Aside from both teams gaining surprise wins over the team at the top of the standings, it’s been a rough month since we last checked in on the 49 contracted players for FC Dallas and North Texas SC.
As always, these roster rankings are a bit of fun. A chance to look at who has played well, or at all for that matter. Whose name is in our thoughts, and on the fans lips.
Starting XI:
| 1 (-) | Bryan Acosta High: 1 | Low: 5 | A little over a quarter of the way through the season, your team MVP. – Dan |
| 2 (-) | Ryan Hollingshead High: 2 | Low: 3 | No matter the opposition, location, or position he plays – Hollingshead always shows up for the game and puts in an above-average performance. Currently the solution at left wing. – Buzz |
| 3 (-) | Jimmy Maurer High: 1 | Low: 4 | Aside from an iffy parry that got turned in by Minnesota, Maurer has been in fantastic form this season. – Dan |
| 4 (+9) | Ricardo Pepi High: 4 | Low: 13 | All aboard!! Choo Choo! Took over as the 9, should keep that job. Leads FCD with 5 goals. The combo with Ferreira clicks at home. – Buzz |
| 5 (+11) | Jesus Ferreira High: 5 | Low: 16 | He’s back, and succeeding in that 9.5 role (forget the Galaxy loss). Ferreira’s chemistry with Pepi makes you wonder what could have been from day one if he was fit. – Dan |
| 6 (+1) | Matt Hedges High: 2 | Low: 7 | Out injured but that only serves to highlight his value as others aren’t up to the standard. – Buzz |
| 7 (-1) | Jose Antonio Martinez High: 5 | Low: 7 | A hammy twang the day before the win over New England has shelved the Spaniard for a couple of weeks. – Dan |
| 8 (-4) | Andres Ricaurte High: 1 | Low: 8 | Remains a quality player but doesn’t fit in the shape Luchi is trying to use to save the season. – Buzz |
| 9 (-) | Facundo QuignonHigh: 9 | Low: 9 | Facu looked kind of rough at first but he’s defensively sound and has been the pass that led to the key pass frequently. – Dan |
| 10 (-5) | Bressan High: 5 | Low: 15 | He’s the most experienced center back available. Was playing some great defense… and then had a couple bad games. There is no one else right now. – Buzz |
| 11 (-2) | Tanner Tessmann High: 9 | Low: 14 | No Gold Cup, replaced by Quignon, and seemingly off to Venezia. – Dan |
In The Mix:
| 12 (-) | Szabolcs Schön High: 12 | Low: 12 | I’m not sure we really know what this kid is, good or bad. Luchi sure seems to like him though. – Buzz |
| 13 (-2) | Paxton Pomykal High: 11 | Low: 22 | Paxton finally started…and then didn’t even with the midfield shuffle midweek in LA. Strange. – Dan |
| 14 (+5) | Justin Che High: 14 | Low: 23 | Bayern wants him. FCD wants a check. Right now he’s playing out of position serviceably but not mistake-free. – Buzz |
| 15 (+12) | Nkosi Tafari High: 15 | Low: 28 | Nkosi’s progression has been outstanding. His numbers have been excellent, and his play has outshone the far more experienced Bressan. – Dan |
| 16 (+5) | Johnny Nelson High: 11 | Low: 21 | Johnny Football is back in the starting XI while Hollingshead is solving the left wing problem. – Buzz |
| 17 (-9) | Phelipe Megiolaro High: 8 | Low: 17 | Phelipe recovered from injury but his only involvement since has been to get booked while on the bench. – Dan |
| 18 (-8) | Jader Obrian High: 8 | Low: 18 | Continues to start but is producing only yellow cards. Finally dropped – deservedly – vs LA Galaxy. – Buzz |
| 19 (-4) | Franco Jara High: 7 | Low: 19 | Finally got his first open play goal since October. Lost the start to Pepi, and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who disagreed with that decision. – Dan |
| 20 (+3) | Edwin Cerrillo High: 14 | Low: 23 | He’s been showing in training and in the small PT samples, so he got a start out on Planet LA. Was that just a rotation or will he hold it? – Buzz |
Second Team:
| 21 (+1) | Brandon Servania High: 20 | Low: 22 | Back in the game day roster, and could potentially be set to start with Bryan Acosta playing in the Gold Cup. – Dan |
| 22 (+2) | Ema Twumasi High: 19 | Low: 25 | Getting fit and got the start at right wing in LA. Can he keep Jader out? – Buzz |
| 23 (-3) | Kalil ElMedkhar High: 20 | Low: 24 | Got some minutes, a few fan rumblings about getting a start but it seems to have died down and now Schon is back. – Dan |
| 24 (-7) | Dante Sealy High: 17 | Low: 26 | Got only one game off the bench since his training stint at PSV. Is he going or not? – Buzz |
| 25 (-11) | Freddy Vargas High: 7 | Low: 25 | Missed out on Copa America, even after Venezuela suffered a big Covid outbreak. His play for FCD probably justified that before he was dropped. – Dan |
| 26 (-1) | Thomas Roberts High: 21 | Low: 26 | Burred on the FCD depth chart… now off to recently promoted Austria Klagenfurt of the Austrian Bundesliga on a one-year loan. – Buzz |
| 27 (+3) | Colin Shutler High: 27 | Low: 35 | Back from a run on the FCD bench and starting regularly for North Texas SC. – Dan |
| 28 (-2) | Gibran Rayo High: 26 | Low: 31 | For me, North Texas SC’s best player, game after game. Can he take the next step? – Buzz |
| 29 (-11) | Eddie Munjoma High: 17 | Low: 29 | A rare first-teamer in an away game appearance came in Richmond at the weekend as Eddie played left back for North Texas. That’s a big fall from starting for FCD when we last ranked. – Dan |
| 30 (+2) | Imanol Almaguer High: 30 | Low: 37 | In the best form of his career, he is a clear first-choice player for Quill when he’s not pushed out by a Homegrown. – Buzz |
| 31 (-) | Bernard Kamungo High: 31 | Low: 33 | Started all four games since the last rankings, and not looking back. – Dan |
| 32 (+3) | Nicky Hernandez High: 17 | Low: 35 | Getting healthy after missing time. Getting some NTX PT as part of the recovery. – Buzz |
In Reserve:
| 33 (+4) | Caiser Gomez High: 33 | Low: 46 | If this is stock up, stock down, Gomez may be the big winner with frequent first-team training invites. – Dan |
| 34 (+5) | Kazu High: 34 | Low: 40 | Pushed Waldeck out at left back and even played some forward the other day. – Buzz |
| 35 (-) | Blaine Ferri High: 35 | Low: 35 | Signed and made his first start last weekend. – Dan |
| 36 (+10) | Mikey Maldonado High: 34 | Low: 46 | Got a run at right back for a few games to help solidify the defense but made way for Smith in the last one. – Buzz |
| 37 (-8) | Beni Redzic High: 29 | Low: 39 | Had surgery for a high ankle sprain. – Dan |
| 38 (-5) | Alejandro High: 33 | Low: 41 | Was looking like a legit top-tier piece for North Texas during their upswing until he got hurt. The Little Toros need him back. – Buzz |
| 39 (-5) | Alisson High: 34 | Low: 39 | Partially at fault in all three New England II goals. Wasn’t on the roster for the last game. – Dan |
| 40 (-2) | Hope Kodzo Avayevu High: 29 | Low: 40 | Gets PT off the bench but hasn’t started in a while. Remains a very bright – and young – prospect. – Buzz |
| 41 (+1) | Alex Bruce High: 36 | Low: 42 | Started three of four since the last ranking. Still yet to complete a full 90 this year. – Dan |
| 42 (-6) | Thibaut Jacquel High: 23 | Low: 42 | After the strong start was unable to keep the scoring run going and lost his starting spot. – Buzz |
| 43 (-3) | Collin Smith High: 40 | Low: 43 | Only junk minutes before a start in Richmond. – Dan |
| 44 (-) | Derek Waldeck High: 27 | Low: 44 | He remains a leader and a valuable roster piece but hasn’t been able to hold off challengers. – Buzz |
| 45 (-) | Kyle Zobeck High: 26 | Low: 45 | Still out injured. – Dan |
| 46 (+2) | Rio Ramirez High: 44 | Low: 48 | Got two starts, one at holding mid & one at center back… neither at his natural right back spot. – Buzz |
| 47 (-) | Rickson Van Hees High: 45 | Low: 47 | Made his first appearance with seven minutes off the bench in New England. – Dan |
| 48 (-5) | Richard Sanchez High: 43 | Low: 48 | Clearly behind Shutler at this point. Not a good sign for the veteran keeper. – Buzz |
| 49 (-8) | Juan Parra High: 41 | Low: 49 | Only made one bench since the last rankings. – Dan |
Nkosi Tafari is the big winner this week with a 12 place jump off the back of some impressive performances in the FC Dallas defense. The second-year pro just holds off the returning Jesus Ferreira, who moved up 11 spaces to 5th. Mikey Maldonado is the third double-digit week, with a 10 place jump to reflect his return to the North Texas starting line-up.
Two players tied for the biggest slide as Freddy and Eddie both dropped 11 places. Freddy Vargas is out of the lineup in Frisco, as was Eddie Munjoma who’s popped up in Arlington. Not what either youngster had hoped a month back.