The 2025 MLS Expansion Draft takes place on Wednesday and FC Dallas announced their official protection list today. I made a prediction list on Monday, you can see how I did here.
FC Dallas Auto Protection List
Homegrowns under 25 and ungraduated Generation adidas players get a free pass.
| Antonio Carrera |
| Jesus Ferreira |
| Malik Henry-Scott * |
| Nolan Norris |
| Paxton Pomykal |
| Dante Sealy * |
| Tarik Scott |
| Alejandro Urzua |
* FC Dallas did not list the players they have declined options on but I have chosen to list them anyway.
FC Dallas Protected List
Here are the 12 players FC Dallas has chosen to protect.
| 1 | Patrickson Delgado |
| 2 | Show Cafumana |
| 3 | Marco Farfan |
| 4 | Logan Farrington |
| 5 | Sebastien Ibeagha |
| 6 | Tsiki Ntsabeleng |
| 7 | Bernard Kamungo |
| 8 | Enes Sali |
| 9 | Petar Musa |
| 10 | Maarten Paes |
| 11 | Nkosi Tafari |
| 12 | Alan Velasco |
FC Dallas Players Exposed in the Expansion Draft
| Eugene Ansah |
| Paul Arriola |
| Herbert Endeley |
| Liam Fraser |
| Asier Illarramendi |
| Sam Junqua |
| Amet Korca |
| Jimmy Maurer |
| Sebastian Lletget |
| Tomas Pondeca |
| Ruan |
| Carl Sainté |
| Geovane Jesus |
| Ema Twumasi |
| Isaiah Parker |
| Omar Gonzalez |
Thoughts and Comments
FC Dallas was much more aggressive and ruthless than I anticipated. That’s good.
I thought they would cover players they paid a lot of money to get a few years ago and they didn’t. They instead chose to protect younger players in, or closer to, their career prime.
THe exposure of Paul Arriola and Sebastian LLetget are the most noteworthy protecting guys like Tsiki Ntsabeleng and Enes Sali, the later who has yet to play for FCD in a league game, are worth note.
Is this the fast-acting effect of Eric Quill as head coach? Or has the club recognized this is more of a complete rebuild and thus is willing to risk these veterans?
Perhaps time will tell.
*Crosses fingers that SDFC picks the hometown guy*
Israeli media outlets reported that sdfc was possibly going to pick illaramendi.
How much better of would we be if we had had a coach that used young players and kept Edwin Cerrillo and Brandon Servania?
It would be nice.
This
I thought they had declined the buy on Delgado. I guess protecting him means they’ve come to different terms to buy him? I don’t see why else you would protect him.
They might be trying to work out a new price or a new loan?
Or more likely, players on loan are required protects as they are loaned to one club specifically… and players are technically on the roster till end of the year.