FC Dallas & North Texas SC Roster Rankings – May 2025

Feeling down about a month of rough results? Why not join us in passing judgment on the 57 contracted professionals at FC Dallas and North Texas SC.

This isn’t the place to worry about post-shot xG and other metrics. This is simply a look at the names getting some attention from the coaches, fans, and our colleagues in the media. So let’s get to it!

Starting XI

RankPlayerHighLowTrendComments
1Urhoghide, OsazeHigh: 1Low: 19— 0Far and away FC Dallas’ best player. He played every minute of the season until he went down injured in Cincinnati. The question is, how bad is that injury? – Dan
2Julio, AndersonHigh: 2Low: 5— 0He doesn’t get all the love, but FCD lives or dies game to game by how good Julio is. – Buzz
3Paes, MaartenHigh: 3Low: 5▲ 2Picked up a save in the shootout loss and another Indonesia call-up. There are some big questions about Paes’ feet, particularly with two bad giveaways at New York. – Dan
4Acosta, LucianoHigh: 1Low: 4▼ 1He had two goals in two Open Cup games (including a stunner against NYRB), but is not having enough league impact.- Buzz
5Musa, PetarHigh: 1Low: 5▼ 1A goal and an assist since returning from injury, but the performances haven’t quite been there for the Moose. – Dan
6Farrington, LoganHigh: 5Low: 7— 0He’s not playing at as high a level as last year, but he competes hard and out-hustles most everyone. Sometimes it’s enough to just not be bad. – Buzz
7RamiroHigh: 7Low: 12▲ 4With midfield injuries, Ramiro’s name is in Sharpie on the team sheet even if he’s out of position. Definitely one of the more talked-about players, even if it’s not necessarily positive. – Dan
8PedrinhoHigh: 8Low: 12▲ 4Looks good off the bench, including sparking the FCC comeback. While he had a solid start in Seattle, other starts are pretty meh. – Buzz
9KaickHigh: 9Low: 29▲ 5He’s a fun player to watch, even if sometimes it’s car crash TV. Three yellow cards in his last four MLS games is a concern. – Dan
10Ibeagha, SebastienHigh: 7Low: 11▼ 3Playing fairly average, sometimes below his normal. Always competes and leads. Had a great goal at Cincy. – Buzz
11Norris, NolanHigh: 11Low: 21▲ 2Four starts in the period and a US U-20 call-up. Back to the bench with Marco Farfan back, BUT has Marco really been an upgrade? – Dan
Kaick on the ball against Seattle Sounders, April 12, 2025. (Matt Visinsky, 3rd Degree)
Kaick on the ball against Seattle Sounders, April 12, 2025. (Matt Visinsky, 3rd Degree)

In The Mix

12Lletget, SebastianHigh: 4Low: 12▼ 3Even though he’s still hurt, the negative impact on the team due to his absence has raised his value in everyone’s eyes. – Buzz
13Abubakar, LalasHigh: 13Low: 17▲ 2Five starts, including a full back run, and you could argue the best in-form fit player with Urhoghide possibly injured. His shot in Seattle was something to see. – Dan
14Moore, ShaqHigh: 6Low: 14▼ 6Moore is pretty up and down, leading to an average at best season so far. Solid outing at Cincinnati. – Buzz
15ShowHigh: 10Low: 20▼ 5A pair of starts, but Manuel Cafumana isn’t putting on much of a show. – Dan
16Pomykal, PaxtonHigh: 16Low: 47▲ 13Couple of subs, looked good and generated hype. The passing was elite. Then he needed games off? That’s concerning. – Buzz
17Farfan, MarcoHigh: 9Low: 18▲ 1Farfan is back, but it hasn’t exactly been a triumphant return. – Dan
18Kamungo, BernardHigh: 11Low: 20▲ 2Remains inconsistent. Good game at NY in the Cup, good half against Seattle, then poor against Cincy and gets lifted at the half. – Buzz
19Ntsabeleng, TsikiHigh: 13Low: 21▲ 2Tsiki is regularly getting minutes, just not many. – Dan
20Sarver, SamuelHigh: 20Low: 31▲ 2NTSC’s captain and best player. He’s also the only one who looks ready for an FCD shot. 7 goals, tied for 5th in Next Pro. – Buzz
21Delgado, PatricksonHigh: 16Low: 21▼ 5Patrickson isn’t getting on the field as much as Tsiki Ntsabeleng, but when he does he’s getting more time. Nice assist in Cincy for the late equaliser. – Dan
22Collodi, MichaelHigh: 14Low: 22▼ 5Got a Cup start against a lower-division team, then an MLS start when Paes was sick. He’s not going to see much PT unless Paes gets call-ups (or hurt). – Buzz
23Garcia, DiegoHigh: 22Low: 26▲ 3Picked up a long-awaited first team debut and got some great praise from Eric Quill. Grabbed a goal for NTSC in their Texas Derby. – Dan
24Sainte, CarlHigh: 24Low: 25— 03 straight starts at CB in May for Phoenix Rising after starting the April Cup game at CB. Glad to see it. – Buzz
25Chu, LeoHigh: 16Low: 25▼ 6Leo Chu has been out with a knee injury. He’s for sure a talked-about player, although that’s mostly surrounding his departure. – Dan
26Carrera, AntonioHigh: 23Low: 29▼ 1One bench in May for FCD, such is the life of the 3rd keeper. – Buzz
FC Dallas launched its Afterburner kit worn by Paxton Pomykal in a True Brvnd hat. (Courtesy FC Dallas)
FC Dallas launched its Afterburner kit worn by Paxton Pomykal in a True Brvnd hat. (Courtesy FC Dallas)

Second Team

27Scott, TarikHigh: 23Low: 28▼ 4Another unfortunate injury (ankle) after three consecutive games seeing the field. – Dan
28Ramirez, AnthonyHigh: 27Low: 28▼ 1Being used by North Texas in the 10-Acosta role, but isn’t seeing any FCD love. Needs to start dominating that Next Pro level. – Buzz
29Essel, AaronHigh: 29Low: 41▲ 12Played every minute of the U-20 AFCON until he was sent off in extra time of their QF loss. A senior call-up for Ghana, and has asserted himself as a starter for NTSC. – Dan
30AlvaroHigh: 25Low: 32▲ 2A regular starter for NTSC, Alvaro has made a few first-team benches. – Buzz
31Sali, EnesHigh: 26Low: 37▲ 6Sali got his first two starts for Al-Riyadh and rewarded them with a goal and an assist. Is that enough for them to want him permanently and free up that U-22 slot? – Dan
32Torquato, JoshHigh: 30Low: 32▼ 2Started 10 of 11 games this season for North Texas SC. Returned to LB recently after a string of games at LW. – Buzz
33Endeley, HerbertHigh: 24Low: 33▼ 5After putting a good run of starts together for Colorado Springs, there’s chatter of a potential ACL injury that we’ll wait to hear anything official on. – Dan
34Cisset, MomoHigh: 34Low: 49▲ 63 straight starts since his return from injury. Still mistake-prone. – Buzz
35Contreras, JaidynHigh: 31Low: 42▲ 4Gradually building his minutes back up, culminating in a start at Tacoma. – Dan
36Sangare, FaisuHigh: 36Low: 49▲ 13Three straight starts since arriving, scored his 1st goal. and minutes later got his first red card against Tacoma. – Buzz
37Swann, CalebHigh: 31Low: 37▼ 6A start and a 52-minute sub appearance are encouraging signs, but it’s not the run of starts last month. – Dan
North Texas SC signs forward Faisu Sangare . (Courtesy North Texas SC)
North Texas SC signs forward Faisu Sangare. (Courtesy North Texas SC)

In Reserve

38Montoya, NicoHigh: 38Low: 44▲ 6Back-to-back starts and wins. Nice to see the 17-year-old keeper getting time. – Buzz
39Pondeca, TomasHigh: 33Low: 39▼ 3Pondeca made his second USL Championship start, but he’s been yanked at halftime in both starts. – Dan
40Kaakoush, IsaiahHigh: 34Low: 44▼ 6Only one game (a start) since our last ranking, the return of Alvaro and Cisset has cost him PT. – Buzz
41Bulkeley, JamesHigh: 39Low: 46▲ 5Made his way back to the bench after injury. Bulkeley will miss the next game for a New Zealand U-20 camp in Chile. – Dan
42Gall, GavinHigh: 35Low: 43▼ 7One game, a start, since our last ranking. – Buzz
43Molina, MalachiHigh: 33Low: 43▼ 10Molina has missed the past two games through injury. – Dan
44Baran, DanielHigh: 29Low: 44▼ 6He’s apparently fallen behind Contreras at left wing. Three sub appearances in May only totalling 22 minutes. – Buzz
45Aroyameh, FavourHigh: 45Low: 52▲ 7Three months after signing, his visa is finally completed. – Dan
46Urzua, AlejandroHigh: 33Low: 46▼ 432 minutes since our last ranking. The clock is ticking; this FCD Homegrown is on an option and hasn’t even sniffed FCD yet. – Buzz
47Orejarena, LeonardoHigh: 37Low: 47▼ 4Two sub appearances since we last ranked for a combined 23 minutes. – Dan
48Molomo, ZachHigh: 36Low: 48▼ 3At this point, he looks more like a paid Academy player than a Next Pro player. Maybe that will change this summer. – Buzz
49Harms, JTHigh: 47Low: 49▼ 2Harms is firmly behind Nico Montoya at this point. – Dan
50Sedeh, SamHigh: 48Low: 50▼ 2Has yet to make a bench since signing, but Sedeh is about the future. No rush with this 15-year-old. – Buzz
51Luccin, MarlonHigh: 41Low: 51▼ 1Nothing, nada, zilch. The younger Luccin is effectively a paid academy player. – Dan
52Darub, VictorHigh: 45Low: 52▼ 1He’s now behind JT Harms and Nico Montoya at NTSC. And that’s when Collodi or Carrera aren’t taking the PT. – Buzz
53Jesus, GeovaneHigh: 48Low: 53— 0Remember that guy? – Dan
54Scabin, KakaHigh: 44Low: 54— 0Is it far enough away from the ACL that a return to training might soon be in the cards? – Buzz
55Pepi, DiegoHigh: 43Low: 55— 0There’s some talk of Pepi returning with Texoma in the summer. – Dan
56Newman, EnzoHigh: 15Low: 56— 0Torn ACL in April. We shouldn’t see him till spring 2026 at the earliest. – Buzz
57Cangiano, GianlucaHigh: 37Low: 57— 0Did his ACL in March. – Dan
Favour Aroyameh finally arrives at North Texas SC, May 2025. (Courtesy North Texas SC)
Favour Aroyameh finally arrives at North Texas SC, May 2025. (Courtesy North Texas SC)

Notes and Comments

Osaze Urhoghide holds on to the top spot, but will that be derailed by the injury that saw him leave the field in Cincinnati?

There are technically two winners this week, but there’s one real winner, and that’s Paxton Pomykal. Seeing the substitute board show the number 19 after 434 days out following a long-running meniscus issue is likely to be the feel-good moment of this season.

Faisu Sangare tied Pax with a 13-place jump in the order. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers youngster made his first three starts and capped that off with a goal … and an almost immediate red card. Aaron Essel was only one behind coming off the U-20 AFCON and earning his first cap for Ghana’s senior team.

There was one double-digit drop as Malachi Molina missed time through injury. I suspect we’ll see a large drop next month with talk of Herbert Endeley sustaining an injury that may call time on his stay with FC Dallas.

June is a relatively light month with the Gold Cup and World Club Cup, but that won’t stop us from giving out some flowers and crotch kicks!

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