the offseason. The Blue text was the roster needs as I saw it (predicted). I’ve tweaked this column a tiny bit to better reflect the roster as it was at the start of the offseason.

The “Opening Camp” column is the changes that we see, as of today. The Red text marks the remaining questions.

Roster	Position	Start of ’24 Build	Opening Camp	Notes
1	9	Jesus Ferreira		YDP
2	9	Jesus Jiminez		Int 1, TAM
3	9	Jose Mulato		Int 2
4	Wing	Paul Arriola		DP (or TAM)
5	Wing	Eugene Ansah		Int 3
6	Wing	Bernard Kamungo
7	Wing	Dante Sealy
8	Free-8 / 10	Sebastian Lletget		TAM
9	Free-8 / 10	Depth free-8?	Tomas Pondeca
10	Linking-8	Paxton Pomykal		TAM
11	Linking-8	Tsiki Ntsabeleng		Int 5
12	6	Asier Illarramendi		Int 6, TAM
13	6	Liam Fraser
14	LB	Marco Farfan
15	LB	Sam Junqua
16	CB	Nkosi Tafari
17	CB	TAM signing?	???????	TAM?
18	CB	Sebastien Ibeagha
19	CB	Starter Light?	Omar Gonzalez
20	CB	Pick or HG?	Amet Korca?
21	RB	Ema Twumasi
22	RB	Herbert Endeley
23	GK	Maarten Paes		Int 7
24	GK	Antonio Carrera		HG
25	GK	HG or Vet?	Jimmy Maurer
26	Misc	Nolan Norris		HG
27	Misc	Isaiah Parker		GA
28	Misc	Tarik Scott		HG
29	Misc	Used to leave open	Enes Sali	U22, Int 8
30	Misc	Used to leave open	Logan Farrington	Signed
31	Injured	Geovane Jesus		U22, Int 9
32	Injured	Alan Velasco		Int 4, YDP
33	Over Limit		Malik-Henry Scott	HG
34	Over Limit		Alejandro Urzua	HG
35	Over Limit		Turner Humphrey	Unsigned
36	Over Limit		Mads Westergren	Int 10, unsigned

HG = Homegrown
GA = Generation Adidas
DP = Designated Player
YDP = Yount Designated Player
Int = International
TAM = A player over the DP line that will be bought down with Allocation Money.

Notes, Thoughts, and Comments

– I think the International Slot problem will be solved by other moves. FCD can probably trade for one of these as they have most seasons if necessary. There are also a few green cards in the works. Timeline unknown.

– Logan Farrington was signed before the draft by MLS and thus will almost certainly end up making the roster.

– With the additions of Farrington and newly signed homegrown Malik Henry-Scott, FCD has five strikers (9s). The best solution to this log jam is to contract buyout Jesus Jiminez. JJ is about to put a big hit on the salary cap (since Toronto FCD isn’t going to pay his cap hit this season) and he’s blocking the way of the team’s big draft pick Farrington.

– In addition (as I’ve said before a few times) I would like to see FCD sell Jose Mulato. I don’t think he’s going to be impactful on the MLS level and that’s a rough spot for an international. There should be some club out there interested.

– Alan Velasco and Geovane Jesus will both, I think, start the season on the short-term injured reserve. This status requires a minimum of six games missed, which both should easily reach, and it opens up the roster for a body replacement early. A roster move can be made later to add each player when necessary.

– I’ve slid Thomas Pondeca into Velasco’s midfield spot, for now, to make this a bit more clear as camp opens (I should have done this back in the first version). The two injuries to Velasco and Geovane are causing some roster chaos.

– Loans of players to either North Texas SC (Jose Mulato last year) or another club (Isaiah Parker last year) can also open up roster slots and ease the load.

– Based on social media, it seems Amet Korca was heading back to Dallas earlier this week but there has been no announcement of a new contract. It’s possible – if he is indeed reporting to camp – Korca will be in direct competition with FCD’s 2nd and 3rd-round picks, Turner Humphrey and Mads Westergren, for the 5th CB spot. North Texas SC contracts are likely in play for both the picks if they don’t make the senior team.

– The two spots FCD has left open for years now, 29th and 20th, I anticipate will be filled this year as both Coach Nico Estevez and TD Andre Zanotta have talked about greater roster depth to handle the schedule load and injuries that cost them last year.